Gracey Van Der Mark’s life story exemplifies the American Dream. Gracey is the daughter of immigrants and she grew up in a poverty-stricken immigrant neighborhood in Los Angeles where families faced many challenges, not the least of which was under-performing schools. Her parents taught her to be independent, stand up for what she believed, and protect those who cannot protect themselves

A survivor of domestic violence in her first marriage, Gracey moved to Huntington Beach over two decades ago with her second and current husband, Pieter Van der Mark. Together, they raised their seven children in their blended family and they own and operate a property management business. 

Pieter Van der Mark is an immigrant from Holland. His father and uncle served in WWII. His uncle was murdered by the Nazis after he was found to be helping a Jewish family escape. Pieter's great-grandmother was Jewish. 

Gracey and Pieter's children all attended public schools in Huntington Beach. Gracey's initial interest in public service stemmed from her experience as a parent, She felt that parents were not being given a strong enough voice in the local school system.

As her children grew into adulthood, Gracey decided to donate time to her community. She served on a bond oversight committee for the Huntington Beach City School District and as a member of the Huntington Beach Finance Commission. She was elected to the City Council in 2018 and reelected in 2022, becoming the first Latina Mayor of Huntington Beach.

Since being elected to the Huntington Beach City Council, Gracey has championed key issues such as fiscal responsibility, parental rights, and public safety. She took decisive action on matters that directly impact the lives of Huntington Beach residents. Her leadership recently helped Huntington Beach become routinely named California's "Best Run City"  by finance firm WalletHub.

Huntington Beach is one of the few cities in California where the homeless population has declined. Upon her election to the City Council, Gracey proactively partnered with law enforcement and the city’s homelessness task force to implement programs that provided treatment and helped transition people off the streets.

Gracey and the Huntington Beach City Council led the effort to make Huntington Beach the only city to officially place a Voter ID initiative on the ballot. It passed overwhelmingly.

Additionally, as a City Council member, Gracey spearheaded the city's first-ever "Parents’ Right to Know" initiative - empowering families to make important decisions together, rather than leaving children to face significant choices without parental involvement.