Mark DeSaulnier Bio
Mark James DeSaulnier (born March 31, 1952) is an American politician who has served as the U.S. representative from California since 2015. He represented the 11th congressional district from 2015 until 2023 and has represented the renumbered 10th district since 2023, covering most of Contra Costa County in the San Francisco Bay Area. A member of the Democratic Party since 2000, DeSaulnier previously served in local and state government in California for more than two decades before joining Congress.
Before his time in the House of Representatives, DeSaulnier built a long career in California public office, including service on the Concord City Council, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, the California State Assembly, and the California State Senate. He is known for work on transportation, environmental, labor, and health-care issues, and he has also been an advocate for local journalism, gun-safety reporting requirements, and protections for working families.
Early Life and Background
Mark James DeSaulnier was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, to Edward Joseph DeSaulnier Jr. and Virginia Ann DeSaulnier, whose maiden name was Burke. He was raised in a Roman Catholic family. His father served as a Massachusetts Superior Court judge, and the family was well known in the local community during his childhood.
After his father became involved in a scandal in the early 1970s, DeSaulnier relocated to California and settled in Concord, where he would later build his political career. He took on a series of working-class jobs, including positions as a probation officer, truck driver, and hotel services employee. He later owned and operated several restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in history from the College of the Holy Cross.
Path to US Politics
DeSaulnier entered public service in Concord in 1988, when he was appointed to the Concord Planning Commission. In 1991, he was elected to the Concord City Council, and in 1993 he served as mayor of Concord. Those early roles introduced him to local land-use and budget issues and helped establish his reputation as a hands-on community leader in eastern Contra Costa County.
In early 1994, California Governor Pete Wilson, a fellow Republican, appointed DeSaulnier to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors to fill a vacancy. He was elected to the seat later that year and was reelected in 1998 and 2002, drawing strong support from voters in his district. During this period, he also represented the Bay Area on the California Air Resources Board, work that sharpened his focus on environmental and public-health policy.
Mark DeSaulnier Career
Early Career (1991–2006)
DeSaulnier’s first notable elected office was on the Concord City Council, where he served from 1991 to 1994, including a term as mayor in 1993. His work at the city level centered on planning, public safety, and quality-of-life issues in a growing East Bay community.
After moving to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors in 1994, DeSaulnier served for twelve years. He sponsored the Industrial Safety Ordinance and the Refinery Flare Rule, and he sat on the executive boards of the Association of Bay Area Governments, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. In 2000, he left the Republican Party and joined the Democratic Party, a realignment that shaped the rest of his career.
California State Assembly Breakthrough (2006–2008)
In the June 2006 Democratic primary, DeSaulnier won 52 percent of the vote to claim the 11th State Assembly district seat. He then won the general election with 66 percent of the vote, earning endorsements from outlets such as the San Francisco Chronicle and the Contra Costa Times, as well as from U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer.
In the Assembly, he chaired the Committee on Transportation and the Select Committees on Growth Management and Air Quality, and he authored or co-authored more than 40 bills during the 2007–08 session. His legislation touched on truancy, preschool access, suicide prevention, childhood obesity, air pollution, smoke-free workplaces, and at-risk youth. A bill restricting online tobacco sales was vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, while a separate bill would have required biometric features on new handguns sold in California.
California State Senate Era (2008–2015)
DeSaulnier was elected to the California State Senate in 2008, representing the 7th Senate district, and he received 66.6 percent of the vote in the general election. He chaired the Labor and Industrial Relations committee and served on the Health, Transportation and Housing, and Appropriations committees, and he also led select committees on Constitutional Reform and Growth Management.
He authored more than 20 bills addressing workers’ rights, prescription drug safety, alcohol-abuse programs, electronic recycling, and climate protection funding. In 2009, he amended SB 88 to restrict local governments’ ability to shed pension programs through bankruptcy protection, and in 2012 he proposed SB 1366, which would require gun owners to report lost or stolen firearms to police within 48 hours. He resigned his Senate seat in 2014 to join the U.S. House of Representatives.
U.S. House of Representatives Era (2015–Present)
After U.S. Representative George Miller announced his retirement, DeSaulnier ran for California’s 11th congressional district in 2014 and won the general election, taking office on January 3, 2015. Following the 2021 redistricting, he announced he would seek reelection in the renumbered 10th congressional district, where he was one of three candidates in the June 2022 primary.
In the House, DeSaulnier introduced legislation to create a pathway for local newspapers to operate as nonprofits, citing the loss of local advertising revenue to online platforms. In 2019, he introduced the Bots Research Act to study the impact of automated accounts on social media and elections. In January 2023, he introduced the Breaking the Gridlock Act as a backup mechanism to address the nation’s debt limit. He voted against the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 and has taken positions on foreign policy questions related to Syria, Israel, Taiwan, and Ukraine.
Notable Events and Milestones
One of DeSaulnier’s most widely noted congressional moments came in 2016, when he announced that he had been diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 2015 and had undergone chemotherapy, while making clear he would continue to seek reelection. In March 2020, he was hospitalized in Washington, D.C., for a rib fracture sustained during a run and for pneumonia; his condition declined and he was listed in critical condition before steadily recovering and being released on May 4, 2020.
Mark DeSaulnier Career Wins
DeSaulnier has compiled a long record of electoral victories at the local, state, and federal levels in California, beginning with his first win on the Concord City Council in 1991.
California Legislative Highlights
DeSaulnier won his first race for the Concord City Council in 1991 and served as mayor in 1993. He was then appointed to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors in 1994, winning election that year and reelection in 1998 with 98.4 percent of the vote and in 2002 with 79 percent. He won his California State Assembly seat in 2006 with 66 percent of the general-election vote, his California State Senate seat in 2008 with 66.6 percent, and his U.S. House seat in 2014, going on to win reelection cycles in the 10th congressional district after redistricting.
Other Wins & Achievements
Beyond his electoral record, DeSaulnier earned early endorsements from the San Francisco Chronicle, the Contra Costa Times, U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, and the California League of Conservation Voters. He was selected to represent the Bay Area on the California Air Resources Board from 1997 to 2006 and has been recognized for his work on refinery safety rules, transportation policy, and local-journalism legislation in Congress.
Mark DeSaulnier Family
Family Background and Political Lineage
Mark James DeSaulnier was born to Edward Joseph DeSaulnier Jr., a Massachusetts Superior Court judge, and Virginia Ann DeSaulnier, whose maiden name was Burke. He was raised in a Roman Catholic household in Lowell, Massachusetts, before moving to California in the early 1970s following his father’s involvement in a judicial scandal.
Personal Life
DeSaulnier lives in Concord, California, where he raised his two sons. He is an avid runner and has completed 23 marathons. He was married to Melinda Clune until their divorce. He is a member of the Concord Chamber of Commerce and the Contra Costa Council.