Debbie McKillop
Candidate for City Council Member, Martinez, District 4
Debbie McKillop is a fifth-generation Martinez resident and a graduate of Alhambra High School. She was first elected to the Martinez City Council in 2014 and has served as Vice Mayor in 2017, 2021, and 2024. She brings more than 40 years of experience in forensic science and serves as the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Chief of Forensic Services, overseeing a nationally accredited crime laboratory that provides forensic services to 24 law-enforcement agencies and more than a million county residents. She is the mother of twins.
Positions in brief
McKillop has emphasized housing affordability, public-safety staffing and training, oversight of the city's Measure X sales tax, and infrastructure maintenance.
In past candidate forums, McKillop said addressing housing affordability is essential given rising rents and home prices, and supported infill housing near transit and options like in-law units to help multigenerational families stay together. On public safety she supported recruiting police officers with specialized training in homelessness, drug use, and property-crime response. She backed the city's half-cent Measure X sales tax as a defined, sunset-limited spending plan with strict citizen oversight, and pushed for a proactive database system to maintain aging water infrastructure after District 4 experienced repeated water-main breaks.
On the issues
- Housing & Homelessness
Supports infill housing near transportation hubs and options like in-law units for multigenerational families.
“Both are essential and necessary to address the needs of middle and low-income residents.”
Source → - Public Safety & Policing
Supports recruiting police officers with specialized training to address homelessness, drug use, and property crime.
“The need to recruit qualified police officers with specialized training to address public health and quality of life issues...is critical”
Source → - Taxes & Cost of Living
Supported the city's half-cent Measure X sales tax as a defined, oversight-limited spending plan.
“Measure X is not a blank check, it is a defined list of identified priorities having strict citizen oversight.”
Source → - Infrastructure & Transportation
Advocated for a proactive database inventory system to address aging water infrastructure.
Source →
Profiles are compiled from the candidate’s own statements and public records. We never tell you how to vote.