Candidate for
County Supervisor; Humboldt County; Supervisorial District 5

I was born at Mad River Hospital on April 29, 1975 to Cheryl and Marshall Sundberg of McKinleyville, California, and have been fortunate to live in this beautiful area all my life. My Father was a logger who loved coaching baseball and with Mom enjoyed their growing family. Summers were spent at the one-room family cabin on the Klamath River, fishing, boating and swimming. When I was 15, Dad was tragically taken from us in a logging accident. Through this loss and as we grew, Mom, Angela, Ron, Sheri, Jenni and I were embraced by our large and loving circle of family and friends. During this period my Mother remarried one of my Dad's best friends, Jack Grooms, now retired from Simpson Timber Company and currently owns a handyman business. My Mom still works as an assistant secretary for Dows Prairie Elementary School. I attended Arcata Christian School from K - 8th and then Mckinleyville High School where I took college prep classes and played baseball, football, and basketball. I chose to continue my higher education at our local institutions, attending College of the Redwoods and Humboldt State University where I graduated in 2002 with a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration. As a 21-year-old and student at CR, I decided to follow the footsteps of many in my family and pursue a life of public service. I was elected by the members of the Trinidad Rancheria to our Tribal Council and have been reelected five times since, proudly serving as a council member for 14 years. In those years, the Rancheria and its casino grew from 25 employees to more than two hundred. We expanded the casino and developed a work force which enjoys a good wage, along with health and retirement benefits. We also have brought in State and Federal grants totaling more than $50 million dollars to fund community projects. These projects helped to improve the environment of Trinidad Bay, create jobs, and bring in much needed dollars to our local economy. Among our many achievements, we have installed the highest quality wastewater treatment facilities at the casino and at the Trinidad Bay pier restaurant, paved the pier parking lot, and currently in the process of finishing construction of a public restroom facility for the pier and Trinidad State Beach. We also renovated the north end of Scenic Drive using federal grant funds, saving the county more than a million dollars. We have recently acquired an $8 million federal grant to replace the Trinidad Bay pier and its creosote-soaked pilings with a state-of-the-art protected cement pier, with construction to begin in the summer of 2011. I am proud to have been a contributing part in bringing these projects to fruition. After I graduated from college, I began working at Sundberg Insurance Agency in Arcata where I became an independent insurance broker. In this capacity I strive to help my clients by providing the highest level of service and the best and most affordable insurance protection available. To give back to my community, I joined the Mad River Rotary in 2004 and currently a member of the Board of Directors. During my tenure we have raised money to expand the McKinleyville Sheriff's Sub-Station, organize the Senior Thanksgiving Dinner and donated dictionaries to 3rd graders from Mckinleyville to Orick. We also updated the Senior Center, installed scoreboards and a greenhouse at McKinleyville High School, provided scholarships for graduating MHS seniors, and installed bleachers at Hiller Sports Park. This year we are helping complete the Mckinleyville Library expansion by donating the necessary resources needed to finish the project. In 2005 I returned to my alma mater to become a member of Humboldt State University's Business Advisory Council, a group that helps the Business School chart its future and keep connected and in tune with our local businesses. In July 2001 I married Kimberly Watson, my high school friend and love of my life who was also born and raised in McKinleyville. Today, Kim and I are the proud parents of five-year-old Sofie, who is the latest generation of our family to live in McKinleyville and the 5th District. Sofie is currently a kindergarten student at Fieldbrook Elementary School where Kim teaches 1st and 2nd grade classes and language arts to 3rd graders. Kim's hobbies include tap dance, reading books, scrap-booking and travel. Sofie loves gymnastics, singing, dancing, playing board games and competing at golf with her dad. When I'm not working or attending community meetings, I enjoy home life, traveling with my family, visiting friends, playing baseball, basketball or golf, and enjoying the beautiful mountains, rivers and ocean of our amazing 5th District. I have been extremely fortunate to live, raise a family, and work in the 5th District community. Just the other day a friend told me that he plans to retire in Hawaii. He asked where I would retire, and I told him that I already live in paradise, and that I could not see myself moving away from this beautiful place my family calls home.