March 2026 
Next Luncheon
In the heart of Marin County, where serenity often defines our days, a pressing question demands our attention: "Could it happen here?" The signs are present: instances of gang graffiti, the challenges of homelessness, and the unsettling rise in theft and violence. If we remain uninformed or indifferent to these issues, we risk allowing them to escalate.
Sheriff Jamie Scardina, a proud native of Corte Madera, extends an invitation to confront this reality head-on. As your Sheriff, he is committed to addressing your concerns, frustrations, and tough questions with unwavering clarity and authority. From his formative years at Marin Catholic High School to his dedicated rise through the ranks of law enforcement, Sheriff Scardina's commitment to the safety and well-being of Marin County is absolute.
Join us for a crucial "State of the County" address. Gain invaluable insights from a leader who intimately understands our community, and learn how we can collectively work towards a safer, more informed future for all.
MENU
Irish beef stew, carrots, potatoes, slow cooked in hearty sauce, OR
Grilled salmon salad with mango, papaya salsa and greens. (see below)
For the salmon lunch: you must select a vegetarian meal when you register.
Register here
President's Report
Dear Members: What a win for USA in the Olympics this year! Especially proud of the men’s hockey team’s victory and for going to the White House. Proud of the women’s hockey team’s win also, but wish they could have had time to also go to the White House.
Can you believe it is March already? Make sure to go online to RSVP to our March 10th meeting at the Club Restaurant at McInnis Park, 350 Smith Ranch Road San Rafael. If everything goes well this will be our last meeting there, as in April we go back to Marin Country Club for meetings on the 3rd Tuesday of each month for the rest of the year! So stay tuned!
A special thanks goes out to Dick and Janet Locke for hosting a spectacular 400 Day Victory Party on February 22nd. If you missed this event, you missed a great night with amazing food and a chance to see Janet’s $8 million (maybe a slight exaggeration) china that is the same china that Queen Elizabeth used.
If you missed our February speaker, it was one of the best so far. Gloria Romero is an amazing candidate for Lt Governor and deserves all of our support. I know many members have already sent her a campaign donation. If you want to contribute, go to http://gloriaromero4ltgov.com/ or mail a donation to Gloria Romero for Lt. Governor 2026 P.O. Box 730 Hilmar CA 95324 Please include your name, address and employment/occupation or retired.
Warmly,
Welcome New Members
Our February meeting was a success! We enjoyed an inspiring talk from Gloria Romero, who is campaigning for Lieutenant Governor alongside Steve Hilton on the “Golden Ticket.” Not only did we welcome over 15 guests, but two of them became new members!
We truly appreciate how our dedicated members help the club grow. Please continue spreading the word about the Golden Gate Republican Women—our lively monthly luncheons featuring engaging speakers, as well as our social gatherings such as Bingo nights, 100 Day Victory celebrations, movie outings (MELANIA, anyone?), and many other events coming soon—so stay tuned! Plus, we’re introducing great incentives for members who bring guests to meetings. Let’s make 2026 a “golden” year by each recruiting at least one new member!
Looking ahead, we’re organizing a Happy Hour in early March (location to be announced) featuring a palm reader—a relaxed event aimed especially at welcoming potential new members. If you know someone who may be interested, please share their contact info with Morgan or me so we can invite them personally.
Don’t forget—our next meeting is on March 10, with guest speaker Jamie Scardina, the Marin County Sheriff, who will address community safety, local crime, and public concerns. This meeting is expected to fill up quickly, so reserve your spot—and those of any guests—as soon as possible!
Our one birthday in March is an associate member who will not have to share the spotlight with anyone!
3/8 Rick Johnson
Education
As we enter the 2026 mid-term election season, we are challenged to help conservative and Republican candidate win majorities in both the House of Representatives and Senate. Below are a few ways we can help to achieve these goals as well as electing conservatives in all down ballot elections this year such as local, school district and county and state races:
- The “Save Act” requires voter ID to vote in Federal elections as well as other provisions to help ensure, free, fair and safe elections. It is currently pending in the U.S. Senate, after already being passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. Please contact all U.S. Senators right away to urge the quick passage of this legislation.
- Learning and encouraging all U.S. citizens (teens and adults) to increase their financial literacy is very important. Financial literacy is a critical life skill that empowers individuals to make informed decisions about budgeting, investing, saving, and managing debt. Prager U is a non-profit that has a “Cash Course” with short e-learning videos (www.prageru.com) that teaches budgeting, buying, saving and debt. By understanding these issues, American citizens have a better appreciation of these matters both individually and as voting citizens in the USA. This knowledge can have a positive impact on voting for fiscal conservatism at local, state and federal government levels. Our founders wanted to ensure that all voters are educated.
- Support Turning Point Action – (www.tpaction.com) It provides many avenues to involve American youth and adults in conservative grassroots activism. Examples of their work include being a precinct leader, registering new voters, poll watching, knocking on doors for local candidates and other activities. We can also financially support those efforts.
- Support Turning Point USA, a not for profit (501(c)(3) affiliate, that is a nationwide student movement promoting freedom-loving American values on over 3,500 college and high school campuses. (www.tpusa.com). It is imperative to encourage high school and college students to join or start TPUSA clubs.
- One local Novato race that we all can support and urge others to join in the effort of Marin County District 5 Supervisor Candidate Andy Podshadley, owner of Trek Wine in Novato. He is a conservative member of our Novato community. One of his issues is solving the homeless crisis affecting all Marin and CA citizens. Andy has written a position article on the use of tiny home villages as that solution has been employed in various CA communities. We can also support Mark Galperin, featured in this newsletter, in his run for District 1 Supervisor.
In Case You Missed It
We were all inspired by February’s luncheon speaker Gloria Romero, who is running for Lt. Governor on the Golden Ticket with Steve Hilton for Governor. As the Democrat Majority Leader in the California State Senate in the mid-2000s, and California co-chair for Obama’s re-election campaign, she became disillusioned with the Democrat Party and joined the Republican Party in 2024. Throughout her career, and even as a Democrat, her signature issue has been school choice. In her State Senate position, she authored and guided to passage a fiercely contested "parent trigger" law that allows a majority of parents in a "failing school" to vote on a method to restructure the school.
Not many people can name the Lt. Governor, much less know how important the position is. The Lt. Governor serves as the President of the State Senate, where she can speed appointments. The Lt. Governor also sits on important committees like the land commission and the coastal commission, where Gloria pledges to care more about farmers and citizens than small fish and plants. The “Golden Ticket” isn’t an official ticket like the U.S. President and Vice-President or even Governor and Lt. Governor in many states. But importantly it represents candidates who are on the same policy page, including the candidate for Attorney General and Controller (get rid of fraud, waste and abuse anyone?). We all need to support Steve Hilton, Gloria, and all the other candidates on the Golden
News You Can Use
As reported in The California Post on February 19th, the Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics shows that Republican Steve Hilton opened up a surprise lead in California’s governor race. Meanwhile, CalMatters reported that as of early February, Hilton raised more money than any other candidate, with $6 million. Only Tom Steyer, the self-funded billionaire Democrat has a bigger war chest. But here’s a word of caution from your friendly newsletter editor: The Democrats and their BFs in SEIU and the teacher’s unions will make absolutely sure that at least one of the two top primary spots go to a Democrat. In order to at least get one Republican on the general election ballot, it will be critical to not split the Republican vote. Among Republicans, Hilton and the other top Republican candidate Sheriff Chad Bianco are virtually tied, with Hilton at 38% and Bianco at 37%. But crucially, Hilton has a plurality of independent voter support at 22%.
Among the general electorate, Hilton is leading a very crowded field with 17% support.
To read more about the race and the issues that drive it, as well as Gavin Newsom’s plummeting job approval, click here
Election News
Mark Galperin is running against incumbent Mary Sackett for District 1 Supervisor, which covers San Rafael, Santa Venetia and unincorporated areas of San Rafael including the Marinwood and Lucas Valley communities. Mark is running on a platform of:
- Improving our schools – Incorporating STEM studies as well as back-to-basics teaching of reading, math, history, and science
- Ensuring that mandates for affordable housing are accomplished with developments that fit the neighborhood, not massive high-rise structures.
- Preparing for emergencies, including having reliable energy sources.
About Mark
Mark began his career in Soviet Russia, where he was a researcher in nuclear physics for almost 20 years. After the Soviet Union collapsed, he shifted to business and worked as the financial director at one of the largest Xerox dealerships in Russia. In 1995, Mark moved to Marin and, in 1998, founded Expanding Edge LLC in San Rafael, a business consulting company that enables businesses to expand and thrive in the fast-paced US economy. Expanding Edge, as the U.S. representative of the Controllable Electric Reactors Consortium (CERC), introduced magnetically controlled electric shunt reactors, a new type of city-scale surge-protectors, to the U.S. electric power industry. Mark is a founding advisor and served as VP of Finance for Kray Technologies, Inc., a revolutionary drone startup that directly delivers fertilizers and pesticides to efficiently grow and protect crops. Today, he is a Housing Advisory Board member for the Marin Housing Authority. Through his experience in physics, engineering, finance, and local housing advisory, Mark is more than qualified to lead the way to a better Marin with improved public safety, a reliable power grid, and a balanced housing market.
