Ex-Tri-Valley Lawmaker Vying For Contra Costa County Clerk Gig

DUBLIN, CA — Catharine Baker, a Dublin resident and former representative of the state's 16th Assembly District, is the lone Tri-Valley resident vying for the Contra Costa County county clerk-recorder position, the county announced in a press release. The 22 applications will next head to the Board of Supervisors as they decide which applicants should be interviewed, and the county clerk-recorder could be appointed Feb. 4.

The county clerk-recorder oversees elections and maintains vital county records.

Baker, a Republican, represented most of CoCo and the Tri-Valley in the State Assembly from 2014 until she was ousted in 2018 by Democrat Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, who won 51 percent of votes.

Baker — who has been part of CoCo chambers of commerce, downtown associations, nonprofits and more — said she continues to maintain close ties with the county and has for a while considered moving there with her husband, to be closer to family, his job and her various engagements.

In her 15 years of pro-bono practice, Baker said she has almost exclusively focused on election law. The county clerk-recorder position seemed a good fit, given her passion for public service and ties to the county, she said.

The job is a nonpartisan position that focuses on serving the voter and protecting their independence from "the various interests that pull and tug people," Baker said.

"It's an area of law that I have really enjoyed practicing," she said. "It goes to, I think, protecting our democracy and making sure that the vote is accessible and that votes are accurately counted."

She holds a degree in law from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and got her bachelor's in political science at the University of Chicago. Baker currently serves as special counsel at Pleasanton's Hoge Fenton Jones & Appel.