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George C. Runner, Jr. (born March 25, 1952) is an American politician from
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
who served on the
California State Board of Equalization The California State Board of Equalization (BOE) is a public agency charged with tax administration and fee collection in the state of California in the United States. The authorities of the Board fall into four broad areas: sales and use tax ...
, the only publicly elected tax commission in the United States. A Republican, he represented the Board's 2nd District from 2011 to 2015 and the renumbered 1st District from 2015 to 2019. From 2004 to 2010, he was a
California State Senator The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature, the lower house being the California State Assembly. The State Senate convenes, along with the State Assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. D ...
representing the 17th Senate District, and was the Republican
Caucus A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to a meeting ...
Chair (the Senate's second-highest Republican leadership post) from 2004 to 2009. From 1996 to 2002, he was a
California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The ...
man representing the 36th Assembly District, which at the time consisted of portions of
Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the List of the most populous counties in the United States, most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, ...
.


Early life

Born in
Scotia, New York Scotia is a village in Schenectady County, New York, United States, incorporated in 1904. The population was 7,729 at the 2010 census. Scotia is part of the town of Glenville, and is connected with the city of Schenectady by the Western Gateway ...
, Runner moved with his family to
Lancaster, California Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, in the Antelope Valley of the western Mojave Desert in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 173,516, making Lancaster the 153rd largest city in the United ...
as a young child. After attending local public schools in Lancaster, Runner earned a
Bachelor's Degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...
in
Business Management Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of managemen ...
from the
University of Redlands The University of Redlands is a private university headquartered in Redlands, California. The university's main, residential campus is situated on 160 acres (65 ha) near downtown Redlands. An additional eight regional locations throughout Califo ...
and a graduate certificate in
Management Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activitie ...
from
Azusa Pacific University Azusa Pacific University (APU) is a private, evangelical Christian university in Azusa, California. The university was founded in 1899, with classes opening on March 3, 1900, in Whittier, California, and began offering degrees in 1939. The uni ...
.


Private school founding

With his wife Sharon, George Runner founded the Desert Christian Schools.
We wanted a school for not only everyone else's children, but for our own children, where we knew they were going to hear about God in an exciting way; a place where their faith was not just some parallel subject matter, but was integrated effectively throughout history, math, science and English.


Local politics

In 1992, Runner was elected to the Lancaster
City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural coun ...
. He served as Lancaster's
Vice Mayor The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor, assistant mayor, or mayor ''pro tem'') is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many, but not all, local governments. Duties and functions Many elected depu ...
from 1994ā€“95 and as
Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
of Lancaster from 1995 to 1996. During his mayoral term, the ''California Business Journal'' named Lancaster the number one mid-size city with which to do business.


Legislative politics

In 1996, Runner was elected to represent the 36th Assembly District and served in the State Assembly for three terms, from 1996 to 2002. During this time of service, Runner served as Vice Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee. In 2004, he was elected to the Senate to represent the 17th Senate District. Runner served in 2007-2008 as the Chair of the Senate Republican Caucus. He also served as Vice Chair of the Senate Banking, Finance, and Insurance Committee, Vice Chair of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee, and as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee, and the Senate Select Committee on Defense and Aerospace Industries. During his legislative career, Runner was named Legislator of the Year by: * The California State
Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...
s Association * Crime Victims United * California Sexual Assault Investigators Association * Coalition of Chief Probation Officers * California Coalition of Directors of Environmental Health *
California Community College The California Community Colleges is a postsecondary education system in the U.S. state of California.California Education CodSection 70900(added to the Education Code by Chapter 973 of the California Statutes of 1988Assembly Bill No. 1725 secti ...
Trustees *
California Building Industry Association The California Building Industry Association (CBIA) is a state trade association in the United States. Headquartered in Sacramento, CA, the CBIA's mission is to advocate on behalf of the housing and the building industry. The organization represe ...
He also received the Pursuit of Justice Award from the Association of
Deputy District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a ...
sā€“
Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the List of the most populous counties in the United States, most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, ...
.


AMBER Alert

In 2002, Runner authored California's
AMBER Alert An Amber Alert (alternatively styled AMBER alert) or a child abduction emergency alert ( SAME code: CAE) is a message distributed by a child abduction alert system to ask the public for help in finding abducted children. The system originated in ...
system, which has successfully utilized the
Emergency Alert System The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is a national warning system in the United States designed to allow authorized officials to broadcast emergency alerts and warning messages to the public via cable, satellite, or broadcast television, and bot ...
to involve the general public in the search for abducted children and has aided in numerous successful parent-child reunions.


Jessica's Law

In 2006, along with his wife, then-Assemblywoman
Sharon Runner Sharon Runner (May 17, 1954 ā€“ July 14, 2016) was an American politician. She was a Republican California State Senator, who represented the 21st Senate District at the time of her death, and previously represented the 17th Senate District ...
, George Runner authored Proposition 83, California's version of
Jessica's Law Jessica's Law is the informal name given to a 2005 Florida law, as well as laws in several other states, designed to protect potential victims and reduce a sexual offender's ability to re-offend. A version of Jessica's Law, known as the Jessica ...
. The measure passed with the support of 71% of California voters, and passed in 57 of California's 58 counties. Jessica's Law ensures that all sexual offenders who are convicted of activity with children under the age of 14 are put into a prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years or 25 years to life. It eliminates all "first-offense" sexual offense provisions from California law. It also eliminates all "good-time" credits for sexual offenders serving prison terms; under the authored provisions they are required to serve their entire sentence and will not be released for good behavior. The law requires that sex offenders who are released from prison wear a GPS bracelet for life. It also creates a 2,000-foot (615 meter) zone around schools and parks in which registered sex offenders are prohibited from residing.


Ronald Reagan Day

On February 3, 2010, Runner introduced SB 944, the nation's first
Ronald Reagan Day Ronald Reagan Day is a day of recognition that occurs every February 6, starting in 2011, in the state of California for Ronald Reagan, who was that state's governor from 1967 to 1975 and President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. Rona ...
legislation. On July 19, 2010, Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
signed the bill into law, making California the first state in the union to have a permanent
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
Day. Ronald Reagan Day would be celebrated each February 6 as a "day of special significance" in California, which would not be a state holiday, nor would give any workers a day off, but rather would be a day that schools "are encouraged to conduct exercises remembering the life of Ronald Reagan, recognizing his accomplishments, and familiarizing pupils with the contributions he made" to California. Ronald Reagan Day is California's third day of special significance honoring a specific person, after
John Muir John Muir ( ; April 21, 1838December 24, 1914), also known as "John of the Mountains" and "Father of the National Parks", was an influential Scottish-American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist, glaciologis ...
Day, and Harvey Milk Day.


Blue Alert

In 2010, Runner authored California's Blue Alert system, which authorizes the
California Highway Patrol The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is a state law enforcement agency of the U.S. state of California. The CHP has primary patrol jurisdiction over all California highways and roads and streets outside city limits, and can exercise law enforcem ...
to use the
Emergency Alert System The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is a national warning system in the United States designed to allow authorized officials to broadcast emergency alerts and warning messages to the public via cable, satellite, or broadcast television, and bot ...
when a
peace officer A law enforcement officer (LEO), or peace officer in North American English, is a public-sector employee whose duties primarily involve the enforcement of laws. The phrase can include campaign disclosure specialists, local police officers, prose ...
has been killed, seriously wounded, or assaulted with a deadly weapon.


Taxpayer advocacy

Since 2009, Runner has served with
Americans for Prosperity Americans for Prosperity (AFP), founded in 2004, is a libertarian conservative political advocacy group in the United States funded by Charles Koch and formerly his brother David. As the Koch brothers' primary political advocacy group, it is one ...
as a taxpayer advocate on local tax issues in California.


Board of Equalization

In February 2009, Runner announced his candidacy for the District 2 seat on the Board of Equalization (BOE). In his bid for the Republican nomination for the BOE, Runner was endorsed by the
Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is a California-based nonprofit lobbying and policy organization that advocates for Proposition 13 and Proposition 218. Officially nonpartisan, the organization also advocates against raising taxes in Cal ...
, the California Republican Assembly, the Santa Clarita Valley Tea Party, radio talk show hosts
John and Ken ''The John and Ken Show'' is an American talk radio show, hosted by ''John Chester Kobylt'' and ''Kenneth Robertson Chiampou''. The show airs Monday thru Friday, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific Time on KFI AM 640, a local Southern California talk ...
, former Governor Pete Wilson, and former Republican Gubernatorial Nominee Bill Simon, among others. Runner won the Republican nomination for BOE after defeating Assemblyman Alan Nakanishi and incumbent BOE Member Barbara Alby in the June 2010 primary. Runner is the first person to defeat an incumbent BOE member's reelection bid since 1978 and only the fifth person to do so in California history. Runner won the November 2010 general election for the seat, defeating Democrat tax attorney Chris Parker. Alby inexplicably resigned on December 31, 2010, four days before Runner was to be sworn in. Consequently, Runner's Chief of Staff, Sean Wallentine, was sworn in as acting BOE Member until Runner could be sworn in on January 3, 2011, at which point Wallentine became Runner's Chief Deputy at the BOE. During his time on the Board, Runner has sought to improve California's tax policies and practices and to create and retain more private sector jobs in that state. Among his accomplishments, Runner cites helping end a requirement that new businesses provide a security deposit to the Board, resulting in the return of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of security back to business owners; leading a successful effort to reform an inefficient use tax collection program aimed at small businesses; and clarifying that farmers who purchase solar equipment are eligible for the same tax exemptions as those who purchase diesel generators. Runner is a leader in the fight against the state's controversial fire tax; he supports a class action lawsuit that seeks to overturn the tax and return millions of dollars back to taxpayers. In February 2014, Runner announced that he would seek re-election to a second term, citing early endorsements from Congressman and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, the
Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is a California-based nonprofit lobbying and policy organization that advocates for Proposition 13 and Proposition 218. Officially nonpartisan, the organization also advocates against raising taxes in Cal ...
, the California Association of Highway Patrolmen, CDF Firefighters, among others. As a result of redistricting, he ran in the first district, which was being vacated by Democrat
Betty Yee Betty T. Yee (born October 19, 1957) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who has served as California State Controller since 2015. She previously served as a member of the California Board of Equalization from 2004 to 2015 ...
. He easily won re-election, besting Democrat Chris Parker by wide margins in both the June primary and November general elections. Democrat Fiona Ma won his seat in the second district. In February 2018, his colleagues selected him to serve as the Board's Chairman.


Family

He married Sharon Yvonne Oden in 1973. She succeeded him as the 36th District Assemblymember in 2002. Senator George Runner and Assemblywoman Sharon Runner were the first husband and wife to serve concurrently in the
California State Legislature The California State Legislature is a bicameral state legislature consisting of a lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members; and an upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members. Both houses of the Legislatu ...
, doing so from 2004 to 2008. She succeeded him as Senator in 2011. Sharon Runner died at her home on July 14, 2016, due to "respiratory complications." She was survived by her husband, two children (Micah and Rebekah (who serves in the U.S. Coast Guard) and their spouses, and four grandchildren.
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...
player Casey Fien is Runner's nephew.


References


External links


Official Board Member web site

Official campaign web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Runner, George 1952 births Living people Republican Party California state senators Republican Party members of the California State Assembly California city council members Mayors of places in California Azusa Pacific University alumni University of Redlands alumni People from Schenectady County, New York Spouses of California politicians 21st-century American politicians