SMCCD Trustee Richard Holober Joins 3rd District Supervisorial Candidate, Don Horsley, At Pacifica Democrat's Forum on Saturday, May 15, 2010

On Saturday morning, May 15, 2010, San Mateo County Community College Trustee, Richard Holober, will join 3rd District Supervisorial Candidate, Don Horsley, in addressing the monthly breakfast meeting of the Pacifica Democrats in the rear banquet room of the Sharp Park Golf Course Restaurant. The 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. meeting will conclude a series of Spring Campaign Forum presentations to the Pacifica Democrats. 

Holober:
The latest addition to the Democrat's May 15th Forum, Richard Holober, is Executive Director at Consumer Federation of America and a Trustee of the San Mateo Community College District. He will speak to the Pacifica Democrats on Measure G, the Education Parcel Tax of the San Mateo County Community College District. Measure G's tax would provide College of San Mateo, Skyline College and Canada College with local funds that the State cannot take away and would ensure affordable quality education for students, including training for careers in nursing, healthcare, technology, engineering, sciences, police, firefighting, maintaining core academics in reading, writing, math, preparing students for universities, and keeping libraries open. If Measure G is approved by the electorate of San Mateo County, the San Mateo County Community College District would levy $34 per parcel annually for four years and establish Citizens' Oversight, exempt seniors, and prohibit proceeds for administrators' salaries.

Holober, a long time advocate for education and working families, has more than 16 years experience on the San Mateo County Community College Board and the Millbrae School Board, and has dedicated himself to making sure that schools and colleges are once again a top priority in California. His other past and present affiliations include: President, San Mateo County Community College Board, Legislative Advocate for the California Nurses Association(2000-2002), Trustee of the Millbrae School Board (1993-1997), Founder of the Californians for Privacy Now(2001-2002), Founder of the Livable Wage Coalition , which raised the minimum wage in 1995-1996, Legislative Advocate of the California Labor Federation(1987-1999) and Executive Secretary of the San Mateo County Central Labor Council(1981-1984).

Holober, a Peninsula resident for 19 years and Bay Area resident for 29 years lives with his wife Nadia in Millbrae, where they have raised two sons. He is a graduate of Rochester University and has dedicated his career to improving education and healthcare and winning justice for working families and consumers.

Horsley:

The second Forum participant, 3rd district Supervisorial candidate Don Horsley, after earning a Bachelor's degree with Honors from San Francisco State University in 1969, worked as a juvenile counselor with the San Mateo County Probation Department and as a classroom teacher for middle school students. Subsequent to that experience, Horsley decided to dedicate himself to a career in law enforcement.

No stranger to Pacifica, Horsley has made several visits to San Mateo County's northernmost coastal city this past year, in an attempt to find out both the current concerns and issues of Pacifica residents and also to work with the leadership of the  Pacifica Community Coalition To Save Sharp Park Golf Course (PCC), in their efforts to help save Sharp Park Golf Course as a viable and affordable recreational opportunity for both San Francisco and Pacifica golfers, including a great number of senior golfers and high school golfing students.

Presently, the Director and  President of the Sequoia Healthcare District, Horsley was a former Sheriff of San Mateo County for nearly 14 years. His initial law enforcement experience included positions as both a Daly City police officer and a Pacifica police officer, before going to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Department, as a patrol deputy in the City of East Palo Alto in 1972. Horsley then rose through the ranks and spent extensive time  upgrading the training of deputy sheriffs and correctional officers throughout the County.

Later in his career, Horsley was instrumental in the planning and building of a new correctional facility, which resulted in changing the way the County Correctional system was managed. The new facility included mental and medical healthcare facilities and Horsley was responsible for the adoption of a new management called Direct Supervision, which resulted in a sharp, near total, decrease in incidents of violence among the jail population. With the dubious reputation of one of San Mateo County's cities, East Palo Alto, being dubbed the "murder capital of the United States", Horsley, upon his election to the Sheriff's office, took up the challenge to combat violence, drug dealing and gangs and organized a multi-jurisdictional law enforcement "gang task force" effort that was highly successful in helping East Palo reduce the number of homicides dramatically.

Other affiliations of Horsley's include: Co-chair of the Attorney General and State Superintendent of Public Instruction's Safe Schools Task Force, 1998-2000 Chair of the American Heart Association's San Mateo County Executive Board of Directors, Board member of Advocates for Children, 2000-2009 Board member of Garfield Charter School, Past Chair of the World Community Service Committee for the Redwood City Rotary Club, previous Vice Chair of San Mateo County's Narcotic's Task Force, Past President of the 100 Club of San Mateo County-an organization dedicated to assisting the families of peace officers slain in the line of duty, past Chair of the 2000-2001 San Mateo County Criminal Justice Council, and Board of Director memberships in the California Peace Officers Association, the California State Sheriff's Association and the High Technology Crime Task Force.

Don Horsley lives with his wife Elaine and one of their adult children, Matt, a community college student, in Emerald Hills, in the hills above Redwood City. He has two other adult children, Christine, a legal secretary in Redwood City and David, an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California at Davis, who is married to Meng-Hsuing Kiang. They are the parents of Don's granddaughter, Juliette.

Meeting Info:

All Pacifica Democrats meetings are open to the general public. One neither needs to be a club member, nor even a Democrat to attend. A full breakfast is offered for $12; continental for $6 and coffee for $3. RSVPS are recommended. Doors open at 9:00 a.m. and seating is between 9:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Meeting begins at 9:30a.m. and runs until 11:30 a.m. For further information or to make an RSVP for this presentation, please contact Barbara Arietta, President, at 415-246-0775 or email barietta@hotmail.com .