Assemblymember Richard S. Gordon

Assemblyman Richard Gordon was elected in November 2010 and represents the 21st Assembly District, which includes much of the Silicon Valley, including the communities of San Carlos, Redwood City, Atherton, Menlo Park, East Palo Alto, Woodside, Portola Valley, Palo Alto, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Monte Sereno, Los Gatos, and the Almaden Valley of San Jose.

Assemblyman Gordon previously served on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, representing the County’s 3rd District, since his election in 1997. Prior to his service on the Board of Supervisors, Gordon served as a member of the County Board of Education from 1992 to 1997.  From 1995 to 1997, Gordon served as vice president of the County Board of Education.

As a County Supervisor, Gordon worked to achieve government accountability by leading in the development of the County's outcome-based budgeting and was instrumental in the formation of regional partnerships including the Housing Endowment and Regional Trust. His pro-constituent efforts included the county’s purchase of land for a public park and advocacy on behalf of local mobile home residents.  Gordon was actively involved in the creation of the Children's Health Initiative, which guarantees health care coverage for children and worked to redirect First Five funding for children into specific strategic initiatives.

Gordon’s leadership was responsible for the creation of a Youth Development Initiative to focus on asset enhancement and the construction of a Youth Campus to provide a comprehensive approach to at-risk youth. In 2008, Gordon served as President of the California State Association of Counties, which represents all 58 counties.

As an Assemblyman, Gordon is committed to ending the gridlock in Sacramento by trying to fix the dysfunction of the state’s governing system and structure, to increase California’s investments in the education of its children, to maintain the state’s position as a leader in environmental protection and to fight for all of California’s residents having access to healthcare. Gordon is also focused on continuing his work for children and other issues affecting the safety net for middle- and low-income families.

Outside of the public arena, Assemblyman Gordon worked as a minister in the United Methodist Church and as executive director of a non-profit youth agency.  He has been active with the Redwood City/San Mateo County Chamber of Commerce having served as Chairman of the Chamber’s Board of Directors.

Assemblyman Gordon is a fourth generation Californian - born and raised in San Mateo County. He completed high school in Orange County, and graduated from the University of Southern California.  He has a Masters in Divinity from Garrett Theological Seminary at Northwestern University.  He resides in an unincorporated neighborhood in Menlo Park with his husband, Dr. Dennis McShane. Assemblyman Gordon and Dr. McShane were married on August 16, 2008 and are now celebrating their  28th year of commitment to each other.

Visit Assemblyman Gordon's website: http://asmdc.org/members/a21/