Candidate for
Recall of Gray Davis; State of California

Joe Guzzardi was born in Los Angeles in 1943. His father owned and operated small businesses and his mother, before retiring to become a homemaker, was the lead singer in the Benny Goodman Band.

Guzzardi attended parochial school in southern California until 1956 when his family moved to Puerto Rico. They soon moved again to Guatemala City. While living in Puerto Rico and Guatemala, Guzzardi learned to speak Spanish fluently.

He graduated from The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey and the University of Pittsburgh.

After graduation, Guzzardi began a long career in banking and finance. He worked his way up from an entry-level position at Banker's Trust in New York to Vice President of the Money Market Securities Department at Merrill Lynch. He also worked at the Seattle First National Bank as a Vice President in the Commercial Lending Division.

During his Wall Street career, Guzzardi learned the importance of prudent planning and economic forecasting. His financial training and experience will help restore California to sound financial footing.

After twenty years in banking, Joe started and operated his own businesses. He learned first hand about the frustration of small business ownership - excessive taxes, outrageous worker's compensation rules, as well as federal, state and local reporting requirements that interfered with day-to-day operations.

When he sold his restaurants, Joe started a small venture capital firm - Private Capital Funding - to assist start-up ventures in obtaining seed financing. He worked closely with new companies to ensure their initial phases of operation were successful.

Guzzardi moved to Lodi in 1988 to begin a new career as an instructor at the Lodi Adult School. He has taught English as a Second Language to Southeast Asian refugees, migrant farm workers and students from all over the world.

He has also taught computer skills to senior citizens, driver's education to teenagers and basic business management to entrepreneurs.

Guzzardi's interest in immigration started when he saw, as an instructor, the magnitude and complexity of the issue. (See The Education of Joe Guzzardi ). He knows and understands the perils of mass immigration based on his own real life experiences.

Guzzardi was formerly the Director of the Friends of the Lodi Animal Shelter. Currently, he is a member of the Board of Directors of the Lodi Unit of the American Cancer Society.

Guzzardi has written editorial columns - mostly about immigration and related social issues-since 1990. The columns currently appear in the nationally read webzine http://www.VDARE.com; the California-based webzine http://www.CalNews.com and the San Joaquin Valley's daily newspaper, the Lodi News-Sentinel. His column is frequently syndicated in other US newspapers and websites.

Personally, Guzzardi enjoys outdoor activities and taking his dogs Lily and Fido for long swims along the irrigation canal. At the 2003 San Joaquin County Fair, Guzzardi won two blue ribbons in the Baking Division.