Lawmaker touts record at town hall

By Chris Campos Staff Writer

OAKLEY Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, DWalnut Creek, held a public Town Hall meeting at the Oakley Recreation Center Thursday night accepting questions from an enthusiastic crowd of 50-60 residents.

The congressman, whose 10th District encompasses East Contra Costa County, noted that he has held 180 town halls since he was elected to the House of Representatives in 2015, among the most of any of his colleagues.

After delivering a PowerPoint presentation on his and the Democratic administration’s legislative record, DeSaulnier fielded questions that ranged from U.S. support of Ukraine to mental health programs. The scheduled hour stretched to two as the congressman’s voice battled with allergies and later as he lingered to talk with attendees one-on-one.

Oakley Vice-Mayor Anissa Williams welcomed DeSaulnier to the city at the start and introduced other elected officials who attended such as Oakley City Council members Shannon Shaw and Hugh Henderson. Stephen Griswold of county Supervisor Diane Burgis’ staff attended as well.

“We are proud of our record in being responsive to our constituents,” DeSaulnier told the crowd. The congressman emphasized his long record in local government, which started in the Concord City Council in the early 1990s and led him to the county Board of Supervisors, the state Assembly and state Senate and finally to the House. “I even used to be a Republican,” he admitted.

Among his legislative accomplishments, DeSaulnier pointed to federal infrastructure funding for Highway 4 and BART extensions and his sponsorship of mental health Crisis Response Teams programs in Contra Costa, which were kickstarted with $3 million of federal funding. He also promoted his support of violence prevention programs and green energy solutions to the climate change crisis. The Representative said he has a long record and experience in clean energy programs at the state and federal levels.

The first audience question fired to him challenged the high cost of U.S. support of Ukraine in its war with Russia. “I respectfully disagree that it’s not in our national interests,” he replied. “The world is a dangerous place.”

One audience member asked DeSaulnier if he agreed that fossil fuels were still an integral need of national energy policy. “It’s a lengthy transition that’s underway and fossil fuels are still needed,” he answered while noting that the county is home to three operating oil refineries. “They’re not going away anytime soon,” he added. Other residents questioned the funding allocated to the state’s high-speed rail project. “You’re all bringing great questions,” he congratulated the audience.

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