Catherine Way, the vice mayor of Larkspur, graduated from the University of California San Francisco (USCF) with a Master’s Degree in nursing and a specialty in nursing administration, as well as a law degree from Santa Clara University.
Along with being the vice mayor, Way also helps the Marin Women’s Political Action Committee and has served 10 years on the Marin Search and Rescue team. Thinking back to her high school years, she never envisioned herself doing anything political when she grew up.
“I didn’t do too much politically [in high school], because it wasn’t [popular]. It wasn’t what high schoolers were doing at the time,” Way said.
She grew up in Santa Cruz, and after graduating from high school, she attended the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) until her junior year, when UCLA cut its nursing program. Afterward, she transferred to UCSF, which then had the largest nursing program in California.
Way didn’t get into politics until she moved to Larkspur in 2005. Many older women on her street were very involved in the community, inspiring Way to join the Centennial Committee to celebrate Larkspur’s 100th birthday in 2008.
“I’ve always believed that it’s important to be engaged in your community. That kind of volunteerism, whether it’s your school, church or club, is an important part of a democracy,” Way said.
The same group of women that inspired her to join the Centennial Committee, were also the ones that convinced her to run for mayor. When Way decided to run in 2013 against four other candidates, it was her first time being involved in an election. While Way had never been in an elected office before, she received the most votes out of the four candidates and won.
Way also served as mayor of Larkspur in 2016 and 2020. Because of how the system rotates, the mayor is selected annually, while the council members are elected every four years by the town. At the first meeting in January, all boards and commissions elect a mayor and vice mayor for the year out of the group of council members.
When reflecting back on her years in office, 2020 pops up as one of the most challenging years of her life. As mayor at this time, she worked tirelessly to update health regulations and keep Larkspur safe while also dealing with the grief of losing her parents.
Scott Morgan is a Larkspur resident who has worked with Way in the past through his involvement and engagement in the local government.
“[Way] puts in the hard work to understand issues and find successful paths forward. She understands that each issue can profoundly impact our community,” Morgan said.
And that is exactly what she did in this less-than-ideal situation. With so much uncertainty about what would happen next, Way quickly worked to protect and save as much of Larkspur’s yearly budget as possible. Soon after, she commissioned some previous council city members with financial skills.
“We had a panel of us who tried to figure out how we could protect our budget as best as possible, and within two weeks we had refinanced a bond measure down to a really low interest rate, which saved us a ton of money,” Way said.
In addition to working overtime to make health and safety decisions in this time of uncertainty, there were also social justice movements happening around the community during the time.
“That summer was the Black Lives Matter protests, and I was on the chair of the police council. We also had the renaming of Sir Frances Drake Boulevard and the tearing down of the statue. It was a very complicated year,” Way said.
Way will serve as mayor one more time before her term as a council member expires in December 2026. When reflecting back at her start in office, she remembers how much she learned about how government works at a local level, a lot of this came as a shock to her.
“When I got involved in politics, I realized Marin has a lot of government. We have a lot of school districts, fire districts, cities and towns. We have a lot more government than people realize,” Way said.
One of her biggest accomplishments working in the city council was merging the Larkspur and Corte Madera Fire Departments, as they were separated before 2018. She’s also looking forward to the opening of the new Larkspur library that is breaking ground on construction in late October.
“[The Larkspur library] has had a lot of stops and starts, and [many] setbacks, but we’re on the right track now, which is exciting,” Way said.
Morgan has also been following the library’s progress and credits Way with a large portion of its success.
“[Way] is deeply dedicated to her community and constituents. She engages, listens and shows up, she’s a huge part of why the library is moving in the positive direction that it is,” Morgan said.
As Way finishes her years in office, she urges younger generations to get involved in their communities, whether it’s volunteering or just becoming educated.
“[Gen Z] has the numbers, social media skills and education to make real change in this world. So, I urge you all to come together and make a difference,” Way said.
