Let me tell you a little about myself.

I was born in Salinas and grew up in North County. I went to local schools, Salinas High and Hartnell College, where I graduated as valedictorian in 1980, and then onto the University of California, Santa Cruz.

​

My family has lived along the Elkhorn Slough area of North Monterey County since 1868. Indeed, all eight of my great-grandparents lived in North County at one time or another in their lives. It is a legacy of 150 years of service. They were teachers, farmers, dairy owners, beekeepers and business owners. Two were founders and masters of the Prunedale Grange. One was a county road foreman while another was a grand juror and a school board trustee. My maternal grandmother temporarily moved to Richmond during World War II and literally became a Rosie the Riveter helping to build ships as a welder for the war effort. My mother, Marjorie, was the director of Prunedale Senior Center during the 1990s. All of them had a deep love for this area and a passion for service, which I share.

​

My father, Warren, served for 12 years as a county supervisor for this area. I witnessed his organizing the county park system with the acquisition of the first county park, Royal Oaks Park, in 1966 and lastly the purchase of Manzanita Park in 1976, expanding the county library system, developing the first abandoned vehicle ordinance, preserving Natividad Hospital as a county-run facility and passage of the first county-wide ordinance on growth limits. These were invaluable learning experiences.

​

I grew up on our Christmas tree farm on Hidden Valley Road and learned the value of hard work while hoeing weeds and dragging branches through rows of trees. In between the tasks of growing and selling Christmas trees, I spent time picking raspberries that my father grew and cutting apricots at the farm my grandmother's sister's family operated near Apricot Lane off San Miguel Canyon Road. I also learned the invaluable skills of working on a farm: running a chainsaw, driving a dump truck and operating a tractor. 

Since I was 18, I have worked for myself almost exclusively as a businessman, but also as a farmer – I now own the family Christmas tree farm. I raised two sons in North County, sharing with them the beauty of our exceptional community.

I know the challenges regular people face earning a living through good times and bad. It is this connection to real world experiences that too many elected officials forget.