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Party Committee

San Mateo County Democratic PartyCandidate for County Central Committee, Supervisorial District 4

Photo of Karen Maki

Karen Maki

Incumbent
8,531 votes (22.1%)Winning
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My Top 3 Priorities

  • Save California forests, combat climate change, and effectively respond to California's water shortage.
  • Provide affordable housing, good education, and livable wage for all San Mateo County residents.
  • Engage more citizens in our democracy and make it strong and transparent.

Experience

Experience

Profession:retired computer software professional, volunteer environmentalist
Member, San Mateo County Democratic Central Committee — Appointed position (2011–current)
Procurement Negotiator, Java Product Manager, Systems Program, Intel (1989–2000)

Education

Santa Clara University MA, Counseling (current)
San Francisco State University BA, Sociology (current)

Community Activities

Conservation Committee Chair, Sierra Club California (2015–current)

Biography

I have been a member of the San Mateo County Democratic Central Committee for over five years. I have served on the Endorsements Committee, which interviews city and county candidates and recommends endorsements to the entire Central Committee. I have also served on the Resolutions Committee, which screens resolutions before they are presented to the Central Committee. During this time, I have promoted open source voting, the divestiture of fossil fuel investments by the California college systems and more.

I have been an environmental activist with the Sierra Club for the last 16 years. I was the chair of the local Sierra Club chapter for four years, and during that time learned a great deal about San Mateo County environmental and political issues. For the last eight years, I have been active on the Sierra Club California Executive Committee and/or Conservation Committee. I am beginning my second year as chair of the California Conservation Committee. I am also the volunteer lead of the Stop Clearcutting California Campaign.

I have been an environmental activist with the Sierra Club for the last 16 years. I was the chair of the local Sierra Club chapter for four years, and during that time learned a great deal about San Mateo County environmental and political issues. For the last eight years, I have been active on the Sierra Club California Executive Committee and/or Conservation Committee. I am beginning my second year as chair of the California Conservation Committee. I am also the volunteer lead of the Stop Clearcutting California Campaign.

Before retiring, I worked 25 years with computer software. My last and longest employer was Intel. I also have a masters in counseling, and Marriage Family Therapy license but have not practiced.

 

Who supports this candidate?

Organizations (1)

  • Evolve, A Community Organization

Political Beliefs

Political Philosophy

The values that guide my decisions and actions on Central Committee are:

ENVIRONMENT - I am committed to doing whatever we can to diminish the impacts of climate change. We need both to adopt technological solutions such as clean energy and to manage forests and agriculture to maximize carbon sequestration. We need to conserve water and safeguard healthy watersheds since 75% of our water comes from forested watersheds.

HOUSING - I am committed to increasing accessible and affordable housing. Due to the increased costs of buying and renting, many of the people who work in San Mateo County live in the East Bay.

HEALTHCARE – I am committed to everyone having access to affordable healthcare. I would eventually like to see a single payer healthcare system enacted.

ECONOMY- I am committed to building an economy that works for everyone. I support increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour. People who work 40 hours a week must make a livable wage.

EDUCATION - I am committed to everyone having the opportunity for an education that prepares them for a good job and to be involved citizens. Graduation from junior college should be free to everyone and four-year college graduation should be affordable.

DIVERSITY - I believe that everyone should be treated fairly and have access and the opportunity to have housing, education, healthcare, housing, and jobs. Companies and communities with diverse leaders and members are stronger. Having more women, people of color and LGBT people as leaders improves results.

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