Candidate for
Governor; State of California; Republican Party

Taking decisive action to solve problems and doing so with warmth and compassion are the hallmarks of Bill Simon's life. As the son of former Treasury Secretary William E. Simon, Sr., Bill Simon has seen first hand the importance that hard work and honesty both play in solving problems and earning respect. An unabashed success as a philanthropist, businessman, former prosecutor, social commentator, husband and father, Bill Simon is ready to take decisive action to lead California to her best days yet.

The success of Bill Simon is measured in many ways. Bill is co-founder of the private investment firm of William E. Simon & Sons which was founded in 1988. Since then the company has been an American success story with assets under the firm's control now valued in excess of $3 billion. The firms investments include a commitment to develop properties in downtown San Francisco's high growth multimedia and information technology district located South of Market Street. Venture capital investments include such well known entities as Wolfgang Puck Food Company, PF Chang's and many others.

In 1997 Bill recognized the lack of quality family entertainment in current media offerings and set out to do something about it. In his quest he came across Bud Paxson and PAXTV, a family-friendly broadcast network free of graphic violence, sex and inappropriate language. Bill worked to raise funds to assist with the network's launch in August of 1998 and never turned back. Today PAX TV reaches 80% of America's television households. Bill currently serves as Vice Chairman of Paxson Communications # parent company of PAX TV.

Mr. Simon has been one to fight to uphold the value of the rule of law as one of the guiding tenets of his beliefs. This respect for the law blossomed when Bill servesd as Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. While prosecuting cases, Bill had the privilege of working under Rudolph Giuliani. Shortly thereafter Bill continued his work as a lawyer with the respected firm of Davis, Markel, Dwyer & Edwards. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, a nonprofit public interest law organization dedicated to restoring a balance between the rights of crime victims and the criminally accused.

All of these achievements would not have been possible without the foundation of a strong education which is something that Bill cherishes to this day and seeks to do all he can to ensure every child has the same opportunities he has been blessed with.

Bill attended high school at Newark Academy and then went on to Williams College where he excelled as a student # earning Dean's List Honors # and as co-editor of the school newspaper and President of his class. He's never forgotten the quality education he received and as a result he now serves on the Board of Trustees of Newark Academy and as a Lifetime Member of the Board of Trustees of Williams College

Bill realized that our legal system and how laws were written and enforced was an area he held a great deal of passion for. He attended Boston College Law School where he got his Juris Doctorate and also honed his skills in advocating legal arguments as a member of the National Moot Court Team

While Bill is proud of all that he has achieved, past accomplishments are not the yardstick that Bill Simon measures the value of his life with. His wife, Cindy and their children, Cary, William, Lindsay and Griffith consider the blessings of family and faith to be of the highest importance. This faith has led the Simons to dedicate their lives to giving back all they can to the community and sharing their good fortune with those who are looking for a hand up and not simply a handout.

One of the organizations Bill is most proud to work on behalf of is Catholic Charities where he serves as Vice Chairman. Catholic Charities is the largest private network of social service organizations that work toward supporting families, reducing poverty and building communities. Chairman Emeritus of Covenant House California is another role that is a priority in Bill's life and he is energized by the time he invests in this worthy organization. The Covenant House is a crisis shelter for homeless and at-risk youth which provided over 18,000 nights of care to some of the most vulnerable children in California during the last year. Bill and his family have had a hand-on relationship with this organization dating back to the early 1980's.

Bill's good work with Catholic Charities and the Covenant House of California are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his charitable work. Among many other charities which he donates both his time, faith and financial support to are many fine organizations such as the Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles where Bill is a member of the Board of Regents. And Bill continues on the charitable efforts of his father as Co-Chairman of the William E. Simon Foundation

Together with his wife Cindy, the Simons established the Cynthia L. & William E. Simon Jr. Foundation which places a high priority on providing resources to those less fortunate that enable those individuals to improve their circumstances and better themselves. The Simons have established a family foundation that focuses on educational scholarships, physical fitness and providing young people the chance to improve their own circumstances. Bill and Cindy Simon have also worked extensively toward the beautification of local schools and neighborhoods in California.

Among the foundations recent commitments are the "Sound Body, Sound Mind" program which encourages high school students to incorporate fitness into their lives. This program is a prototype to be replicated in other parts of the country so that healthy children can fully take advantage of life. The foundation is also helping to law students hone their craft through an Oral Advocacy Program at Boston College Law School which serves as an umbrella for 25 different speaking programs to prepare law school students for the real world of law and advocacy.

With a passion for ideas and innovative solutions that bring people's dreams closer to reality Bill is dedicated to improving the way in which our public policy on many important areas is addressed. One way in which he is helping to elevate the debate on the important issues facing us is his work on the Board of Directors of the Heritage Foundation, a public policy think tank that also publishes Policy Review magazine.

Bill Simon has been blessed with the experiences and achievements few others will ever have the fortune to have received and earned. Forged in values of honesty, decency, hard work and respect, Bill Simon now seeks to give to Californians some of the opportunities and hope that he has enjoyed. And that's not just a promise. Bill Simon has a lifetime of delivering on his promises and accomplishing those things that others only dream to accomplish. As our Governor anyone willing to pursue opportunity, backed with hope and fed with desire will be able to make any dream come true.