Gus Mattammal running to represent 15th District

From the Daily Journal archives
Corey Browning Daily Journal staff
Apr 14, 2022

Gus Mattammal, a private tutor and Half Moon Bay resident, is running to represent the Peninsula’s 15th district in Congress on a “constructive conservatism” platform with universal health care and environmental issues at the forefront.

Mattammal, the only conservative in the race to replace longtime U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, said he hopes his campaign will build momentum within his party for addressing climate change with conservative policy in addition to a Singapore-modeled health care system.

“Fundamentally, I believe that a constructive conservatism has a lot to add to our national conversation and our state and local conversation,” he said. “As someone who came from a really modest background, I know what it’s like for families to struggle, my family did, I want to show how conservative policy can actually help people.”

Mattammal is running against South San Francisco Assemblymember Kevin Mullin, San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa and Burlingame Councilmember Emily Beach. The Daily Journal will be profiling the major candidates and running a story on the various issues of the race.

Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Mattammal moved to the Bay Area in 2007, prior to which he earned a degree in physics and mathematics from Pomona College and a master’s from Yale School of Management.

Mattammal worked in TV advertising sales and later joined Capital One’s financial operations group in Richmond, Virginia. In 2003, he moved to New York City to join Advantage Testing, the company he works for today. He moved to the Peninsula to expand the company to the West Coast, and is currently the director of operations for the company in Silicon Valley, in addition to seven other U.S. cities.

He recalls growing up in a poor neighborhood, his father working multiple jobs as his mother raised him and three siblings. “My father was an immigrant to this country, he came from India, mom grew up on a farm in Southern Illinois. They started at the bottom of the economic ladder,” he said.

Mattammal said he attended a private high school, avoiding the local public school where the graduation rate was less than 25%. He said his neighborhood friends once told him that he would be the only one to make it.

“None of them graduated, and that’s why education reform is actually a deep, deep passion of mine,” he said. “And I’ve built a business of education here in the Bay Area that I’ve expanded nationally.”

Despite not having any political experience, he said he was motivated to run for Congress to inspire conversation and advocate for his ideals. Constructive conservatism, he said, seeks to solve society’s problems while relying on free markets, incentives and personal choice, incorporating also a willingness to negotiate.

He said such ideals are underdiscussed at the national level, and his campaign in a “super-duper blue” district could serve to prove their popularity. Mattammal was the first in the race to file to run, two months prior to Speier announcing her retirement.

“I knew it would be an uphill battle, but I have the strength of my convictions,” he said.

He describes his health care plan, modeled after Singapore’s mandated personal health insurance savings accounts, as organized around less spending and more personal choice. Singapore requires portions of residents’ income go to health savings accounts, which the government also contributes to, and those in need of health care can choose how to spend from the money.

“With that program we could achieve universal health care, which I always like to gently remind my very progressive friends, the Democratic Party has not delivered for you,” he said, pointing to the single-payer health care Assembly bill that failed to reach a vote earlier this year despite a Democratic majority.

And while health care would be a priority, Mattammal said his first legislative work would be establishing term limits of 12 years for both the House and the Senate. He said the current lack of limits “prevent people from growing and moving up” and “prevents fresh voices and fresh thinking.”

He said also that given the likelihood of a Republican majority in the House after the election, he would have the best shot at working with the majority to pass environmental policy. “If you want to get serious climate change policy enacted any time soon, you need the Republican Party on board,” he said.

Mattammal is endorsed by the California Republican Party, the San Mateo County Republican Party and the San Francisco Republican Party.

He said he has raised just more than $30,000 to run his campaign, and “feels good” about finishing top two in the primaries, something that will open up more funding opportunities.

California’s primary will be held June 7, narrowing the field to two candidates. The general election will be held Nov. 8.

corey@smdailyjournal.com
(650) 344-5200, ext. 105