Send this story Print this story

Adjust text size

Former BART board member campaigning for City Council
3 now in race for 2 open seats in Nov. 6 election

by Jeb Bing

Erlene DeMarcus, a former BART board member and long-time Pleasanton resident, has announced her campaign for Pleasanton City Council in the Nov. 6 municipal election.

She joins Planning Commission chairman Jerry Pentin and Realtor Karla Brown in the campaign for election to two seats that will be available this fall. Both Councilwoman Cindy McGovern and Councilman Matt Sullivan are stepping down because of term limits after serving for eight years on the council.

Two others, council members Cheryl Cook-Kallio and Jerry Thorne, who each have two years left to serve on the council, are seeking the mayor's post in the upcoming General Election, a position that is being vacated by Mayor Jennifer Hosterman, also because of term limits.

In her election campaign announcement, DeMarcus said she led the community effort to persuade BART to extend service to Pleasanton through her effort to gain voter approval for a countywide transportation tax necessary to fund it. Once elected to the BART board, she pushed the Pleasanton extension to the top of the project list, making it the first extension since BART was built.

"Pleasanton is my home and I want to continue to do what I can to improve the quality of life for all of us," DeMarcus said in announcing her candidacy for the City Council.

She said she plans to focus on issues of transportation, jobs, public safety and children's services as ways of improving quality of life here.

Erlene DeMarcus is owner and principle of the DeMarcus Group, which specializes in transportation management and planning. While a congressional staffer, she advised the Congressman on Regional Transportation issues. She was one of the founding board members of the Pleasanton-Dublin Livermore WHEELS bus program.

DeMarcus has support from State Senator and Senate majority leader Ellen Corbett, State Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, State Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan, Mayor Jennifer Hosterman, Dublin Mayor Tim Sbranti, BART President John McPartland and Alameda County Sheriff Gregory Ahern.

Other supporters include Jan Batcheller, Bob Butler, Cheryl Cook-Kallio, former Livermore mayor Marshall Kamena, Ro Khanna, Mary King, former Pleasanton mayor Ken Mercer, Karin Mohr, James Tong, Mary Warren and Ayn Wieskamp.

DeMarcus will hold a $100 a plate fundraising breakfast at 8 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 15, at the Palm Pavilion at the Alameda County Fairgrounds.

For more information, email campaignhq@comcast.net.