Candidate for
Supervisor; County of Monterey; District 5

Biography

A native and lifelong resident of Monterey County, Marc Del Piero is the son of first generation Americans who made a small farm in North Monterey County their home. The product of public schools, Marc spent his summers working in the fields alongside his father and two brothers, Eric and Kris. It was here where Marc first learned the value of a hard day's work and the importance of integrity.

After graduating from Watsonville High School, Marc attended Santa Clara University, earning both his bachelor's and law degrees. While there, he met and married his wife, Tina, and was a member of the Army ROTC program.

Following graduation from Santa Clara, Marc was commissioned as an officer in the California Army National Guard and served our country for over 10 years in this capacity, eventually attaining the rank of Captain.

In 1992 Marc returned to Santa Clara as an adjunct professor of law and continues to teach there today.

Monterey County Planning Commission

Appointed at the age of 24, Marc Del Piero served for 3 years on the Monterey County Planning Commission. During that time, he prepared and gained certification for the North Monterey County Local Coastal Plan that developed regulations to preserve and protect the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Reserve, and participated in the drafting and approval of the Big Sur Local Coastal Plan that guaranteed the preservation of over 70 miles of one of the most ecologically significant coastal areas on the Pacific Rim. He also served as Vice-Chair of the Planning Commission between 1978 and 1980.

Monterey County Board of Supervisors

Marc was first elected to the Board of Supervisors in 1981 at the age of 27 + the youngest person ever to be elected to the Board in Monterey County. He served for 3 consecutive terms and as Chair in both 1982 and 1988. During his time on the Board, Marc was responsible for the development of 5 public sanitary sewer systems, 4 public water systems, 3 congregate nutrition and service centers for senior citizens, 2 flood control districts, and a daycare facility for the children of migrant workers in the community of Pajaro.

With then Supervisor Sam Karas and Carmel Mayor Clint Eastwood, Marc raised significant funds to develop a replacement housing program for homeless migrant farm workers after the Loma Prieta earthquake. He has also participated in writing numerous general plans and local coastal plans for Monterey County, and was the founder and Monterey County representative on the Central Coast Regional Studies Program, a 4 year, $3 million dollar effort by 6 coastal counties to develop environmental and economic studies to block the potential impacts of the Interior Department's then proposed off-shore oil lease plans.

In 1992, then Congressmen Leon Panetta paid tribute to Marc on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in recognition of "his selfless performance as a Monterey County supervisor and for his abundant contributions to Monterey County, the State of California, and the Nation as a whole."

During this same period, Marc served on the Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District, a multi-county air pollution control agency, for 11 years. During his tenure as chair, the District adopted the first local air toxics rule in California and adopted the first air pollution regulation requiring coordination of urban growth with air emission goals.

Monterey County Ag Land Trust

In 1984 Marc founded and served as the first chairman of the Board of Directors of the Monterey County Agricultural and Historical Land Conservancy (now called the Ag Land Trust), a nonprofit land trust that has guaranteed the preservation of thousands of acres agricultural land in the Salinas Valley of Monterey County. Marc continues to serve on the Board today. Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Marc was appointed by then Congressman Leon Panetta and served on the founding committee that developed the plan for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Several years later, Marc spent 7 years as the California Environmental Protection Agency representative on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council.

California State Water Resources Control Board

Twice appointed by Governor Pete Wilson and confirmed unanimously by the State Senate, Marc served for over 7 years as the attorney member of the California State Water Resources Control Board. The Board is the 5 member, full-time agency charged with protecting all of California's water supplies. The Board also allocates surface water supplies for fishery, agricultural, development, and environmental purposes throughout the state.

Marc's time on the Board is probably best known for his widely heralded Decision 1631, the "Mono Lake Decision". That hearing lasted for 46 days, involved 14 parties and 19 attorneys, and ended 20 years of litigation and controversy between the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and the Committee to Save Mono Lake/National Audubon Society. Mr. Del Piero was the sole hearing officer for this matter. This decision, which required the City of Los Angeles to return water and restore the lake, set the precedent for the protection and restoration of public trust resources in California streams. It also guaranteed a sustainable water supply for that city. None of the litigants appealed the decision.

Marc was featured in a PBS television documentary for his work with Mono Lake. And, in 2004, he authored the introduction to the Mono Lake Committee's 2004 calendar, a remarkable recognition of the Committee's respect for his fairness and commitment to balancing the needs of both the environment and urban water use.

While on the Board, he also individually conducted extensive water rights and water quality hearings affecting the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project, federal and state endangered species and fisheries issues, urban water quality and supply demands, agricultural irrigation water, and Delta water quality requirements.

Between 1995 and 1998, Marc led 3 separate American training task force delegations to Chile at the invitation of US EPA and the Chilean National Commission on the Environment. He conducted numerous classes on the development of water quality regulations and enforcement strategies. These regulatory and environmental protection programs were precedent to the Free Trade Agreement between the United States and Chile finally executed by President Bush in September, 2003.

Finally, Marc represented the State Water Board on Governor Wilson's Interagency Task Force on Wetlands that developed mitigation and restoration policies for wetlands lost due to development. And, for 6 years, he chaired the statewide task force that established standards for the use of reclaimed water in new developments.

Present

Currently, Marc is a US Trustee for the Department of Justice as well as an attorney in private practice. He lives with his wife, Tina, in Pebble Beach and has two sons, Paul and John.