Candidate for
Council Member; City of Huntington Beach

Donald Francis Hansen, Jr. was born April 7, 1972 in Phoenix, Arizona. He grew up in the Valley of the Sun in the American family tradition. His father worked at a local tire wholesale company while his mother tended daily to the needs of Don and his younger brother Brian and the family home. Upon graduation from high school, Don was accepted to the University of Southern California. College seemed like the perfect time to see new places, and the lure of Southern California was extremely appealing. In 1991, he moved from Arizona and began his tenure as a loyal Trojan. It was to be a very full experience.

Don has always been an activist and a leader in the communities of which he is a part. It is this activist spirit that led him to run for and win a seat on the USC Student Senate. After that election, his Senate colleagues elected him President of the Student Senate, the highest elected student office at the University. Don's ability to build a consensus and find solutions to budget issues and other student community problems helped him rebuild a normally divisive group, and work toward common goals.

After graduation, Don was offered a position at an up and coming commercial finance company in Irvine. Balboa Capital had recently been recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing companies in the United States. It was a fast-paced and competitive business and Don thrived early in this environment. Balboa Capital provides equipment financing to early stage entrepreneurial businesses, and Don enjoyed working with business owners to find financial solutions to help them grow their business.

In 1998, the senior management of Balboa Capital asked Don to forge a new market channel within the company. Don eagerly embraced the challenge, and today runs the Commercial Finance Division of Balboa Capital Corporation. Under Don's leadership, the division today now accounts for close to $30 million in annual equipment lease originations, roughly 30% of Balboa Capital's total annual volume.

Don and his wife Sara live in the Southeast section of Huntington Beach. Together, they are actively involved in supporting our community. Don is a member of the Rotary Club of Huntington Beach. As an active member of Rotary, he has volunteered his time in our community with projects ranging from the Orange County Special Olympics through planting trees in Huntington Beach's own Urban Forest. Sara has recently worked on the Duck-A-Thon project benefiting the Huntington Beach Community Clinic. They are members of both the Meredith Gardens Homeowners Association and the Southeast Huntington Beach Neighborhood Association (SEHBNA).

The couple has a lovely young daughter Bailey Elizabeth Hansen. As a family, they attend St. Simon and Jude Church where Don is also a member of the Knights of Columbus.