Candidate for
Member of the State Assembly; District 33

Sam Blakeslee grew up here on the Central Coast. As a young person he was actively involved in 4-H, the County Symphony, and Grace Church. He graduated from San Luis Obispo High School and worked in construction.

He later returned to school and graduated from Cuesta Community College and U.C. Berkeley. Ultimately he went on to earn a Ph.D. at U.C. Santa Barbara. His research on near-surface scattering, microearthquake imaging, seismic tomography, and fault-zone attenuation was published in numerous peer-reviewed scientific journals. As an industry scientist for Exxon in Houston Texas he obtained a patent for the Twin Well Simulation of Crosshole Data Algorithm. He later worked as an Exxon Strategic Planner where he was responsible for building and managing corporate budgets.

Upon returning to San Luis Obispo he became involved in various community groups. He served as Treasurer of the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce, Director of the San Luis Obispo Property Owners Association, Chair of the Central Coast Natural History Association, Fundraising Chair for the YMCA, Chair of the Downtown Parking and Access Task Force, Co-Chair of the San Luis Obispo Housing Task Force, and author of the successful county-wide ballot initiative Measure A2000.

He is the recipient of the 2000 San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce Leadership Alumni Award and the 2001 League of Women Voters Rhodes Leadership Award.

He is currently serving his second term as an elected Trustee on the Cuesta College Board.

Sam is a Certified Financial Planner and President of the investment firm Blakeslee & Blakeslee. He and his wife Kara live in San Luis Obispo with their two young daughters. Their son attends college in Boston.