Candidate for
San Mateo County, Board Member; County of San Mateo; Supervisorial District 1

About Gina Papan,

Gina Papan is a life long resident of San Mateo County. After graduating from Capuchino High School in San Bruno. She did her undergraduate work at the University of California, Santa Barbara where she studied finance and economics. She earned her law degree from University of the Pacific's McGeorge School of Law. Later she completed the Senior Executives in State and Local Government program at Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government, which prepares public leaders for advanced roles in government service.

Gina began her professional career as a corporate lawyer, but soon moved on to become a Deputy Attorney General for the State of California. She has served the public for 17 years in this capacity, protecting civil rights, investigating, and litigating on behalf of citizens in cases involving fraudulent use of taxpayer money. As the Deputy Director of a state agency, she managed 150 employees and a $400 million budget. In addition, Gina has served on the School Violence Prevention and Response Task Force, the Child Abduction Task Force, and also as a legislative adviser to the High Technology Crime Advisory Committee.

While working on the Council, Gina has continued her commitment to the community through her work with several local organizations. She serves as the director of John's Closet, which has provided new clothing to more than 15,000 underprivileged children and remains dedicated to a vision of giving youth the confidence to achieve and families the help they need. As a board member of the San Francisco Women Lawyer's Alliance Gina successfully pushed for a law that mandates the creation of children's waiting rooms at courthouses throughout the state. Gina is a member of the Peninsula Women's Health Council, and co-directs the John Papan Memorial Scholarship Fund named in honor of her brother who passed away in 1981.

Gina has had the great honor to serve as the Mayor of Millbrae in 2008. As Mayor she helped finalize negotiations with the Millbrae School District to refurbish the athletic fields at all school sites to improve recreational and athletic opportunities for our youth and the entire community. She ran the Mayor's Civic Coordinating Council, represented the city on the San Mateo County Council of Cities and the City and County Association of Governments Board of Directors and Legislative Committee where she focused on how the cities throughout the peninsula can work together to promote our mutual interests and continue to build a positive network of communities. Gina also currently represents Millbrae on the Congestion Management Program and Environmental Quality Committee (CMEQ), the Grand Boulevard Task Force, the High Speed Rail Policymakers Working Group, and the Peninsula Congestion Relief Alliance. Previously, she served as a Chamber of Commerce Adviser and as Liaison for Millbrae TV and Community Preservation Committees.

Gina was elected to serve as a board member on the San Mateo County Housing Endowment and Regional Trust that raises public and private funds to address critical housing needs throughout San Mateo including five new developments and the rehabilitation of a senior housing development. Gina has also served on the San Mateo County Emergency Services Council and the Airport Land Use Committee to ensure that our regional services continue to provide top quality service to Millbrae and the rest of the county.

She proudly became a Millbrae City Council Member in 2005. In this role, she has focused on efficiency, economic development, and revenue enhancement so that Millbrae can continue to provide the excellent services that we take pride in. She's worked with the community to pass the Fire Assessment and consolidate city services to improve response times and save taxpayer resources. She has also worked extensively with the Millbrae Redevelopment Agency, BART, and others to promote new businesses that help our local economy grow. Gina initiated an aggressive anti-graffiti effort to hold perpetrators accountable and keep the city clean. She gained authorization from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission to utilize vacant land that they own in Millbrae to establish a community dog park.

Gina Papan has been working hard as your neighbor, Council Member, and Mayor to maintain and improve our quality of life. Now, she is running for the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors to continue proudly serving her community.