John Pimentel
Candidate for Board of Equalization Member, District 2
John Pimentel is a Democratic candidate for a seat on California's tax board, the Board of Equalization. He is running for District 2. That district covers 19 counties, from San Francisco to Ventura. The vote is set for November 2026. Per his campaign, he is a first-generation college graduate. He earned a bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley. He later earned an MBA from Harvard. He now serves as a trustee on a local board: San Mateo County's community college district. His campaign says he led efforts to create a free-college program there. His campaign says that program serves 35,000 students. He earlier served in state government too, as Deputy Secretary for Transportation. In business, he worked at Bain & Company. He co-founded firms in clean energy. He also worked in water-recycling infrastructure. This would be his first term on the tax board, if he wins. He does not now hold any state elected office. Home: Menlo Park, California. Job: San Mateo County Community College District trustee. He also co-founded clean-energy and water-infrastructure firms. Prior office: None on the Board of Equalization; this is his first run there. He now serves as a local college-district trustee. He earlier served as California's Deputy Secretary for Transportation.
On the issues
- Taxes & Cost of Living
Pimentel supports eliminating the sales tax on food (which he calls a regressive tax on working families, seniors, and youth) and closing corporate/wealthy tax loopholes such as the Water's Edge Election, Invest/Borrow/Die, and Carried Interest provisions, which fall within areas the Board of Equalization touches via excise/property tax administration and equalization.
Source → - Government, Elections & Democracy
Pimentel says he would strengthen transparency and accountability at the Board of Equalization to improve its operations and rebuild public trust, citing his record of exposing corruption and terminating 'sweetheart contracts' as a community college trustee.
Source →
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