On Tuesday, Jan. 27, room 1012 was filled with students bubbling with questions for the Politics and Law Club’s first meeting. The club hosted Pleasanton City Councilmember, Vice Mayor and Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Matt Gaidos. Gaidos was invited by the club to meet students and discuss his experiences as both a lawyer and a member of local politics in Pleasanton and Livermore.
Gaidos described his job as district attorney to “evaluate every felony case that comes through our courthouse and decide whether we want to offer a plea.” There are as many as 30-50 cases each day in Alameda County, which has almost 1.7 million residents as of the 2020 census. The jobs of Pleasanton city councilmember and vice mayor are equally involved with high level decisions for constituents. These include considerations of “where there should or should not be development (and) what kind of policies we should have as a city.”
The event was mostly taken up with a lively Q&A session. Students asked a variety of questions about Gaidos’s experiences, the decisions he made as a city councilmember and how he got there.
“I love reaching kids and young people, even adults who are in college, who want to learn,” Gaidos said. He then described the twists and turns on his pathway to law. First ,he considered a culinary career, then one as a professor, before finding his way to law at the Golden Gate University School of Law. His path to the present was, as he stated, “down to the connections (he) made there and who (he) knew.” Gaidos said he was supported by professors who were well-versed in law and internships.
“Following local politics and identifying the issues you care about is a great way to get involved,” Gaidos said. He continued by describing how it was possible for even the students attending the meeting to get their own start in law and politics. The last time he was invited to the Politics and Law Club, Gaidos assisted a student who approached him regarding an internship in politics or law.
One student present asked, “When crafting a plea deal, what are you looking for and what are you hoping to get?”
Another student joined in, asking, “Is there conflict between being Pleasanton vice mayor and DA?”
Gaidos replied to both questions by stating how there was no one answer for the first. It would be dependent on each case’s individual circumstances. For the second, If there was a conflict, Gaidos said he would recuse himself.
Students were actively engaged and involved through the whole meeting. Some took notes, and a third of the students stayed behind to talk to Gaidos after the meeting officially ended. When asked if the club will hold more events with persons involved with current and local politics, the club’s advisor, Professor Joanna Jen, said, “That’s the hope.”
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TOP PHOTO: Pleasanton City Councilmember, Vice Mayor and Alameda County Deputy District Attorney — Matt Gaidos spoke to students on Tuesday, Jan. 27 in Livermore, Calif. Organized by the Politics and Law Club, those attending the club’s first meeting came prepared with questions for the local politician. (Photo by Lily Grice/The Express)
Musa Ashraf is the News editor for The Express. Follow him on X, @MusaZash.
