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Rep DeSaulnier in hearing

Biography

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Rep. Mark Desaulnier

Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (DE-SOWN-YAY) proudly represents California’s 10th Congressional District, which includes much of Contra Costa County and a part of Alameda County. For more than 30 years in public service and as a small business owner, Mark has been a leader for working families. Since coming to Congress, he has passed more than 60 legislative efforts, proving to be an effective legislator who knows how to get things done.

In his eight years in the House, Congressman DeSaulnier has earned a reputation as one of its most engaged Representatives with CQ Roll Call saying: “A day with DeSaulnier illustrates the breakneck schedules of one of the House’s busiest members.”


Mark currently sits on the Committee on Education and Labor, where he serves as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) and is on the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education. He also sits on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure where he serves on the Subcommittees on Aviation, on Water Resources and Environment, on Highways and Transit, and on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials. In the 118th Congress, he was also appointed to the House Committee on Ethics where he has the honor of working on a bipartisan basis to foster good government and promote accountability, transparency, and integrity throughout the House, work central to his overarching goal as a Member of Congress to increase trust in government among the American people.

When Democrats held a majority prior to the 118th Congress, Mark was also a member of the influential House Committee on Rules, where he had the opportunity to weigh in on major pieces of legislation before they were brought to the House Floor. While on Rules, he was chosen by his colleagues to serve as Vice Chair of the Committee. 


Outside of committee, Mark advances his legislative priorities through his work on House Caucuses, including the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, and the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, where he serves as Co-Chair of the Climate Jobs Task Force.


Representing the East Bay which has both transportation challenges and potential, Mark has made reducing congestion, easing commutes, and improving quality of life a top priority since coming to Congress and has successfully passed legislation to increase investment in transportation research and planning, improve public transit, and make our nation’s aviation system safer. As a former union member and small business owner, Mark is committed to ensuring working Americans have fair pay and benefits, addressing record-breaking inequality between corporations and employees, and supporting the workforce in the necessary transition to more reliable, long-term industries. He has also authored legislation to expand access to behavioral health resources for students, educators, and workers.

Prior to his time in Congress, Mark served as a California State Senator and Assembly member, where 61 of his bills became California state law. During his time in the legislature, he was the first freshman in history to chair the Assembly Transportation Committee. Mark later became Chair of the California State Senate Transportation and Housing Committee. He provided leadership for the Highway 4 BART expansion to eastern Contra Costa County, and the development of a fourth bore of the Caldecott Tunnel.

Congressman DeSaulnier’s office has twice earned recognition from the non-partisan Congressional Management Foundation for remarkable constituent service, receiving a Democracy Award for Transparency, Accountability, and Innovation in 2019.

Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, Mark earned his BA in History from the College of the Holy Cross. He was a member of both the Teamsters International Union and the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union. In the early 1970s, he moved to California and over the next 35 years, he owned and managed several successful Bay Area restaurants, including Henry Africa’s in San Francisco, Santa Fe Bar and Grill with Jeremiah Tower in Berkeley, and TR’s in Concord.

Congressman DeSaulnier lives in Concord where he raised his two sons, Tristan and Tucker. He is an avid runner and has completed twenty-three marathons.


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Office Locations

503 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC  20515
Phone: (202) 225-2095
Fax: (202) 225-5609
4703 Lone Tree Way
Antioch, CA  94531
Phone: (925) 754-0716
Fax: (925) 754-0728
3100 Oak Road
Suite 110
Walnut Creek, CA  94597
Phone: (925) 933-2660
Fax: (925) 933-2677