Congressman Mark DeSaulnier’s Office

Mark James DeSaulnier (born March 31, 1952) is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for the 11th Congressional District of California since 2015. The district includes most of the county of Contra Costa, a suburban county in the East Bay. Formerly a member of the Democratic Party, he served in the California State Legislature, representing the 7th District of the State Senate from 2008 to 2015 and the 11th District of the State Assembly from 2006 to 2008. He also served as Contra Costa County Supervisor (1994–2006) and Concord City Council (1991–1994).

In 2009, DeSaulnier announced his candidacy for the United States House of Representatives on the occasion of a special election in the 10th Congressional District of California following the resignation of the incumbent Ellen Tauscher, who endorsed him. DeSaulnier came second in the September 1 primary election, after John Garamendi. DeSaulnier was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, and raised in the Roman Catholic family.

He received a Bachelor of Arts in History from the College of the Holy Cross. In the early 1970s, he traveled across the country to California and eventually settled in Concord. As a young man, DeSaulnier worked as a probation officer, a truck driver and a hotel service worker. DeSaulnier was a member of both the International Union of Teamsters and the International Union of Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees. His work has allowed his early exposure to the challenges of working families and the power of organized labor to create equality between employers and employees. A small businessman, DeSaulnier, owned and operated a number of restaurants in the greater Bay Area before taking office in the Legislature in 2006. 

California State Assembly

In the Democratic primaries of June 2006, DeSaulnier won 52% of the vote against Laura Canciamilla and two other opponents. DeSaulnier has been endorsed by the San Francisco Chronicle, Contra Costa Times, U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, and California Senator Tom Torlakson. DeSaulnier won a decisive victory in the 2006 general election against Republican Arne Simonsen and Libertarian Cory Nott with 66% of all votes cast.

In the Assembly, DeSaulnier chaired the Committee on Transport and the Select Committees on Growth Management and Air Quality. He was also a member of the Assembly Committee on Appropriations, Human Services, Rules of Procedure and Labor and Employment. Over 40 bills were written or co-authored during the 2007–2008 legislative session. His bills addressed truancy among school children, pre-school access, suicide prevention, childhood obesity, air pollution reduction, smoke-free workplaces, and the creation of opportunities for at-risk youth.

One bill introduced by DeSaulnier, AB 1617, would restrict tobacco smokers from buying tobacco products over the Internet. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill. Another DeSaulnier bill, AB 2235, which would require a biometric feature to be incorporated into all new handguns sold in California. For this reason, DeSaulnier received an F rating from the National Rifle Association. For the Live Earth concert in July 2007, DeSaulnier delivered a weekly Democratic radio address on the steps people can take to reduce their carbon footprint.