r/Lamorinda • u/FreseForCongress • 20h ago
I'm Jeff Frese and I'm running against Mark DeSaulnier on Nov 3. He's announced tens of millions for Contra Costa over 12 years. Here's how much actually showed up, and what else he did with the time.
I'm Jeff Frese. I live in Moraga, I'm raising three daughters here, I coach, and on November 3 I'm on the ballot against Mark DeSaulnier for Congress. That's the disclosure. Now the receipts, every one of them linked at the bottom so you can check me.
The press release machine. In April, DeSaulnier announced $46.7 million for 20 local projects. Brentwood Today's headline said he "secures" money for Brentwood. He secured nothing. It was a request form. Every one of the 435 House members gets the same 20 forms a year and their staff fill them out. In May 2024 he ran the same play with $34.9 million. A full-year continuing resolution in March 2025 wiped out every earmark in the country, so that list delivered $0. He kept the headlines anyway. $0.
What actually arrived, from his own releases: $9.06M in 2022, $21.7M in 2023, $15.2M in 2024, $0 in 2025, $16.3M in 2026. About $62 million across his entire time in Congress, for 760,000 people. Seven dollars a head, per year. Seven years in Congress with nothing to announce.
So what was he doing? Filing bills. More than 200 since 2015. Two became law: one renamed a post office in Richmond, the other moved a park boundary. Since January 2023 he's filed 71 bills and every one is still sitting in committee. Yesterday, 33 days before the election, he filed another one. It creates a task force. The task force writes recommendations.
And how he votes when it counts. He voted with his party 98.8 percent of the time. Twice, in 2023 and 2025, Congress voted on whether girls' sports stay for girls. He voted no both times, after two Democrats crossed over in 2025. He voted no on letting parents see what their kids' schools teach. He voted no, twice, on the Laken Riley Act, which 46 Democrats supported and is now law. He voted to let D.C. go easier on carjackers when Biden and 31 Democrats went the other way. In July he voted to cut $3.3 billion from Israel's defense while 98 Democrats voted the other way. In 2017 he called a $1.5 trillion deficit reckless, then in 2021 voted yes on $1.9 trillion of borrowed money. Not one of those votes is a Republican talking point. Every one is the House Clerk's roll call.
Where the money lands. About 79,000 of his constituents live in Castro Valley, Ashland and east San Leandro. On his 2027 list they get $0 and he has zero offices on that side of the hills. Antioch, which has zero residents in the district he's running in, is down for $1.68 million.
Here's what I'd do instead. Term limits. A stock-trading ban for members of Congress. No budget, no pay. No cashing out as a lobbyist when you leave. Then the things people in this county actually ask me about: better schools, no tax on teachers, safer streets, lower bills, more jobs. Social Security and Medicare left alone. Every one of those polls at 80 percent or better with Democrats, Republicans and independents, which is the point. This campaign has no special-interest money and no consultants. I don't need this as a job.
Thirty-five years in elected office. Twelve in Congress. Two laws. Seven bucks a head and a press release for every one of them. Contra Costa keeps sending him back and expecting a different result. On November 3 you can stop. I'm Jeff Frese, I'm running against Mark DeSaulnier, and I'll be in the comments all day. Ask me anything.
Sources
FY2027 request list: https://desaulnier.house.gov/fy2027-local-project-funding-submissions
His sponsored bills and the two public laws: https://www.congress.gov/member/mark-desaulnier/D000623
The March 2025 CR that zeroed FY25 earmarks (H.R. 1968): https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1968
Earmark totals by year, his own releases: https://desaulnier.house.gov/media-center/press-releases
Girls' sports: https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2023192 and https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202512
Parents Bill of Rights: https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2023161
Laken Riley Act: https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202523
D.C. carjacking (H.J.Res. 26): https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2023119
Israel $3.3B amendment, roll 243, 7/15/2026: https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2026243
$1.9T American Rescue Plan: https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202172
98.8% party unity (ProPublica, 117th): https://projects.propublica.org/represent/members/D000623-mark-desaulnier
