Rich Gordon tackling life after Legislature: Former assemblyman to work with mental health nonprofit, prepares for higher office

The former minister/youth counselor/nonprofit founder/county school board member/county supervisor/legislator — yes, he’s been all of those things over the last 30 years — isn’t ready to hang up his boots. Gordon plans to run for a seat on the state’s Board of Equalization in June 2018. And in the meantime, he’s been hired to fill the newly created position of government relations officer at Caminar, a leading nonprofit focused on mental health in four counties.

Throughout his career, he became known as a staunch advocate for education from early learning to adult job training, a proponent of equal rights and protecting the environment, as well as the first openly gay man to run for a county office who could find consensus amongst people of different beliefs.

“I enjoy doing the kind of work that brings people together to help solve problems,” he said.

In many ways, Gordon’s rise to elected office and ongoing service career was sparked at an early age. He recalled a family dinnertime ritual — reciting the story of how his grandparents chose to live during the Great Depression. His grandfather was fortunate to be employed while they lived in Oakland next to railroad tracks and a nearby homeless encampment.

“The story that was told at the dinner table was that my grandmother every day would make a pot of stew and put it on her back porch so the homeless men could eat. So I think from a very early age, I was taught that you helped other people, you gave back, if you were fortunate you contributed,” Gordon said.

A young man during the 1960s and ’70s, Gordon said the era left an impression on him. He was inspired by the civil rights movement, protests against the Vietnam War, as well as advocates fighting for women’s and LGBT equality.

He was inspired by faith leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and saw the church as a vehicle to engage in social change.

He graduated from the University of Southern California before earning a master’s degree in divinity from a seminary at Northwestern University. He then spent five years as a minister.

“It ended up being a very positive first step in what became other service careers,” Gordon said. “My faith has also been very important to me, helping me with a set of values, grounding me and helping me to remain hopeful.”

During his time as a minister, he became particularly moved by working with homeless or troubled youth. He transitioned to working with the YMCA and, back in San Mateo County, founded Youth and Family Assistance. He grew the nonprofit from four employees to over 60 with a multi-million dollar budget. He also helped create a shelter for runaway youth and the vocational training program MiMe’s Café.

He spent 20 years working for nonprofits, the tail end of which he was elected to the county’s Board of Education in 1992. Soon, he realized he had a knack for policy and in 1997 rose to county supervisor.

“It was really about, in many ways, wanting to do public service on a much broader scale,” Gordon said.

He recalled some of his proudest accomplishments including years planning the complicated Devil’s Slide Tunnel on the coast, as well as helping revamp fiscal accountability by moving the county toward an outcome-based budget process. He also recognized the teamwork and fellow leaders with whom he served.

He termed out after 13 years as a supervisor in 2010 but was nowhere near ready to quit. So he turned his attention to the state Legislature.

He entered the Assembly during trying times — the state was facing a $27 billion deficit.

“I’m very proud to have been part of a Legislature that demonstrated fiscal restraint and righted the fiscal ship of California,” Gordon said.

Seventy percent of the bills he introduced were written into law, and he is proud of that particularly high pass rate.

“And I think we did legislation that benefits people,” Gordon said.

The breadth of his work varied from legislation restoring property tax postponement to keep seniors or the disabled in their homes, to creating the state’s first database tracking agencies’ sea level rise planning and adaptation strategies.

“I’m also pretty pleased that I developed great relationships with my colleagues, including colleagues across the aisle. One of the things I wanted to do when I went to Sacramento was work beyond partisanship,” he said.

But unfortunately for Gordon, he was elected prior to changes in Legislature term limits and was forced to step down after just six years. Last December, he was officially replaced by Marc Berman, who in a nod to his predecessor introduced his first piece of legislation this week to make Gordon’s sea level rise database permanent.

After investigating different opportunities, Gordon announced his candidacy to the Board of Equalization — a somewhat esoteric agency he hopes to enthuse.

With experience on the Assembly’s Revenue and Taxation Committee, Gordon believes the state is overdue for a conversation about overhauling the way we tax.

“We have a system that’s so dependent upon personal income tax and capital gains, that’s a highly-volatile income source,” he said. “We need to have more stability and we need to make sure it’s more equitable and that people pay their fair share.”

Half-heartedly joking that his husband, a recently retired physician now composing music, would prefer him out of the house working, he couldn’t imagine retiring and is excited for his new position with Caminar.

As the nonprofit recently expanded in a merger, there is ample opportunity for him to blend his political expertise with his passion for helping others.

Looking back, he’s been most inspired in seeing his work benefit others and Gordon is hopeful his continued efforts will have a lasting mark.

“For me, a key part of leadership is not necessarily making things better for my generation,” he explained. “It’s making sure that we have paved the way for the next generation to be successful.”

samantha@smdailyjournal.com

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