He completed high school in Orange County, and graduated from the University of Southern California in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology.

Under Gordon's eye, the intervention efforts made such a difference that the federal government decided to underwrite a second program- a shelter for runaway kids called Your House.

By the early 1980s, Gordon was running a teen health clinic and centers that counseled families beset by drugs, alcohol, and domestic violence.

With the help of the designer of the Johnny Rockets chain and the CEO of See's Candies, Gordon opened MiMe's Cafe in Redwood City, a joint project of Youth and Family Assistance and Opportunities Industrialization Center West.

[1] Gordon first ran for public office in 1992, seeking a seat on the San Mateo County Board of Education.

When Ted Lempert was elected to the Assembly in 1996, a vacancy opened up on Board of Supervisors and Gordon ran for the seat.

When Assemblyman Ira Ruskin (D-Redwood City) was termed out of the California State Assembly in 2010, Gordon declared his candidacy for the seat.

In June 2012, the Speaker named Gordon Chairman of the Committee on Rules, a position he currently holds (for the 2015 legislative session).

The couple was married in the state of California in August 2008, just before the passage of Proposition 8 in November 2008, which prohibited gay marriage.