Update: Victoria Rusnak, President/General Counsel at Rusnak Auto Group, filed papers Wednesday to join the 41st Assembly race. Here is her bio, according to Pasadena Sun:
Rusnak, 43, is president and general counsel of the Rusnak Auto Group, a series of car dealerships in the San Gabriel Valley.
She is an attorney who previously worked for the Sierra Club Legal Defense Club in Washington, D.C., and for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Washington state. She graduated from the University of Southern California and earned her law degree from the Gonzaga University School of Law.
Rusnak said her experience running a 700-employee company will help her shape policies in Sacramento that will be friendly to small business while balancing environmental concerns.
Update: Patch has updated this story to include background information on candidate Donna Lowe. We will continue to add to this article if more candidates arise.
Please let us know what questions you'd like us to pass along in the comments sections below!
To learn more about each candidate, click on his or her name.
Lowe is a lifelong Republican. Married to Gary Lowe with two young children of their own and two step-daughters, Donna is a business professional residing in Claremont, Calif.
She is the founder of the Claremont Conservatives Tea Party, Former Board member for the Mountain View Republican Club (which represents nine cities), Spokesperson for Claremont Taxpayers for Common Sense, and currently serves on the Claremont Community Services Commission and is an alternate on the 59th Assembly District Committee.
Lowe believes "Sacramento must stop excessive taxes and unnecessary spending" and that the state should "adopt an 'open for business' attitude and repeal the excessive regulations that are destroying our economy."
Original Article: South Pasadena Mayor Michael Cacciotti will face Pasadena Councilman Chris Holden in the 41st District Assembly race this year.
But before you vote in June, Patch wants to get your questions answered. Tell us in comments: What inquiries do you have for each candidate?
Here's some background about Cacciotti and Holden:
A Deputy Attorney General for the California Department of Justice, Cacciotti has served the people of South Pasadena since 2001. He's currently in his third term as Mayor and has served two terms as Mayor Pro Tem.
An environmental advocate and former teacher, Cacciotti's platform focuses on economy, environment, education and energy. He has been an advisory board member on the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy since 2001 and a governing board member on the South Coast Air Quality Management District, representing the eastern region of Los Angeles County since 2008.
He was a volunteer at St. Vincent's Meals on Wheels for over a decade, currently volunteers at South Pasadena’s local Senior Center, and has served as a youth (AYSO), high school, and college soccer coach for over 30 years. He and his wife, Annie, live in South Pasadena with their Labrador retrievers, Winston and Romeo.
Son of former Los Angeles City Councilman Nate Holden, Holden has served on the Pasadena City Council for 21 years. From May 1997 to May 1999, Holden became the first African American male to serve the city as mayor.
His accomplishments include the creation of a living wage ordinance, charter reform (creating an elected mayor and compensation for councilmembers), utility deregulation, redevelopment of the city’s civic center and chair of the Charter Reform Task Force for schools.
As the champion of Pasadena’s slumlord ordinance and drug-free zones, Holden has regional interests as well, serving as an officer on the Burbank Airport Authority. He lives in Pasadena with his wife, Melanie, his four children: Nicholas, Alexander, Austin, Mariah, and his stepson, Noah.
Patch Asks: What questions do you have for the Assembly candidates? What issues are most important to you in the upcoming election?
