Candidate for
Member of the State Assembly; District 31

I am the son of immigrant farm workers and the fifth of seven children. I worked alongside my family, harvesting crops throughout California, in my youth.

I graduated from Harvard University with high honors, and went on to receive a Master's Degree in Educational Administration and Policy Analysis from Stanford University, and a law degree from Boalt Law School at the University of California at Berkeley.

I am an effective consensus builder and seasoned decision-maker, who has been a stabilizing force during my 16 years as a local elected official. I am proud to have received the prestigious Rose Ann Vuich Award for Ethics in Leadership in 2002.

I served two terms on the Fresno Unified School Board from 1987 - 1996, where I worked hard to meet the needs of a diverse student population, while preserving the District's financial stability during difficult budget times. I served as President of the School Board in 1990 and 1994.

I have served on the Fresno County Board of Supervisors since 1997, and as Chairman of the Board in 1998 and 2003, where I have worked to increase economic development, improve access to quality health care for Valley families, educate our youth and prepare them for the world of work, reduce youth violence in our communities and promote smart growth. My top priority continues to be tackling our area's chronic unemployment problem and bringing new, good paying jobs to the Valley.

Our state is facing critical problems with its budget and economy that need a strong hand to help solve them.

We need leaders who will fight to create more jobs, improve our schools, and increase access to affordable healthcare. But we also need effective, experienced legislators who can work well, in a bipartisan manner to end the gridlock that has paralyzed the Capitol.

I have a successful track record of bringing Democrats and Republicans together to make the difficult choices necessary to balance budgets and solve problems.

I have passed a balanced budget on time for each of the last 17 years - 9 years on the Fresno School Board and 8 years as a Fresno County Supervisor - even during tough economic times. And, I will work as hard in Sacramento to balance the State budget and make sure our tax dollars are used wisely, while protecting essential services.

I live in Fresno with my wife of 27 years, Amy. We have four adult children: Joaquin (26), Carmen (25), Diego (24) and Miguel (21).

Our Valley has a bright future. We've made progress, but we can and will do even more by working together!

JUAN ARAMBULA - ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• The Fresno County Board of Supervisors is working diligently to provide leadership, as well as the staffing and financial resources necessary, to foster economic development and address our chronic double-digit unemployment.

• Co-chair of the Regional Jobs Initiative (RJI), an aggressive community wide effort to create over 30,000 new jobs over the next five years, through industry led initiatives focused on seven initial economic opportunity areas where this region has a comparative advantage. The RJI works directly with industry leaders in each of these areas to identify their industry needs and then create action plans to address them:

Health care,
Agile Manufacturing,
Information Processing,
Construction,
Logistics and Distribution,
Tourism,
Water Technology.

• The County is working to develop two Industrial Corridors along Manning Avenue and Golden State Boulevard. Fresno County is also working to secure funds to develop two Regional Vocational Training Facilities in rural areas, where training resources are scarce and unemployment rates are among the worst in the state.

• Helped create regional One Stop Centers in Selma, Reedley and Coalinga, so that rural residents can better access critical County services.

• Helped create Neighborhood Resource Centers on several school sites, places where students, their parents and neighbors have direct access to the services they need.

• Led efforts to fund mobile vans to deliver needed services, like immunizations, health and dental care, library materials and employment services to both rural and inner city areas that are often overlooked and underserved.

• Led the fight to fund the construction of a new Juvenile Hall facility, and open the Caruthers Boot Camp for juvenile offenders, which has the lowest recidivism rate in the nation.

• Strong advocate for prevention programs, helping Fresno County earn the highest grade statewide for the use of its youth violence prevention funds.

• Negotiated an historic agreement between Fresno County, Fresno City and Clovis, which emphasizes a smart growth approach to land use.

• Board of Directors, California State Association of Counties, 1998-2000
• Board of Directors, California School Boards Association
• President, Fresno County School Trustees Association
• Prestigious Rose Ann Vuich Award for ETHICS IN LEADERSHIP in 2002.

• Fresno County Council of Governments (COG),
• Fresno County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO),
• Fresno County Retirement Board (FCERA),
• Fresno County Workforce Investment Board (WIB),
• Fresno Madera Area Agency on Aging (FMAAA),
• Fresno County General Plan Negotiating Committee,
• Fresno County Audit Committee,
• Fresno County Debt Advisory Committee,
• Fresno County Mental Health Advisory Board,
• I-5 Business Development Corridor
• Interagency Council for Children and Families,
• Kenneth L. Maddy Institute of Public Affairs,
• Central Valley Health Policy Institute