Biography

Senator

Jerry McNerney

Senator Jerry McNerney was elected to the Senate in November 2024, after serving 16 years in the U.S. Congress. His 5th District includes Alameda County’s Tri-Valley area and all of San Joaquin County.

McNerney served in Congress from 2006-2023, where he was a member of several Congressional committees, including the Veterans Affairs Committee, the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, and the Committee on Energy and Commerce. He also chaired the Artificial Intelligence Caucus, the Congressional Grid Innovation Caucus, and the WiFi Caucus. He authored the AI in Government Act.

During his time in Congress, he also worked on numerous issues to benefit veterans and fought relentlessly for the new veterans’ health facility near French Camp now serving the region’s veterans.

A native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, McNerney earned bachelor's and master's degrees and a Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of New Mexico. Prior to serving in Congress, he spent more than 20 years as an engineer and consultant in the energy and clean energy industry, helping develop cutting-edge wind technologies and wind turbines.

In the California State Senate, McNerney serves as chair of the Revenue and Taxation Committee, and is a member of the Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee; Budget and Fiscal Review Committee; Budget Subcommittee #2 on Resources, Environmental Protection, and Energy; Agriculture Committee; Military and Veterans Affairs Committee; and Joint Committee on Fairs Allocation and Classification. 

He also is a member of the Bay Area Caucus and the California Technology and Innovation Caucus. In addition, he is a member of the Delta Protection Commission and the Sierra Nevada Conservancy Governing Board.

McNerney and his wife, Mary, have been married since 1977 and live in Pleasanton. His oldest son, Michael, served as an officer in the US Air Force and is now a serial entrepreneur in cyber security living in the Bay Area with his wife and two children. McNerney’s daughter, Margaret, is a Ph.D. neuroscientist working at the Palo Alto VA and teaching at Stanford. His son, Greg, is a Ph.D. biophysicist and now works at Intel Corporation in Beaverton, OR.