South San Francisco assemblymember seeks Congress seat

“I’m going to continue my work on democracy and climate resilience, and more broadly the affordability crisis, building an economy that works for everybody,” he said during an interview this week. “We need federal leadership on all of those issues.”

Also in the race is San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa, Burlingame Councilmember Emily Beach and Republican businessman Gus Mattammal. The Daily Journal has run profiles on each of the candidates and will be following up with coverage on the various issues of the race.

Mullin is a South San Francisco native and son of former South San Francisco Mayor and Assemblymember Gene Mullin — but he said he didn’t always have his eyes set on a career in politics. After receiving a communications degree from the University of San Francisco, and DJing for the student radio station, he said his early aspirations included being a radio DJ or a journalist.

“I always was interested in public affairs, I grew up in a house of a government teacher, so I followed civic affairs but if you asked me in college if I’d be running for Congress someday, I would have not believed you,” he said.

Mullin, however, would go on to earn a master’s degree in public administration from San Francisco State University and, at 23 years old, he began working for then East Bay Assemblymember Johann Klehs. A year later, he got a job with Speier’s office, who at the time was a member of the state Assembly. He served as her district director when she was elected to the state Senate, and also worked as a political director for his father’s Assembly office.

“I certainly caught the public service bug once I was working in the Assembly, and really got turned on to the ability of government to help people’s lives,” he recalled. “I got hooked helping people in the community that I had grown up in.”

In the Assembly, Mullin passed more than 60 pieces of legislation, key among them a move requiring mail-in ballots be sent to all registered voters in the state, a law he said boosts participation from youth and people of color. He’s also worked to increase transparency regarding ballot initiatives and candidate funding.

“We’ve done incredible work in California on democracy, voting rights, voter access to the ballot, that is being taken away in red states across the country and what it points out to me is that we need federal protections built into the law, the For The People Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act,” he said.

More recently, Mullin helped move $3.7 billion from last year’s state budget for climate resilience, some of which he said he hopes to bring to the district for Bay and wetland restoration. Mullin also authored a bill establishing OneShoreline, the county’s new agency tasked with addressing sea level rise.

He said while voter access would be top priority, his first piece of legislation in the House would be tax exemptions for transit agencies to purchase electric buses.

“The habitability of the planet itself is at risk with climate change, we need to transition to 100% clean energy,” he said. “America needs to lead, needs to follow California’s lead.”

While Mullin would have been termed out of the Assembly in 2024, new district maps drew him out of his district, barring him from seeking reelection this year given his home address. Speier’s retirement announcement followed shortly after draft maps indicated the boundary shift.

“The timing was gratuitous in terms of this opportunity to move up to the Congress,” he said. “But I, like most of her constituents, are sad to see her retire because she’s been such an incredible champion for this Peninsula. She is nothing short of an icon, so these are enormous shoes to fill but I’m deeply touched and honored to have her endorsing me.”

In addition to Speier, Mullin is endorsed by U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, the California Democratic Party, the state Labor Federation, Attorney General Rob Bonta, state Senate President pro Tem Toni Atkins and a host of other U.S. representatives and members of the California Assembly and Senate.

“My track record has been established and that is why I have the support of so many individuals,” he said. “When you’re talking about being the voice of the San Francisco Peninsula in Congress, you need to have demonstrated the ability to be effective, to get things done in a partisan atmosphere like I have had to deal with in Sacramento.”

A poll released by Mullin’s campaign this week shows he leads over competitors, at 31% compared to Canepa’s 17%, Mattammal’s 9% and Beach’s 8%. The survey was reportedly conducted by questioning 427 likely voters in the district.

His campaign reports having raised more than $605,000.

California’s primary will be held June 7, narrowing the field to two candidates. The general election will be held Nov. 8.

corey@smdailyjournal.com

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