Meet The Candidate: Jerry McNerney

PLEASANTON, CA — Ballots for the March 5 primary are being mailed out, and voters may be confronted with many names or offices they don't know about. Patch reached out to all the candidates running for major legislative seats that represent the Tri-Valley. Below, read about Jerry McNerney, a Democratic candidate running to represent California Senate District 5, who represented former California Senate District 9.

If you would like to submit a candidate profile, see here, or email michael.wittner@patch.com. Answers are not edited.

Jerry McNerney

Does your campaign have a website? If so, include the URL here.

https://jerrymcnerney.org

What city or town do you live in?

Pleasanton, CA

What office are you seeking?

California State Senate

If you are running in a district, you can specify the district here.

State Senate District 5

Please give us your party affiliation.

Democrat

Now let's work on your biography, beginning with your education.

PhD, MS, and BS in Mathematics from the University of New Mexico

What is your occupation?

After 16 years in Congress, I spent the past year working as a Fellow at Stanford University’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence and a Senior Policy Advisor at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP. In both roles, I advocate for AI policies that benefit our society instead of disrupting it.

Do you have a family? If so, please tell us about them.

I married my wife in 1977. We are the proud parents of three children, all of whom received their Bachelor’s degrees from UC Davis and went on to graduate school. My oldest son joined the Air Force after 9/11, rising to the rank of captain; his military service inspired me to represent our communities in Congress for 16 years. My middle daughter is a neuroscientist at the Department of Veteran Affairs and a professor at Stanford Medical School. My youngest son is a PhD biophysicist and develops next-generation microchips at Intel. I also have two young grandchildren, who inspire me to spend every day fighting for their future.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

My daughter is a neuroscientist at the Palo Alto VA Hospital. I have no relatives who work for the State government.

Have you ever held a public office, whether appointive or elective?

U.S. House of Representatives: CA-11 from 2007 to 2013, CA-9 from 2013 to 2023.

How old will you be as of Election Day?

72

Now we'd like to ask a few questions about your reasons for running and your general views on politics and government. First, why are you seeking this office?

I’m running for State Senate to continue serving the communities that I know and cherish. The State Senate advances policies that influence how the rest of the world approaches climate action, technological innovation, economic growth, and countless other important issues. With that in mind, we deserve a State Senator who knows how to get things done and fights for our children’s future – a future with better healthcare, a better environment, and better opportunities for education and job creation right here in our community. I’ve done it before, and I’m ready to do it again. I would be humbled to earn your support and your vote by March 5th.

What do you think are the top three issues for voters in this election, and how do you plan to address them?

Tackling Our Housing Crisis: Too many Californians suffer on our streets, and even more struggle to make rent. I will fight for federal and state dollars to expand transitional housing and rehabilitation programs for the most vulnerable members of our community. That way, we can move unhoused Californians off the streets and into safe, supportive environments. Along with transitioning people out of homelessness, we must protect people from falling into poverty in the first place. Housing security (let alone homeownership) is out-of-reach for most working-class and young Californians. We need to support the construction of market-rate, affordable, and multi-family homes, so our housing market can keep up with our region’s population growth. We also need to stabilize our home insurance market and hold PG&E accountable for non-stop rate increases, because our families should not be struggling from paycheck to paycheck.

Modernizing Our Economy: From my two decades in the clean energy industry, I know firsthand that a greener economy is a stronger economy. As your Congressmember, one of my top priorities was kick-starting the ValleyLink transit system, which will reduce traffic and pollution along the Altamont Pass, and unlock economic growth for San Joaquin County and the Tri-Valley. As your State Senator, I will make sure that our government finishes ValleyLink and makes even more smart, green investments throughout District 5, including updates to our water infrastructure, our electrical grid, and our mass transit. I will also fight to ensure that Artificial Intelligence benefits our society and our economy, instead of displacing workers. Above all else, I will build up our local solar and wind industries, which will drive down our carbon emissions, our dependence on foreign oil, and our risk of blackouts and wildfires, while creating countless good local jobs and making our region more economically competitive. Protecting Our

Water: I have always been a leader in the bipartisan coalition against the Delta Tunnel, which would harm our agriculture, ecosystem, and safety just to help special interests. I directed millions of federal dollars towards smart, strong projects to protect our communities from toxins, floods, and droughts. I will keep up this hard work as State Senator.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I am proud to be the only candidate endorsed by Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly known as NARAL) and Planned Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte, because I have a lifelong record of defending women’s rights and expanding family health centers. I am also the only candidate endorsed by California Environmental Voters, Climate Action California, and 314 Action, because they all trust me to fight for a cleaner, healthier environment for our children and grandchildren to inherit.

I have the strong trust of the labor movement, because I have always believed that our families deserve high wages, low costs of living, and safe and fair working conditions. The California Labor Federation, SEIU California, National Union of Healthcare Workers, California Federation of Teachers, California School Employees Association, California Faculty Association, Dolores Huerta Action Fund, and many other organizations have endorsed me in this race.

Most importantly, as the father of a veteran, my top priority has always been our servicemembers. I secured $400 million for Stockton’s VA Clinic and Nursing Home, authored a law that improves VA care for traumatic brain injuries, and provided local veterans with responsive services. I am proud to be the only candidate who has delivered such huge results for our veterans.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

I will work hard to boost public safety, especially through better resources for our police and stronger programs to protect youths and prior offenders from falling into crime in the first place. The State also needs to do more to reduce the high costs of healthcare.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Along with putting our veterans first, I brought home billions of dollars for our healthcare system, our first responders, and our local economy.

Through my work on the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPs Act, and other key legislation, our communities gained greater access to broadband Internet and clean energy. Working with leaders in every party, community, and industry, I helped kick-start the ValleyLink commuter rail system and fix our crumbling roads and railways, while fighting hard to block the Delta Tunnels and protect our water resources. And because our families’ safety and well-being should always come first, I repeatedly secured federal funds to hire more local police officers, expand youth programs and women’s health centers, and protect thousands of school employees from layoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Mathematics has always given me mental discipline and a commitment to truth. My high school geometry teacher Mr. Black and my engineering professor Dr. Friedman both inspired me to specialize in math and look for ways to apply my skills in the real world. They set me on the path to becoming one of the only scientists to ever serve in Congress, using my expertise for the public good.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Along with being the only candidate in the race who has lived and worked on both sides of the Altamont, I have represented almost all of this large, diverse district in Congress. I understand the needs and issues of its residents. If elected, I will be the only member of the State Senate with a strong technical background and real experience in industry developing technology. Together with 16 years of service in the U.S. House of Representatives, I will be one of the most effective members of the State Senate in representing SD5 and moving our entire state forward.