Republican Jerry Amante
Mayor, businessman
Tustin
Jerry Amante is one of three elected officials in the race. A Tustin councilman since 2004, Amante also serves as a deputy chairman for the Orange County Republican Party and chairman of the Orange County Transportation Authority.
A conservative Republican, Amante says he favors balanced budgets, lower taxes, pro-business policies and tough enforcement of immigration laws.
He owns a law firm specializing in advocacy, strategy and government relations and a commercial and residential real estate brokerage firm.
Amante also is conservative on social issues, favoring laws restricting abortion and a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman.
For more, visit jerryamante.com.
Republican Steven Choi
Councilman, educator and businessman
Irvine
In his 12 years as an elected official in Irvine, Steven Choi has established a reputation as a staunch conservative who is not afraid to speak his mind.
Choi drew criticism last year for wearing a photo depicting Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) as Joseph Stalin, and he has proudly participated in protests against the health-care-reform bill.
A self-described conservative Republican, Choi served six years as a trustee of Irvine Unified School District before being elected to the Irvine City Council in 2004. As a state lawmaker, he wants to cut government regulation, taxes and spending and eliminate some state government agencies and commissions.
Choi says his experience as a Republican on the Democrat-controlled Irvine council has prepared him to work effectively as a political minority in Sacramento.
Choi, a Korean American, has a doctorate in library and information science and runs Dr. Choi’s Academy in Irvine, which offers tutoring and academic enrichment programs.
For more, visit stevenchoi.org.
Republican Jay Ferguson
Contractor and real estate agent
Newport Beach
