20 Facts About Rich Gordon

Richard S Gordon was born on July 3,1948 and is an American Democratic politician from Menlo Park, California.

Rich Gordon served in the California State Assembly as a representative for the 24th district.

Rich Gordon has been openly gay for the entirety of his political career.

Rich Gordon completed high school in Orange County, and graduated from the University of Southern California in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology.

Rich Gordon holds a Masters of Divinity from Garrett Theological Seminary at Northwestern University.

Rich Gordon married his then girlfriend Terri Tedford in 1974, and moved back to California.

Rich Gordon found a job with the YMCA in Fullerton, California as a youth and family counselor.

Rich Gordon oversaw a federally-funded project that reached out to youth arrested by police and provided them with immediate counseling.

Rich Gordon formed his own non-profit, Youth and Family Assistance, partnered with San Mateo County.

Rich Gordon first ran for public office in 1992, seeking a seat on the San Mateo County Board of Education.

Rich Gordon defeated an incumbent to take the seat and was re-elected in 1996.

When Ted Lempert was elected to the Assembly in 1996, a vacancy opened up on Board of Supervisors and Rich Gordon ran for the seat.

Rich Gordon was instrumental in the formation of regional partnerships including the Housing Endowment and Regional Trust.

Rich Gordon was actively involved in the creation of the Children's Health Initiative, which guarantees health care coverage for children.

Rich Gordon served as President of the California State Association of Counties in 2008.

Rich Gordon is a member of the following committees: Budget, Budget Subcommittee on Resources and Transportation, Elections and Redistricting, Local Government and Privacy and Consumer Protection.

Rich Gordon's success continued into his second term, in which 24 of his 39 bills were signed by the Governor.

In 2014, Assemblyman Rich Gordon saw 17 bills signed by the Governor, the highest number among the legislators.

Rich Gordon was chair of the California Legislative LGBT Caucus from January 2012 to January 2015.

Rich Gordon is married to Stanford physician Dennis McShane, his partner since 1982.