Gracey Van Der Mark’s life story is anything but typical.
In this episode of the So, Does It Matter? Podcast, Jon Fleischman sits down with the Huntington Beach Councilmember and California State Assembly candidate for a candid, deeply personal conversation about her journey from poverty and homelessness to public office.
Gracey shares what it was like growing up in a low-income Los Angeles community, becoming a young mother, relying on public assistance, and experiencing homelessness — and how those experiences shaped her determination to create better opportunities for her children.
That fight led her into educational activism, local politics, and, eventually, to the Huntington Beach City Council majority that helped reshape the city's direction. Now, she is taking that experience to the next level by running for the California State Assembly.
In this episode, we discuss:
• Her personal journey through hardship and resilience
• What motivated her to get involved in local politics
• Her work addressing homelessness and public safety in Huntington Beach
• The challenges of pushing back against Sacramento mandates
• Why she believes lived experience matters in state leadership
The episode wraps with a lightning round where listeners get to know Gracey beyond politics, rounding out a conversation that is both deeply personal and sharply focused on California’s future.
🔗 Learn more about Gracey’s campaign:
What is So, Does It Matter? - on CA Politics - Podcasts!?
California is by far the largest state in the country. What happens here affects the country and the world. What happens here, from big cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Jose, to the breadbasket of the Central Valley, is consequential. This podcast is a feature of the extensive www.SoDoesItMatter.com Substack Newsletter (sign up for free). This is where longtime California conservative strategist Jon Fleischman features audio commentary, primarily interviews with people of consequence in California politics and policy.
We actually have two Podcast feeds. The other is So, Does It Matter? SPOKEN — listen to audio versions of the posts on the Substack page. You can check that out here" https://sodoesitmatterspoken.transistor.fm/
Jon Fleischman is a former Executive Director of the California Republican Party and a veteran of hundreds of political campaigns. He is a frequent voice on cable shows, in California newspapers, and on podcasts, discussing a wide range of topics, but mostly...California politics!