New Sen. Jerry McNerney Sees Region as Center for Innovation in Science, Tech

The new state senator representing the Tri-Valley is going to Sacramento with a list of tasks he’d like to accomplish in his first four-year term.

Jerry McNerney is an old hand at legislative action. The Democrat spent 16 years in Congress representing districts that straddle Alameda and San Joaquin counties. He initially lived in Pleasanton but moved to Stockton when his Congressional district was redrawn to exclude his home. He chose not to run for re-election in 2022 after serving eight terms in Washington, D.C.

With a new wave of redistricting, the new 5th District of the California Senate includes all of the Tri-Valley and San Joaquin County. McNerney moved back to Pleasanton after leaving Congress.

He holds a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, where he was born. So it comes naturally to him that several of his priorities reflect a focus on science and technology.

AI Development

As artificial intelligence (AI) technology continues to develop at an increasing rate, McNerney wants to balance development with safety.

“First of all, we want to make sure that California is a place where people can feel like it’s an innovation center,” McNerney said. “And so that means that whatever laws and regulations we propose should be something that does not, at the very least, discourage innovation.”

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