It ain’t over ‘til it’s over… Karen Mitchoff makes surprise announcement
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (July 14, 2023) — After a brief seven month retirement from her county supervisor job, Karen Mitchoff is itching to get back in the game—this time as a member of the state assembly.
In a surprise announcement Wednesday, Mitchoff, a Democrat, said she will run for the 15th District assembly seat in the March 2024 primary if current office holder Tim Grayson chooses not to run for reelection.
“During these past seven months, I’ve come to realize that there are still very important issues I care about – and our communities care about – that can only be addressed at the state level,” Mitchoff said in an email this morning. She will focus on housing, transportation, the economy, water, elder issues, and gun violence and safety.
“I believe my experience can make a real difference,” she said.
Experience counts
Mitchoff was first elected to the county board of supervisors in 2010 but her public service experience goes back to the early eighties when, straight out of DVC with an AA degree, she went to work for Sheriff Dick Rainey as his executive secretary. From there she served as chief of staff for now retired supervisors Sunny McPeak and Mark DeSaulnier, who went on to higher office in the U.S. House of Representatives.
During her more than three decades in public service, Mitchoff has served in the County Human Services Department and on the Pleasant Hill City Council.
Through her years in public service, Mitchoff has built a reputation as a no-nonsense, highly effective, focused and sometimes sharp-spoken representative. And while she has enjoyed her seven-month respite, she isn’t finished yet.
“During these past seven months, I’ve come to realize that there are still very important issues I care about – and our communities care about – that can only be addressed at the state level.”