Former Contra Costa Supervisor enters race for Assembly
State Senator Glazer might also run; 15th District includes Antioch; will face Councilwoman Wilson
By Allen D. Payton
With the opening of the filing period for the March 4, 2024 primary election on Monday, Nov. 13, this week, former Contra Costa Supervisor Karen Mitchoff confirmed she is running for State Assembly District 15. Earlier this year a letter emailed to supporters that shared her intentions was obtained and published by other media. At that time, Mitchoff said she her campaign would be sending out a formal announcement later.
“Since it was out there, we decided not to send out a press release announcing my campaign,” she said in a brief interview with the Herald. “So, I’m definitely running.”
According to her campaign website, “Karen Mitchoff was elected to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors in 2010 and has twice been re-elected by substantial margins.
Karen has a long and varied career in public service and is known for her straightforward style and effective constituent service. In her 12 years on the Board of Supervisors, Karen worked to improve water quality and save the Delta, championed aging issues, improved public safety, expanded access to County healthcare, and fought for transportation improvements.
As Supervisor, Karen served in leadership positions on regional bodies: the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, the Delta Counties Coalition, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and the Association of Bay Area Governments.
Prior to her election to the Board of Supervisors, Karen served as Councilmember and Mayor of Pleasant Hill and was elected to the Pleasant Hill Recreation and Park District Board.
Karen began her career in the private sector as a Legal Secretary and Family Law Paralegal. She transitioned to public service, working for former Contra Costa County Sheriff-Coroner Richard K. Rainey, as Chief of Staff to two former supervisors and as a fiscal and administrative analyst in the County’s social services department.
An avid reader, one of Karen’s proudest achievements was negotiating a complex land deal between the County and the City of Pleasant Hill to help finance and build a new library, which opened last year.”
According to her LinkedIn account, in 2002 Mitchoff earned a BA degree in Human Development from Cal State East Bay.
District 15 includes all of the following cities: Antioch, Brentwood, Clayton, Concord, Martinez, Pittsburg, Pleasant Hill and a portion of Walnut Creek. It also includes the communities of Bay Point, Clyde, Crockett, Pacheco, Port Costa, and Vine Hill.
She will face Antioch Councilwoman Monica Wilson and Contra Costa Board of Education Trustee Anamarie Avila Farias in the March 2024 primary election.
But Mitchoff shared that State Senator Steve Glazer might also enter the race as he has two more years of eligibility under term limits.
On Friday, Glazer said he mentioned it on one of his recent podcasts. Regarding his State Senate seat he said, “I’m in a gray area with term limits. The previous law said if you served less than half a term, then it doesn’t count. But the new law is silent on the matter. I made the decision to not be the test case. There might be candidates who might not file if I did, and I could the case.”
“Under the term limits I could run for the Assembly. I’m currently in my ninth year of twelve and I could serve one more term in the Assembly,” Glazer explained. “I have not decided, yet. Filing closes on December 13.”
To learn more about Mitchoff and her campaign visit www.karenmitchoff.com
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