Elected Leaders
The Danville Area Chamber of Commerce is a strong voice for business in our community and enjoy and excellent partnership with our elected leaders. We work side-by-side with elected officials on business issues including business licensing, economic development, and regional issues impacting our quality of life, such as housing, transportation and infrastructure.
Feel free to reach out to us if you need help navigating government processes or an introduction to one of our elected leaders.
Town of Danville

Renee Morgan
Mayor
Renee is a highly regarded leader known for her principled, energetic, and idea-driven approach. Since being elected to the Town Council in 2012, she has made significant contributions to the community, serving as Mayor of Danville in 2017, 2021 and 2025. Her dedication to public service was recognized in 2023 when she was honored as the Danville Area Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year.
Before her tenure on the Town Council, Renee was actively involved in various local committees, including the Danville Planning Commission, Historic Design Review, and Heritage Resource Commission. During this time, she successfully implemented stronger open space and historic preservation guidelines and played a crucial role in updating two General Plans.
Renee continues to represent Danville on numerous boards and committees, including the Tri-Valley Affordable Housing Committee, RecycleSmart, and the Contra Costa Mayors’ Conference, among others. Her extensive involvement demonstrates her commitment to addressing the needs of the community.
Growing up in a military family, Renee is the daughter of a retired Command Sergeant Major with over 30 years of service. A resident of Danville for over 35 years, she raised two children who attended local schools, and she cherishes her role as a grandmother to two beautiful grandchildren.
In addition to her public service, Renee has been an active participant in local schools and youth sports, holding various roles such as youth/high school cheer director, coach, and PTA Executive Board member. She values partnerships with public agencies, nonprofits, and service organizations, which enrich her understanding of Danville’s needs.
Renee is a proud graduate of Leadership San Ramon Valley and Leadership Pleasanton, as well as the Danville Volunteer in Police Program. Her proactive and hands-on approach is evident in her commitment to preserving the quality of life in Danville while maintaining a balanced budget.
Beyond her local commitments, Renee holds several board positions, including:
- Director at Contra Costa Transportation Authority
- Director at TRAFFIX
- Board Member of the San Ramon Valley Emergency Preparedness Citizens Corp
- Governing Board President at San Ramon Regional Hospital/Tenet Healthcare
- Director at Southwest Area Transportation
- Executive Board Chair of Meals on Wheels Diablo Region
- Member of the League of California Cities
- Board Member/Lifetime Member of The One Hundred Club
- Member of the Danville Children’s Guild
- Board Member of the On Broadway Gala
- Member of the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Posse
- Auction Chair at the Museum of the San Ramon Valley
- Leadership Board Member of the American Red Cross
- VP of Programs at the Danville Women’s Club
- Guest Speaker and Team Captain for Relay for Life and Walk to End Alzheimer’s
- Guest Speaker and Member of Impact 100
- Guest Speaker at Lunafest
- Member of the School Site Council/PTA Legislative Advocacy
Renee’s diverse service and leadership reflect her unwavering commitment to enhancing the Danville community and beyond.

Newell Arnerich
Vice Mayor
Danville Councilmember/seven term Mayor, elected 1995. His community involvement started 35 years ago on Danville’s Design Review Board / Planning Commission. Newell serves on a variety of local and statewide committees keeping Danville at the forefront of engagement. An advocate for public education serving on Measure D School Facilities Bond Committee and Co-Chair, Valley Wide Committee on Youth Safety.
Danville’s financial health has been guided by Newell’s “pay as you go” fiscal policies keeping Danville fiscally strong. As Mayor, Newell presided over “hometown hero” celebrations of Captain “Sully” Sullenberger and Olympic Gold Medalists Jessica and Maggie Steffens.
Graduate of Leadership San Ramon Valley, League of California Cities Mayors’ Advanced Leadership and Leadership Academy Torch. Newell has published over 50 articles on governance, leadership and economic trends. He has guest lectured at Stanford University MBA International Classes, UC Berkeley and other institutions. Newell is a keynote speaker who has been invited to speak on 3 continents about leadership, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Newell earned Bachelors/Masters degrees in Architecture/Urban Design, UC Berkeley and is President/CEO of awarding winning architectural firm for past 47 years.
Honorary Life Member Viet Nam Veterans of Diablo Valley
Contra Costa County Mayors Conference, Past Chair
Tri-Valley Transportation Council, Past Chair
Contra Costa Transportation Authority, Chair
TRAFFIX Co-founder, Director
Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority, Director
iGATE Innovation Hub, Director
East Bay Economic Development Alliance
Discovery Counseling Center, Director
Leadership San Ramon Valley, Director
Danville Library Endowment, Director
Danville Area Chamber of Commerce, 32-year Member
Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Posse
100 Club Contra Costa, Life Member
Tri Valley APAPA Honorary Board
Danville-Sycamore Valley Rotary, Past President
Operation Welcome Home, Co-founder

Mark Belotz
Councilmember
Danville Councilmember, elected in 2024, has been a dedicated Danville Heritage Resource Commissioner, Historic Design Review Committee member, Design Review Board member, and long-term local small business owner. As a Heritage Resource Commissioner, Mark has demonstrated his commitment to preserving Danville’s ‘small-town atmosphere and outstanding quality of life’ while maintaining its historical character. A 36-year resident and 39-year business owner, he envisions a future where Danville’s business community thrives in partnership with the Town of Danville. Mark’s leadership extends beyond his official roles; he actively participates in various community organizations, including the Stanford Tri-Valley Healthcare Community Advisory Relations Board, Save Mount Diablo’s Moonlight on the Mountain Annual fundraiser, and the Danville Area Chamber of Commerce. Mark and his wife Silvia, married for 38 years, raised their two sons in Danville, both of whom graduated from San Ramon Valley High School. Mark’s unique leadership skills and commitment have made him a responsible leader throughout the San Ramon Valley.
Top Priorities:
- Maintain Danville’s fiscally responsible budgeting and governance
- Support and sustain Danville’s downtown businesses
- Preserve Danville’s precious open spaces
- Enhance public safety and keep Danville the safest community in California
- Preserve Danville’s small-town atmosphere and outstanding quality of life
Volunteer Activities:
Save Mount Diablo Development Committee
Stanford Tri-Valley Health Care Community Advisory Relations Board
Friends of the San Ramon Creek Arundo removal team
Museum of the San Ramon Valley Gala Committee
Member of the Danville Chamber of Commerce
Graduated from Leadership San Ramon Valley
Danville Citizens Police Academy
Danville Government 101 Academy

Karen Stepper
Councilmember
Elected council member 2002 – Mayor 2006, 2011, 2016, 2020, 2024
My focus on infrastructure projects continues!
Constructing our 2024 Hartz Downtown Master Plan
Committee to Light Veterans Memorial Building
Current bid on playground and Multi Sport Skate Park at Diablo Vista Park
Valley Link Board to build train over Altamont Pass in 2028
Founder and Director of campaign to rebuild Veterans Memorial Building
Mustang Soccer League Complex – President/Coach, Steppers’ Plaque for Lifetime Commitment
COUNCILMEMBER & COMMUNITY POSITIONS
- New Town Offices/Rebuilt Turf Sports Fields/New Oak Hill Park Playground
- SRV Historical Society Board, Past-President/Museum SRV Board 6 years
- Chartered SRV Exchange National Service Club
- Built 14 American Document Walls, Hosted Annual Community 9-11 Ceremonies since 2006
- Transportation Boards: CCTA (Built 4th Bore), SWAT, Traffix Board
- Member Chamber of Commerce, 22 years
- East Bay Radio Emergency Communications Board & Emergency Preparedness Committee
PRIOR POSITIONS:
- Elected SRVUSD Board 1979, 9 years, Dedicated 3 new schools
- Prior RecycleSmart, League of CA Tax Committee, EB Economic Development Alliance
- Chair of Contra Costa Mayor’s Conference
- Retired Certified Public Accountant 1983-2020
University of Illinois, Bachelors, Mathematics/Teaching
California State Hayward, Masters, Accounting
Tony Stepper Real Estate, Danville residents since 1974
Daughter’s Family Walnut Creek, Son’s Family Truckee

Robert Storer
Councilmember
Robert Storer has been involved in dozens of civic, educational and nonprofit causes in the community during his 36 years he has called Danville home.
Married to his wife Sandra Lucchesi Storer for 40 years, they are proud to have raised two sons in Danville, 36 year old Michael Storer who completed a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering USF and 33 year old Andrew Storer who graduated with an Architectural degree from Cal Berkeley.
Robert is very proud of his 22 year association with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team as a Master Recovery Diver serving as Captain for 10 years and Assistant Chief for three years.
Has been involved with the Town of Danville since 2001 and has served the community as a
- Three term Planning Commissioner 2001-2009
- Design Review Board 2006-2009
- Heritage Resource 2006-2009
- Danville Town Council member 2009-present
- County Connection Board Member 2009-present
- Vice Mayor Town of Danville 2013, 2018, 2022
- Danville Mayor in 2014, 2019, 2023
- Member, Town of Danville Finance Committee (2009 – Present)
- Board Member, All Wars Memorial (2009 – Present)
- Council Liaison to the San Ramon Valley Unified School District (2011 – 2018)
- Member, Danville Area Chamber of Commerce (1999 – Present)
- Graduate, Leadership San Ramon Valley (2009)
- Lifetime Member, One Hundred Club of Contra Costa County
- Cavalry Member, Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office
- Lifetime Member, Honorary Sheriff’s Association Alameda County
- 2005 Danville Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year
Contra Costa County

Candace Andersen
Supervisor, District 2
Candace was elected to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on June 5, 2012 and sworn in on June 26, 2012 to begin serving her first term as the District 2 Supervisor. She serves as Chair of the Board of Supervisors for 2016. Previously, Candace was on the Danville Town Council from 2003 through June 25, 2012, serving two terms as Mayor. In her role as County Supervisor, Candace currently sits on the following boards, commissions and committees:
- Internal Operations Committee
- Family and Human Services Committee
- Hiring Outreach and Oversight Committee
- Transportation, Water and Infrastructure Committee
- Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Board
- Contra Costa County Housing Authority
- Contra Costa County Employee’s Retirement Association (CCCERA)
- Central Contra Costa Transit Authority – County Connection
- Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority
- Association of Bay Area Government (ABAG)
- Hazardous Waste Management Facility Allocation
- Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO)
- Southwest Area Transportation Committee
- San Ramon Valley Emergency Preparedness Citizen Corps Council
- Tri-Valley Transportation Council
- Traffix
- Street Smarts
- Dougherty Valley Oversight Committee
- East Bay Economic Development Alliance for Business
- East Bay Regional Communications System (EBRCSA) Governing Board
- Pleasant Hill BART/Contra Costa Centre Joint Powers Authority Board of Trustees
- Alternate on regional committees; Bay Area Counties Caucus, Contra Costa Transportation Authority, First 5 Children and Families Commission, TRANSPAC
Candace served on the Morgan Hill City Council in the early 1990’s. She is an attorney licensed to practice law in California and Hawaii. She began her legal career as a Prosecuting Attorney in her hometown of Honolulu and worked as a civil practitioner with a law firm in Morgan Hill. Candace put her legal career on hold to serve the community and raise her family.
Candace received both her B.A. in Public Policy (1982) and Juris Doctorate (1985) from Brigham Young University. She attended Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii from Kindergarten through 12.
Along with her responsibilities on the Board of Supervisors, Candace remains an active volunteer in her church and community.
She and her husband, attorney Philip M. Andersen, have been married for 34 years and are the parents of six children ranging in age from 19 to 32, have three daughters-in-law, a son-in-law, and five grandchildren.
California State Legislature

Rebecca Bauer Kahan
Assembly member
Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan was elected in 2018 to serve the 16th Assembly District, which includes the communities of Dublin, Lafayette, Livermore, Orinda, Pleasanton, San Ramon, Walnut Creek, Danville, Alamo and Moraga.
Rebecca is an accomplished attorney, environmental advocate, community volunteer, law professor and mother. A Bay Area native, she has dedicated her career and personal time to improving our community, solving complex problems, protecting civil rights and fighting to ensure everyone has the opportunity to succeed.
As an attorney, Rebecca specialized in ensuring major corporations complied with environmental laws and regulations by leading internal investigations to improve their environmental practices, while maintaining profitability. She also worked with major tech companies on intellectual property cases, involving topics including copyright, trademark and trade secret theft.
Rebecca oversaw and grew her office’s pro bono program and, under her leadership, the office expanded their efforts to include civil rights, immigration, homelessness and domestic violence. She has also served on a number of boards and committees, helping attorneys throughout the Bay Area provide their services to those who desperately need them.
Rebecca is the granddaughter of refugees, who came to the United States to escape the Holocaust. Their experience has shaped Rebecca’s perspective, inspiring her to help others in her own community, including coordinating the legal services effort at SFO to assist refugees and immigrants impacted by the Trump Administration’s travel ban.
For the last several years, Rebecca has taught appellate law and legal research and writing at Santa Clara University and Golden Gate University. She is a product of Bay Area public schools and is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Georgetown University Law Center. Rebecca and her husband, Darren, live in Orinda with their three young children.

Tim Grayson
Senator
Tim Grayson was previously elected to serve in the California Assembly in November 2016 and to represent the 15th Assembly District, which encompassed portions of Contra Costa County. He is the son of a Teamster father and his mother was a public transit worker. He is the first in his family to earn a college degree. In 2010, Grayson was elected to serve on the Concord City Council, winning reelection in 2014 and serving on the Council until his election to the Assembly. He also served as Concord’s Mayor from 2014-2015.
As a co-founder of the Contra Costa Family Justice Center, Grayson has a long and proven history of advocating for victims of domestic violence, human trafficking, and child and elder abuse. Since his election to the Assembly, Grayson has secured $20 million in state funding for Family Justice Centers throughout California to expand services, reach new communities and streamline services for victims of interpersonal violence. In 2018, Governor Brown signed into law a Grayson bill (AB 998) to allow victim support specialists to work collaboratively to help victims of domestic violence and human trafficking.
Championing the beliefs that higher education should be both accessible and affordable, then-Assemblymember Grayson authored laws to ensure that our qualified California students are not denied admission at UC institutions in favor of less qualified out-of-state students (AB 1674) and to require greater transparency from the University of California Office of the President in UC cost reporting (AB 1655). Grayson also introduced legislation to bring $7 billion in funding for new higher education campus construction and repair of existing facilities.
In order to help protect the state against the boom and bust economic cycles of the past decades, Grayson was at the forefront of creating a new budget reserve to complement the constitutionally-capped Rainy Day Fund. Grayson fought to create the new Budget Deficit Savings Account, and helped secure an initial deposit of $1.75 billion, in the hope that we will be able to avoid devastating and debilitating cuts to education and social and government services should a recession strike again.
Grayson continues to serve as the Concord Police Department’s Critical Response Chaplain, a position he has held since 2007, providing emotional support and counseling to first responders, victims, and their families during and after traumatic events. Grayson also has maintained a license as a general building contractor since 1997.
A long time East Bay resident, Tim lives in Concord where he raised his two kids with his wife of more than 35 years, Tammy.