Politics as usual . . . NOT!

Election season has come and gone — people complain that the political ads dominate the airwaves for too long, but for a political junkie like me, I love it all: the ads, the debates, and the commentary. And two newly-elected officials are from Burbank High!

One of our BHS’68 classmates, Steve Raine, has just been elected to the City Council of Coalinga, CA and the husband of another classmate, Gene Hernandez (married to Louise Good Hernandez) is the new mayor of Yorba Linda, CA! These two good men will prove that it’s not politics as usual!

Steve Raine, Coalinga City Council member

I was curious about their campaigns, and here’s what I found on a FaceBook page for Steve Raine. He writes:

Steve Raine, 1968

Coalinga Needs Raine. The strengths of my City Council campaign are comprised of OUR strengths. We need to “COME TOGETHER, COALINGA.” Our power and effectiveness is in our unity, our sharing, our trusting and relying upon one another. This does not mean we need to think alike. It does mean we need to listen to, and respect, what others think. It has been my privilege, in various settings and situations, to see people with very different opinions come together. Through admiration and appreciation for one another, they have crafted a new “solution” or “answer” that was an improvement over either original suggestion. Together, with all Coalingans, our future is bright, our future is promising. Together, with all our citizens, we can make a difference.

Coalinga has a complete festival for the horned toad.

If you’d like to read more about Steve on this blog, you can click here. Steve’s town, Coalinga, CA is located 10 miles west of Fresno where “Key community events include the Annual Horned Toad Derby,  Annual 4^th of July Fireworks Display, and Wham-O-Bass Hot Air Balloon Festival.” Being especially interested in finding out more about the Annual Horned Toad Derby :-), I see that they even have a Horned Toad Derby Parade and a Horned Toad Derby Queen and Princess contest!

Gene Hernandez, mayor of Yorba Linda

Louise Good Hernandez

As you may recall, at the 45th class reunion I sat at the same table as Louise Good Hernandez and her husband, Gene. Check out my post on Louise, “Groovy Grandma!”

Here’s what I found on Gene’s campaign: Mayor  Hernandez was born and raised in Burbank, California, and is a third generation Californian. Mayor Hernandez received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Administration of Criminal Justice from San Jose State University and his Masters of Science Degree in Management from Cal Poly, Pomona.  He is a graduate of Class 15 of the California POST Command College and Class 154 of the F.B.I. National Academy.  Mayor Pro Tem Hernandez entered law enforcement as a police officer with the City of Fullerton in 1972.  He transferred to the Orange Police Department in 1975 and attained the rank of Captain, with his last assignment being the Administrative Division Commander. Other assignments included: Detective, Motor Officer, SWAT Team Member and Team Leader, Accident Investigator and Project Manager for the then new Orange Police Facility.  In 1998, he assumed the Chief of Police position with the City of Chino and held that position until his retirement in December of 2006.  Before and since retirement, Mayor Hernandez has become actively involved in community and professional services.   Mayor Hernandez has been married for 43 years to wife, Louise, and has three children, four grandchildren, and all reside in the City of Yorba Linda.  Mayor Hernandez is a 27 year resident of Yorba Linda and his passion is hands-on community volunteerism and world humanitarian travel. You can check out the complete biography here.

Gene Hernandez BHS’67

Yorba Linda is in Orange County whose most famous resident was President Richard Nixon, and where the Nixon library is located. According to Wikipedia, Yorba Linda has been identified as one of the richest cities in the U.S. by the U.S. Census Bureau, which shows a median household income of $121,075, higher than any other city in 2006. One of the unique things about Yorba Linda is the fact that it does not have its own police department — the City of Brea provides police services for both cities.

Congratulations to Steve and Gene!