Candidate for
Member, City Council; City of Huntington Beach

Sit down, and relax for a while. This is a rather "brief" autobiography. =)

Write a biography? C'mon, I am too young to even remember when I was born. Seriously, though, I was born on the 3rd day of the 3rd month in 1967. I also just happen to be 3rd on the ballot as well. (hint, hint.) I was born at Landstuhl Army hospital in Germany where my dad was stationed in the Army.

I spent a year in Illinois, then lived in San Diego until I was 6. In November, 1973, my folks moved to Huntington Beach. That means I was in HB first, BEFORE any of the other candidates. =) At that time there were cows everywhere! Can you believe that there were even Orange trees in "Orange" County at one time? Sad, but true.

For my education, I attended Village View, Harbor View, Circle View, Marina, and Huntington Beach High Schools. While in high school, I participated in swimming, cross country, and track. My fastest 3 mile time was 17:19 (with hills!) in Central Park.

I was a volunteer at the 1984 Olympics and worked at the Modern Pentathlon in Coto De Caza, Swimming at USC, and Track and Field at the L.A. Coliseum. I even saw the closing ceremonies! I still cannot believe that was 20 years ago!

I attended Goldenwest College, and even earned an "A" in an ecology class taught by then councilman Dr. Peter Green. As someone who did cross country training at the Bolsa Chica Wetlands, I am inspired to save it for future generations of runners (and others) to enjoy.

After Goldenwest, I then transfered to Long Beach State and then to UC Santa Barbara where I earned a B.A. in Environmental Studies. It was at UC Santa Barbara where I really became involved in grass roots activism.

While I was there, a scrappy bunch of undergrads battled against the number 1 fortune 500 company in America, Mobil-Exxon.........and WE WON! Mobil Oil was attempting to put a 200 foot high noxious oil derek right off the coast of our lovely campus. Ironically, it was called "Clearview".

I personally wrote the position paper opposing the Mobil Clearview project that the Student Government unaminously passed. The public uproar against Mobil was so strong, that they dropped the controversial project. This was a real life example of David defeating Goliath. Because of that, I have always been inspired to fight onward for grass roots causes.

I was also an Americorps Volunteer at the former Fort Ord in Monterey County and served on the Fort Ord Restoration Advisory Board. Because of serving in Americorps, I had the privilege to meet President Bill Clinton.......TWICE!

Afterwards, I became a pioneer student at the then brand new CSU Monterey Bay. While I was there, I ran the Big Sur International Marathon twice, and played baseball. I either had a hit, run, or bunt against the following schools: Cal Tech, Menlo, Simpson, UC Santa Cruz, Humboldt State, and Fresno Pacific.

My most memorable baseball moment was against Cal Tech in Pasadena. With two outs in the next to last inning and an 0-2 count against me, I battled back for a base hit to spark a come-from-behind rally that helped us win the game. I was extremely determined to prevail since my folks and grandma made the trip to Pasadena from HB. (It was our ONLY game in Southern Cal that season.) Sometimes life will throw you 0-2 counts with two outs as well. It is up to each of us to battle back and prevail!

In 1998, San Diego must have been the first city ever to host a Super Bowl and World Series in the same year. I had the privilege to attend both events. For a recap the Broncos defeated the Packers in football. While, the Yankees defeated the Padres in baseball.

In addition, I saw the Lakers defeat the Pacers in game six to win the 2000 NBA finals. That ended a 12 year title drought for the Lakers. (With the way things are looking now for the Lakers, it will likely be another 12 years before they win the NBA Finals again, let alone reach the finals. But that's another story.)

As an occupation, I have worked as a substitute teacher and taught Algebra to adult ed students. I have to say substitute teaching really builds character. One learns to adapt to constantly changing environments, grow thick skin, and deal with some very difficult people. Nonetheless, I enjoy the challenges. Since I am a math whiz, I can balance budgets. (Hint Hint)

These days my main "hobbies" are fighting Long Beach Airport Expansion and spending time with my girlfriend, Julie. (If you are reading this, I love you sweetie).

Thank you for reading this oh so "brief" autobiography.=)