Jackie Speier is Coming to d.tech

Originally published in The Dragon Online in February, 2020

According to Director of Learning Nicole Cerra, Jackie Speier, Representative for California’s 14th District (San Mateo County) will be paying d.tech a visit on Monday, February 24th.

Having represented the county which d.tech calls home since 2008, Representative Speier will be coming to our school to make a short speech to students, according to Cerra. 

This event was originally scheduled for January, but due to the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, Mrs. Speier’s visit was postponed. According to Cerra, this is also the reason why this event has not been highly publicized: d.tech administration feared another schedule change and opted to wait until the date of the event grew closer to make students aware.

Some students who participated in the San Mateo Department of Education internship over Winter Intersession may already be aware of this. According to junior Carolyn James, who participated in the internship, “we were told that she was coming, but they didn’t say when.” 

According to Cerra, this visit should not be treated as out of the ordinary, as local representatives frequently make visits to schools within their constituency, such as Aragon High School in 2019. The event will be officially announced in the @d.tech slides sometime this week. 

Representative. Speier has worked for San Mateo County for more than 40 years. She became a staff member for Congressman Leo Ryan of San Mateo County in the mid-1970’s and accompanied him on his famous trip investigating human-rights abuses by the People’s Temple in Jonestown, Guyana in November of 1978. While Ryan was killed at the hands of the People’s Temple, Speier was able to survive the multiple gunshot wounds she incurred there.

After losing a bid for the House seat left open by Ryan, she successfully ran for a seat on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, then the California State Assembly, then the California State Senate. As a State Senator, she was instrumental in securing Caltrain 127 million dollars for the enacting of “Baby Bullet” service. As a result, Caltrain named an engine, number

925, after her. 

In 2008, Speier successfully ran to fill Leo Ryan’s old seat in the House of Representatives. She has served in that position since then and is currently a member of the House Committee on Armed Services and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. She is also chair of the Subcommittee on Military Personnel, an associate member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, and a member of the Congressional Arts Caucus.