Senator Steve Glazer Won’t Seek Another Term

In his latest Podcast, Senator Steve Glazer (D-Orinda) shared he will not be seeking re-election for the State Senate in an effort not to be a test case for term limits.

This now sets the stage for musical chairs as its long been anticipated Assemblyman Tim Grayson would run for Glazer’s senate seat. This would then open up the Assembly seat held by Grayson. Antioch City Councilwoman Monica Wilson and former Contra Costa County Board of Supervisor Karen Mitchoff both announced they are running for the Assembly seat.

Gazer was interviewed by his daughter Alex who asked him what his future plans were.

“The news for me, I’ve been in the Senate for a little over 8-years now and I love the job. I have this choice of whether or not I should run again, and I am making the decision I am not going to do that,” said Glazer.

He shared he was elected in a special election to replace then Senator Mark DeSaulnier in 2015 and due to term limit laws its in a “gray area” due to whether or not he would term out mid-term if he ran again and won election.

“The issue has never been adjudicated so I would be the test case,” said Glazer. “I have decided I do not want to create that dynamic so I am not going to run for re-election.”

Glazer highlighted based on the courts likely taking up the issue “late” that it would prevent serious candidates from running so he would have a clear path to re-election. If the court did take action, only “fringe” candidates would run and he wanted voters to have good candidates on the ballot while not wanting the potential for chaos—he called he decision being very “conservative” to not create the legal question.

Glazer said although he will not be in the Senate, he is looking to stay engaged and will look at other offices while stating that if Assemblyman Tim Grayson (D-Concord) decided to run for the Senate seat that he would be “an outstanding candidate”.

He then stated based on the state laws for term limits, that he would look at moving to the State Assembly on a 2-year term. He was also going to look at the State Treasures office in a few years. If not those two, he would look at other opportunities.

He said he would also focus on BART over the next 18-months while he remains in office.

To listen to his Podcast, click here.

Biography

Senator Steve Glazer is completing his eighth year in the California State Senate. More than two dozen laws authored by Glazer have been signed into law and include groundbreaking measures that:

Protect California’s first-in-the-nation ban on assault weapons;
End pay-to-play political contributions to local elected officials;
Enact a truth-in-lending disclosure requirement for small business loans, making California the first state in the nation to protect small businesses from predatory lending practices;
Increase the 4-year graduation rate for the 470,000 students attending California State University from 19% in 2015 to 40% by 2025;
Provide tax incentives to expand water conservation accomplished through the passage of Proposition 87 on the statewide ballot.

Glazer represents almost one million residents in Contra Costa and Alameda counties (in the east bay of San Francisco). During his tenure in the Senate, he has served as the Chair of 6 Senate Committees, including: Elections and Constitutional Amendment Committee; Select Committee on Student Success; Banking & Financial Institutions; Governmental Organization; Insurance; and Business, Professions & Economic Development.

First elected to the Senate in a special election in 2015, Senator Glazer won re-election to a full four-year term in November, 2016 by winning 67 percent of the vote. He was re-elected in November, 2020 with 66 percent of the vote. He previously served for ten years as an Orinda City Council member, including three terms as Mayor.

A former senior advisor to California’s Governor, Jerry Brown, Senator Glazer worked with Gov. Brown to help return California to solid financial footing in the midst of the Great Recession. He also served as a California State University Trustee, working on limiting tuition increases and lowering administrative costs at the 23 CSU campuses.

Senator Glazer earned his bachelor’s degree from San Diego State University where he served as Student Body President.

The 7^th Senate District is based in Northern California’s Contra Costa and Alameda counties, encompassing the communities of Alamo, Antioch, Bay Point, Bethel Island, Brentwood, Byron, Clayton, Concord, Danville, Discovery Bay, Dublin, Lafayette, Livermore, Moraga, Oakley, Orinda, Pittsburg, Pleasanton, San Ramon, and Walnut Creek.

The northern portion of the District joins many Delta communities, while the central and southern portions link key Contra Costa and Alameda suburban communities with job centers. This District includes many regional parks and wilderness areas.

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