Guy Houston

Last updated
Guy Houston
GuyHouston.jpg
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 15th district
In office
December 2, 2002 –November 30, 2008

Guy Spencer Houston (born October 20, 1961) is an American politician and real estate executive who served as a member of the California State Assembly from the 15th district from 2002 to 2008. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Contents

Early life and education

Houston was born in Walnut Creek, California, on October 20, 1961. [1] He spent his childhood in Pleasanton, California, and attended San Ramon Valley High School, where he played varsity football for 3 years under his father's coaching and graduated in 1978. [2] [3]

Houston attended Saint Mary's College of California on an athletic scholarship and originally pursued a career in sports to become a sportswriter. Houston graduated with a Bachelor of Science in business administration 1982 and a Master of Business Administration in 1987. He also played football and baseball for the college. [2] [4]

Career

While in college, Houston volunteered for the 1980 presidential campaign of Ronald Reagan, which sparked his interest in public service. [5]

Houston earned his real estate license at age 18. [6] He established his own real estate brokerage firm, Valley Capital Realty, in 1986. After leaving the California State Assembly, Houston established the California Gold Advocacy Group, another real estate brokerage firm. [7]

Political career

Dublin City Council

Houston moved to Dublin, California, because he could afford a house there and wanted to be closer to his family. Houston first got involved in local politics in 1990 when he proposed a successful initiative to make the city's mayor an elected position. [3] He first elected to the Dublin City Council in 1992 and served as mayor of Dublin from 1994 until his resignation in 2001. [1] Houston resigned as mayor to focus on his Assembly campaign. [8] [9]

California State Assembly

Houston was first elected to the California State Assembly in 2002, defeating Contra Costa County supervisor Donna Gerber with 53.6% of the vote. [10] He was re-elected in 2004 and 2006. He was term-limited in 2008 and was succeeded by Democrat Joan Buchanan.

Houston represented the 15th district, which, during his time in the Assembly, encompassed parts of Contra Costa, Alameda, San Joaquin, and Sacramento Counties. [11] During his time in the Assembly, Houston served on the Transportation, Local Government, and Banking and Finance Committees. [6]

Houston was considered a potential challenger to Jerry McNerney in California's 11th congressional district in 2008 but declined to run because he was not considered conservative enough to defeat McNerney. [12] He instead ran for the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors against Mary Piepho, a political ally and former staffer of Houston's. [13] Piepho defeated Houston with 53% of the vote. [14]

Fraud lawsuit

In 2004, Houston and his father, Fred, were sued by four former business clients who accused Houston of defrauding them out of $340,000. The lawsuit came after Fred filed for bankruptcy for his business, Winning Action Investments, in 2003. Houston settled the case in court in 2007. [15] [16]

Personal life

Houston is married to Ingeborg "Inge" Sorensen, with whom he has three children: Bart, Sumner, and Glynnis Rose. [1] Bart was the starting quarterback for the Wisconsin Badgers and was signed as an undrafted free agent for the Pittsburgh Steelers during the 2017 preseason. [17]

Houston and his wife live in San Ramon, California. Inge is a real estate agent and project developer and is currently the president and CEO of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce. [18]

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "JoinCalifornia - Guy Houston". www.joincalifornia.com. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
  2. 1 2 "Guy Houston". srvhs.schoolloop.com. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
  3. 1 2 Doronila, Jordan (2007-01-26). "The art of governing grabs Guy Houston, propels him to state Assembly" (PDF). Danville San Ramon. pp. 14–16. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
  4. ↑ "Our Capital Gaels". Saint Mary's College. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
  5. ↑ Writer, Sara Cardine and Ross FarrowNews-Sentinel Staff. "Lodi-area residents personally touched by Reagan". Lodinews.com. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
  6. 1 2 "About – California Gold Advocacy Group" . Retrieved 2022-06-06.
  7. ↑ Houston, Guy (2022-06-06). "Guy Houston". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
  8. ↑ Dublin, City of (2021-12-13). "HISTORICAL LIST OF DUBLIN MAYOR & CITY COUNCIL". City of Dublin. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
  9. ↑ "Full Biography for Janet Lockhart". www.smartvoter.org. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
  10. ↑ "JoinCalifornia - 11-05-2002 Election". www.joincalifornia.com. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
  11. ↑ "California". All About Redistricting. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
  12. ↑ Doronila, Jordan M. "Houston declares run for county supervisor". danvillesanramon.com. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
  13. ↑ "Guy Houston to challenge Mary Piepho for county supervisor seat". East Bay Times. 2007-08-02. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
  14. ↑ Neal, Dolores Fox Ciardelli and Meghan. "Measure D fails; Supervisor Piepho gets another term". danvillesanramon.com. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
  15. ↑ Group, Lisa Vorderbrueggen | Bay Area News (2007-06-26). "Judge says trial of Guy Houston will go forward". East Bay Times. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
  16. ↑ "California assemblyman settles fraud lawsuit". Daily Report. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
  17. ↑ "Dream Season 'Where are they Now?': Bart Houston". Wisconsin Badgers. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
  18. ↑ Degan, Ryan J. "Dublin Chamber of Commerce selects new President/CEO". pleasantonweekly.com. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
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