Joe Simitian

Joe Simitian is married to Mary Hughes, a Bay Area political consultant. Simitian proposed to Hughes on election night in 1996 upon being elected to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.[8]

• Palo Alto High School Class of 1970
• Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, cum laude (with academic honors), Colorado College
• Master of Arts, International Policy Studies, Stanford University
• Master of City Planning, University of California, Berkeley
• Juris Doctor, University of California, Berkeley School of Law

Joe Simitian served as President of the Palo Alto School Board from 1983 to 1991.[9] He was on the Palo Alto City Council from 1992 to 1996 and served as Mayor for part of that time.

Simitian served until 2018 as President of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisor, and after winning reelection in 2020, continues to represent District 5 (Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Palo Alto, Cupertino, Mountain View, Saratoga, and Stanford, as well as portions of Sunnyvale and San Jose). He was first elected to the Board of Supervisors in November 1996, serving from 1997 to 2000.

Simitian was elected again to the District 5 seat of the Board of Supervisors in 2012, after reaching his term limit in the State Senate. He was re-elected in 2016 with 89 percent of the vote.[10]

As Supervisor, Simitian is credited with saving the 400 units of affordable housing at the Buena Vista Mobile Home Park,[11] and he has proposed the building of affordable teacher housing in Palo Alto for teachers across the county.[12][13] He also successfully pushed the County to fund multiple new playgrounds accessible to special needs children, following the creation of Palo Alto's Magical Bridge Playground.[14]

Simitian has advanced multiple privacy-related initiatives at the county level. Under his guidance, Santa Clara County became "one of the first in the country" to hire a privacy specialist in a designated role to oversee its data-driven programs.[15] He also secured passage of a surveillance ordinance, the first of its kind in the United States, requiring that police forces get explicit permission for new surveillance technology.[16]

Simitian pushed for more civilian oversight for Sheriff and county jails[17] and secured approval for body-worn cameras for Sheriff's Deputies and jail guards.[18]

Simitian was elected to the California State Assembly's 21st District in November 2000, and re-elected to a second term in November 2002.

Legislation sponsored by Simitian and signed into law during this period includes:

• A.B. 700, Security breach notification law (2001)[19]
• A.B. 441, School funding equalization (2001)[20]
• A.B. 1402, Requiring cost-saving design-build process for school districts (2001)[21]
• A.B. 1000, Design-build pilot for community college districts (2002)[22]
• A.B. 2140, Criminalizing elder abuse (2002) [23]
• A.B. 2474, Antifreeze bittering to reduce accidental poisoning (2002)[24]
• A.B. 1219, Establishing identity theft investigation procedures (2002)[25]
• A.B. 68, Online Privacy Protection Act (2003)[26]
• A.B. 1301, Minors drinking and driving (2003)[27]
• A.B. 1330, Environmental education for underserved youth (2003)[28]
• A.B. 1546, Pollution prevention and congestion relief (2008) [29]
• A.B. 1854, Wipers on, lights on (2004)[30]
• A.B. 2672, Cruise ship sewage dumping ban (2004)[31][32]
• A.B. 2611, Elder and dependent adult physical and financial abuse (2004)[33]

Simitian was elected to the California State Senate in November 2004 for District 11. He defeated former Assemblyman and San Mateo County Supervisor Ted Lempert in the Democratic primary election, also prevailing in the general election. Simitian was re-elected to a second term in 2008. His second term ended in 2012. Simitian was one of only four Democratic Senators to vote against California's ambitious High Speed Rail plan.

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry has put Simitian on a list of individuals banned from entering the country. The decision was made after Simitian travelled to Nagorno-Karabakh without Baku's permission.[34]

Simitian's legislation during his Senate term includes:

S.B. 107, 20% Renewable Energy Portfolio (2005)[35]

S.B. 201, Sustainable Oceans Act, Aquaculture (2005)[36][37]

S.B. 679, Funding for San Mateo County group homes (2005)[38]

S.B. 1613, Hands-free cell phone law (2006)[39][40]

S.B. 729, Water quality (2006)[41]

S.B. 1609, Elder abuse prevention in reverse mortgages (2006)[42]

S.B. 28, Prohibition on texting while driving (2007)[43]

S.B. 966, Pharmaceutical waste disposal (2007)[44]

S.B. 1298, Student Information System (2008)[45]

S.B. 640, Sexual misconduct by public employees (2008)[46]

S.B. 28, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta emergency preparedness Act (2008)[47]

S.B. 509, Green chemistry: toxics information clearinghouse (2008)[48][49]

S.B. X71, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Reform Act (2009)[50]

S.B. 1342, Polling places (2010)[51]

S.B. 1381, Kindergarten age/transitional kindergarten (2010)[52]

S.B. 1411, Malicious online impersonation prevention (2010)[53]

S.B. 1311, Small business loans, California Capital Access Program (2008)[54]

S.B. 24, Data breach notification requirements (2011)[55]

S.B. 1303, Red light camera reform (2012)[56]

S.B. 1359, Tax check-offs for cancer research (2012)[57]

S.B. 1538, Dense breast tissue notification (2012)[58][59]

S.B. 36, Healthcare access for at-risk children (2011)[60]

S.B. 2X, 33% Renewable Energy by 2020 (2011)[61]

S.B. 1739, Oil spill response training (2008)[62]

S.B. 1456, CEQA reform (2010)[63]

S.B. 226, CEQA streamlining (2011)[64]

S.B. 1191, Default disclosure to prospective tenants (2012)[65]

Simitian serves on the following committees on the Board of Supervisors:

• Chair, Finance and Government Operations Committee
• Vice-chair, Health and Hospital Committee

Simitian served on the following Senate committees:[66]

• Chair, Environmental Quality Committee
• Member, Budget Committee
  • Chair, Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Resources, Environmental Protection, Energy, and Transportation
• Member, Education Committee
• Member, Energy, Utilities, and Communications Committee
• Member, Natural Resources and Water Committee
• Member, Transportation and Housing Committee
• Chair, Select Committee on Privacy
• Chair, Select Committee on Delta Conservation, Conveyance, and Governance
• Member, Select Committee on Delta Stewardship and Sustainability
• Member, Select Committee on Climate Change and A.B. 32 Implementation

Simitian has received the following awards (partial list):[67]

• Californians Against Waste, Legislator of the Year
• Palo Alto Educators Association, Friend of Education Award
• Sierra Club, In Recognition of a Lifetime of Commitment
• Palo Alto Stanford Heritage Award, Preservationist of the Year
• Bay Area Municipal Elections Committee, Friend of BAYMEC Award
• Junior Statesman Foundation, Distinguished Leader Award
• Housing Action Coalition, Housing Leadership Award
• Billy DeFrank Lesbian and Gay Community Center, Friend of the DeFrank Center Award

The following are some of Simitian's other activities:[68]

• Campaign website
• Ballotpedia
• Election History – Join California