There is some hope yet  

Her life story begins on the East Coast — her father from rural Maine and her mother from New Jersey — both her parents grew up poor, but Emily’s grandparents understood the value of education and raised their kids to strive for upward social mobility. Emily told me about her paternal grandfather, how he had to hunt sometimes to put food on the table. And, how her dad’s heater during the winter months, was a large stone that was first heated on a fire. “My grandfather was a salt-of-the-earth New Englander,” she told me as she shared anecdotes of how hard-working folks did what they could to survive. Emily’s mom grew up with three generations in her household, and her mom, along with her uncle, was the first to go to college. 

Beach’s dad is Beach’s hero. His military journey inspired Emily to join the ROTC which landed her a scholarship to Notre Dame. Her studies inspired her passion for social justice and service. As a student, she studied in Spain for a year to perfect her Spanish, and also spent time in Immokalee, Florida, as a legal aide for political asylum cases, translating between English and Spanish. Her experience gave her firsthand knowledge of the immigrant experience — as she mentioned, “folks come to the U.S. to seek a better life, because many times, they’re fearing for their lives.”  

After college, she joined the military and was stationed around the world, including South Korea and Saudi Arabia. It was in the latter country that she faced some challenges for being a woman, and at times had to wear an abaya in public for fear of facing imprisonment. “I was a lieutenant ... it was interesting to serve in Saudi Arabia, as a woman, as a patriot missile commander, if I had to meet with my colonel that was an hour away, I had to sit in the back of a Suburban in a full abaya over my uniform, because I could’ve been arrested for being a woman that wasn’t in black abaya.”  

Her travels gave her a renewed sense of appreciation for our country, “we live in the best country and we have more work to do,” she said. She met her husband in the military while both were stationed in South Korea and, in 2000, they decided to move to the Bay Area. Her husband, Duff, attended law school at UC Hastings, while Emily was the main breadwinner. Starting from humble beginnings as a young couple, Emily, Duff and their kids first lived in San Francisco’s Mission District in a one-bedroom apartment. They later moved and chose Burlingame for its great schools and proximity to the train into San Francisco. 

While in Burlingame, Emily joined the Burlingame Community Education Foundation and worked to grow it. Under her leadership as president of the board, she grew the foundation from $1 million to $1.8 million in annual grants. She was emphatic that it was a community-driven effort. Her work in education sparked her desire to run for office. Elected in 2015, she worked hard to create change in her community and is proud of her achievements like increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour and championing bike lanes and better transit. She also navigated Burlingame as mayor during the pandemic — an unenviable position for most. 

“I’m a fixer and a coalition-builder,” she told me. And with the toxic state of politics in Washington, she promises to find common ground, learn from her peers, and fight for the issues affecting America: climate change, mental health, housing, labor and health care. 

My two cents: She’s a strong candidate for Congress. And I’m not the only one that thinks so — Speier’s longtime treasurer picked Emily as his client for this campaign. There is hope.  

Visit her website emilybeachforcongress.com to find out more.

Rudy Espinoza Murray is a Redwood City resident and serves on multiple boards and commissions throughout the county.