Informational Bio

Hello Everyone,

My name is John Wesley Tyler and I’m running for United States Congress in California’s 5th District. We’ve created this Bio to provide potential supporters with three things:

1.      A summary of life, education and work experience that describes an individual uniquely qualified to do the job of United States Representative.

2.      A review of policy positions that detail an understanding of climate science and social history while giving direction and focus to our campaign.

3.      A list of ways that citizens like yourself can get involved in our grassroots efforts.

Let’s get started…

I grew up in rural Sutter County, north of Sacramento, mostly on farms and ranches in the fertile Sacramento Valley, harvesting walnuts and peaches and learning about life through what some might describe as a Tom Sawyer-like existence. As kids, the homes we lived in were always situated next to the Bear River or Feather River so naturally, I learned to fish and hunt, camp, canoe and survive. One of my earliest memories about the attraction of the river involved sneaking away from the house (and the babysitter) to go fishing. I was five. With such limited experience, I succeeded only in stepping on a fishhook with my bare foot and had to hobble back, a good quarter mile, with that hook stuck in my toe. I didn’t complain, though, because what I learned that day was that life, even with its pain, was totally worth it.

I credit this strong upbringing to my dad, a Vietnam veteran, who knew the importance of teaching his three boys how to take care of themselves in a tough world that would always be there to knock them around; and to my mom, who loved us no matter how muddy we got or how unruly we became. I learned mechanics and how to repair just about anything. I excelled all through school; in academics, athletics, student government and career-technical courses. When I went off to college in the mid-80s, however, I was still a little immature and unprepared for that life and subsequently left after a year without a degree.

For the next ten years, I would work a wide variety of jobs, mostly in the mobile electronics installation and retail music business. In 1997, I was managing a music store when a random event would change my life forever. I was injured by a group of teenage shoplifters who got caught stealing CDs from the store where I was working. There was an attack and my leg was broken, requiring surgery. Through the Employment Development Department, and an incredible rehabilitation worker, I was entered into a retraining program that allowed me to go back to college where I earned a B.A. in Communication with a minor in Philosophy from CSU, Fresno.

I excelled at Fresno State, joined the Barking Bulldogs Debate Team, and traveled for two years participating in, and winning, political debate competitions around the country. A governmental internship with the City of Lemoore my senior year led to a full-time analyst position that I would hold for the next seven. After hiring on with the City, I continued with graduate school at FSU and became the coach of the Barking Bulldogs for another two years.

The debate experience proved invaluable to me later in my career as I went up against giants like Chevron and PG&E in the public arena as a local government analyst, advocating on behalf of our citizens against the wasteful practices of the corporate world. My position at the City afforded me the opportunity to learn all aspects of local government administration while being led by a City Manager of the highest caliber.

Steven L. Froberg, the man responsible for my internship and political career, was the League of California Cities City Manager of the Year in 2004, a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel with Pentagon experience, a Purple Heart recipient and my friend and mentor. I learned more during those seven years than any other in my professional life. Writing policy and other legislation and presenting it for public consumption every week was just the routine. I authored grants, built parks and other community facilities, recruited and hired the police force, and managed the health care system for nearly 200 employees. I put up solar panels, incorporated electric cars into our fleet, and planted trees - enough to qualify Lemoore as a Tree City, USA member. I supported the elderly population in many ways and worked closely with the Tachi Yokut tribe at the Santa Rosa Rancheria to the benefit of our many native peoples there. At the pinnacle of my government

 

career, I was appointed to the Board of Directors and elected to the Executive Committee where I served as Secretary for the San Joaquin Valley Power Authority. The SJVPA was a coalition of 13 Central California cities, including Fresno, that organized to begin producing cleaner energy than was being made available at the time by PG&E. The utility giant fought us tooth and nail in the public square and the experience I gained in those confrontations will never leave me. To be sure, this list is not all inclusive. My duties at the City of Lemoore were vast and wide-ranging.

During that same time at the City, I taught Public Speaking, Debate and Argumentation at night at the local JC, West Hills Community College. My life was a full schedule, to say the least, but I did whatever it took to raise a family as best I could. One thing I’ve never been is lazy. Eventually though, life changes. There was a divorce and I left (with my daughter, Alix) all of that political life behind and moved back to Northern California to pursue a new career as a public-school teacher. I would go back to college – a single dad with a teenage girl. Before it was over, I would find myself in post-2008 recession bankruptcy, living off of substitute teacher pay and financial aid in Section 8 housing asking the Salvation Army to help me pay the rent. But we persevered together; she worked while in junior college and helped pay the bills. We were strong through the toughest of times, and by 2013, I had earned Multiple Subject and Single Subject – Science teaching credentials and had started teaching sixth grade Math & Science in Lake County, one of the poorest and most neglected areas in the State. 

In the summer of 2016, I married my teaching partner and then in 2017, I took over the High School Auto and Paint Shop Program from the retiring teacher and put my love of math, science, racing cars and teaching kids together into what has proven to be the most rewarding and fulfilling job I’ve ever had. That is where you find me today.

My daughter, meanwhile, went off to Humboldt State and earned her Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Science, moved back to Lake County, and now serves as the Environmental Director for the Elem Tribe of the indigenous Pomo people that have inhabited the area around Clearlake for 14,000 years. I’m proud of my daughter and proud to know that Public Service is in our blood.

I also married the most wonderful woman, Kim. She and I taught together for a couple of years and then through our Secret Santa drawing there at Burns Valley Elementary one Christmas we started dating and later married. She’s a fifth grade teacher now, and together we have a family totaling five wonderful children and one beautiful grand baby! I can easily say that I’m the luckiest man because I married a true Saint and she is everything to me. I love this life and what it has become…and I love our new puppy, Murphy!

So why change? Why move out of my comfort zone? WHY NOW?

Because THESE ARE DESPERATE TIMES and our democracy desperately needs a new kind of politician…incorruptible, honest, hard-working, and not beholden to corporate donations and demands like so many of our current representatives. Knowledgeable, informed, logical, not self-serving, compassionate, empathetic, dedicated to our democratic values…these are the qualities that we should look for in a Congressional representative. Too many politicians today are hungry for fame, money, or power. Some join the game through personal financial independence afforded to them through family names or fortunes. Some join because they’ve been hand-picked by the establishment as the next successor in an intricate system of aristocratic hierarchy.

I am none of those people.

I am here because I have the political savvy and experience to navigate the swamp, I have the courage and conviction to always stand up for what is right, and I have the strength of character to resist the influences of the negative forces in Washington. This combination of life, work and educational experiences, I believe, makes me uniquely qualified to stand up from among the real lives that I’ll be representing. It will allow me to be a leader for ALL the people of our district.

I’m here because I have to be…like I said before, these are desperate times.

Let’s switch gears now and talk policy.

I’m a Progressive Democrat. I’m a husband, a father, a son, a brother, a coach, a neighbor, a friend. I’m a lover of the natural world, a philosopher, amateur astronomer and musician…

…and a very concerned citizen. 

If you are old enough, you remember the George W. Bush days, 9/11, Saddam, Bin Laden, WMDs…burning oil fields and burning twin towers. You’ll also remember that those were difficult times. But they were, in hindsight, nothing like today. Watergate, if we go back even further to my childhood, was a blip on the radar compared to this *president’s antics.

Today, the effects of climate change take center stage. The effects of poverty and the ever-widening wealth gap make hope impossible for millions. And the effects of divisive political policies and white nationalism fan the flames that threaten to burn not only our forests and homes, but the very fabric that holds our republic together.

I’m not good with watching our Democracy turn into an Authoritarian Aristocracy based on the Russian Oligarch model that this *president seems to love so much.

I’m not at all happy with the way we continue to poison the Earth and ourselves, the way we continue to neglect and blame the poor, and the way we worship money and elevate celebrity and riches above all else.

I’m not particularly happy, either, with the prospect of going to work in Washington, DC, where it seems nothing good happens…

But I have to.

I have to stand up for science literacy and Mother Earth, not only to educate our students, but to inform the adults as well. It is astounding that so many influential public figures are willing to repeat bogus claims that try to invalidate the very real and immediate threat of a warming planet and other scientific facts. Here, the internet is no help. I feel that conspiracies like “flat earth” wouldn’t have nearly the traction if it weren’t for the technology at our fingertips. One of my personal heroes, Carl Sagan, began talking about greenhouse gases in the 70s, and we’ve not made enough progress since. The global climate crisis has to be our first and immediate priority. Without a livable planet, nothing else matters.

I have to stand up for protecting the most vulnerable in our society. Movements like #MeToo are changing the face of the work environment, and it’s about time. The Native Americans all over this country have had their way of life systematically destroyed by greed and unregulated capitalism and they need our compassion and assistance. Our elderly population needs affordable housing and free healthcare. Our children need clean, nutritious food, free from chemicals like glyphosate. We all need quality free education up to the college level. We all need a living wage. We all need to value teachers, first responders, nurses, janitors, garbage truck drivers, construction workers, welders, electricians, plumbers, service industry employees, cashiers, waitresses and busboys, grocery clerks, auto mechanics, day care providers and small business owners more than we value the celebrities of the world. We all need politicians that understand, who have lived through, the real struggles that all Americans face on a daily basis. We all need representatives that will do more than just pay lip service to our needs in between photo ops.

These are just some of the reasons that I’m standing up for all of us and jumping, head first, into this meat grinder we call American Politics…

…and I’m telling you now that I know it’s a long road, but I’m ready.

I’m ready to fight the establishment on behalf of the constituents of CA-05 and the rest of the nation.

I’m ready to change the way we think about our political leaders by becoming one that will be honest, respected and immune to the negative influences of corporate America.

I’m ready to fight for the good of the Earth and those who inhabit it.

Are you ready to fight alongside?

Join us in the struggle against the powers that be. Email us at johntylerforcongress@gmail.com and ask how you can best volunteer in this effort. We’ll need signs planted, texts and emails and flyers sent out. There will be plenty of opportunity to help. If we come give a speech, we’ll need lots of volunteers to attend, film and disseminate our message of HOPE, JUSTICE and LOVE for our Earth, our country and for our fellow citizens.

You can also donate to our campaign in two ways:

1)      Use ActBlue: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/thinkforyourself

2). Use PayPal: PayPal.Me/johntylerforcongress

Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this informational bio. I hope I’ve given you insight into my beliefs, aspirations and goals. Alone we struggle, together we are strong.

You can follow on Twitter @JWTyler4USRep and on Instagram.

Thank you for your support.