Candidate for
Member, City Council; City of Whittier

I'm Owen Newcomer. Whittier has been home to Kristina and me since 1976, and we plan to live out our retirement years right here in Whittier.

Kristina and I wed in 1971, almost 33 years ago. She retired a few years ago from a career as a hair stylist and salon owner, having owned and operated Kristina and Company Hair Care on Whittier Boulevard near Gunn. Now, Kris teaches Tai Chi Chih classes at the East Whittier YMCA, beginning ballet at Dance En L'air, and is a graduate student at Cal State Long Beach.

In addition to being married for a long time, I have been teaching at Rio Hondo College for a long time--29 years. Over those years, I have taught classes in US & Local Government.

Community involvement beckoned long ago also. I served for 11 years as an elected member of the Whittier City School Board (1989-2000), and have been a member of the Whittier City Council since 2000. I currently serve as Mayor Pro Tempore of the Whittier City Council.

Rotary, the Chamber of Commerce, Friends of the Hills, Whittier Art Association and the Whittier Historical Society are just a few of the civic groups to which I belong.

In an official capacity, I serve as Vice-Chair of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority Commission, Chair of the Southeast Area Social Services Funding Authority and member of the Rio Hondo Temporary Home Board, the Vector Control Board and the Southeast Water Coalition Board.

Within the city, I serve on council sub-committees for the Bookstore Taskforce, Fixed Transit Route Service, and Parnell Park.

When I find spare time, I enjoy playing tennis, hiking, bicycling, swimming, and finding distant cousins to enlarge my genealogy file.