Joe Canciamilla Set to Retire Thursday

On Tuesday, Joe Canciamilla, Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder, confirmed he has resigned from his position as county clerk-recorder and Thursday will be his last day.

Canciamilla said Tuesday that he thought it was a good time to retire and is leaving the County in good hands.

“The office is running well and I believe, for a number of reasons that now is a good time to move on. It has been a real honor to lead this department and I know that I am leaving it in good hands. After being in public service for most of my life I am looking forward to what comes next,” said Canciamilla in an email.

Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia, who served with Canciamilla on the Board of Superivsors, said will be missed.

“Joe has provided a lifetime of dedicated public service to our county’s residents – as a school board member, city councilmember, county supervisor, state legislator and county clerk. He will be missed,” said Gioia.

Supervisor Karen Mitchoff called him a great public servant.

“Joe has been a great public servant. I am sorry to see him leave county service but understand his desire to pursue other personal interest and I wish him well,” said Mitchoff.

Supervisor Diane Burgis thanked Canciamilla for his service.

“I wish Joe the best after a lifetime of public service and thank him for all he has done for our Contra Costa County. He will be missed,” said Burgis.

Canciamilla was first elected to public office at the age of 17 when he earned a seat on the Pittsburg Board of Education where he served 4-terms before moving onto the Pittsburg City Council. By 1996, he was elected to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors and served in the California State Assembly.

Canciamilla became Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder after succeeding Steve Weir in 2013. He then won election in 2014 and 2018.

The County Board of Supervisors will get to decide how to fill the County-Clerk position either through a special election or an appointment process at a future meeting.

Back in April, we had Joe Canciamilla on our podcast.

We chatted about how Conditional Voter Registration works, possibly going to 100% vote by mail, upcoming primary next March, what election night is like for him. Finally, we get into the need for the public to get educated on candidates/issues and demand more transparency from government rather than accept mediocrity.

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Episode Overview:

01:50 – Joe talks about running for election for a local school board at age 17 and won a seat.
04:46 – we get into the rest of Joes bio where he served on Pittsburg City Council, Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, and State Assembly.
05:38 – Joe explains his dislike for partisan politics which prevents things getting done. Explains how the political environment has gotten worse than it was when he left in 2006.
06:56 – How do we fix the partisan behavior and start getting people to work together?
07:57 – Joe explains his favorite things he accomplished while elected.
10:05 – In Contra Costa County, there has been three straight elections with increase voter turnout.
12:23 – How is conditional voter registration working out in the county—registering and voting at the same time.
15:45 – why pre-register? Why not just anyone 18 and over can show up and vote with automatic voter registration.
16:55 – how technology has improved Contra Costa County Elections.
19:10 – What about going 100% vote by mail? Any consideration from the County?
21:27 – how does locating polling places work? 270+ polling places in 2018.
25:05 – How is cities and school districts impacting Contra Costa County Elections
29:50 – Voter boxes to drop off ballots
31:45 – 10 months out from primaries, what should people interested in running for election be looking at? Mistakes people make during the process and be prepared.
36:40 – Canciamilla explains what election night is like for him.
38:30 – Discuss some recent close election races, how district elections will make a lot of races much more closer than in the past.
41:09 – Canciamilla explains people need to learn about candidates/issues before voting because it takes 1 bad elected official to have bad things happen and waste taxpayer money. We get into lack of information available in local communities as well as a lack of transparency. The need for more media and content available.
46:48 – We chat about how the community is going to have to demand more information and transparency from their government at any level and not accept minimal information. Canciamilla highlights as long as the public accepts mediocrity, nothing will change.
50:15 – We end on a positive, we chat about the Clerk-Recorder offering Destination Weddings.
56:30 – Voter outreach becoming a model for other counties.