Barry Jantz has been actively involved in the political process at both the local and state levels since the early 1980s.  Born in 1959 in Whittier, California, and a resident of the San Diego area since 1973, his educational background includes drafting, construction management, political science and journalism at Grossmont College and San Diego State University . Barry was first elected to the La Mesa City Council in 1990 and was re-elected three times.  He served as District Chief of Staff to Assemblyman Jay La Suer (R-77) from 2001 to 2004, specializing in community outreach and media relations throughout East San Diego County .  In late 2004, he was appointed CEO of the Grossmont Healthcare District, one of the largest such districts in California.  He is also a director of the East County Economic Development CouncilHis efforts as a member of the La Mesa City Council focused on economic development as a means to community revitalization while tackling constant state budget shortfalls.  He founded the City’s Ad-Hoc Committee on New and Emerging Technologies as a means to government being more accessible and “user friendly” to the citizens it serves.  The Daily Californian selected Barry as one of its ten East County "movers and shakers" in 1994. A self-described product of the Reagan Revolution, Jantz says he experienced his "political awakening" while writing for the Grossmont College newspaper in 1983, and soon after became involved in college politics.  In 1989, he served as California state chairman of Young Americans for Freedom.Jantz founded the San Diego Committee to Save the Crosses in 1989, a coalition of organizations and officials working to block attempts by the American Atheists and ACLU to have the historic symbols removed from Mt. Helix and other public property.  In late 1992, while the Boy Scouts of America were being sued for their policies, Barry was one of only a handful of elected officials to take a stand in support of the group by organizing "A Tribute to Scouting," the first event of its kind in San Diego County, attracting nearly 1,200 Scout supporters.   Barry was honored in both 1997 and 1998 as one of only 50 nation-wide recipients of the Samuel Adams Award for Leadership in Local Government, presented by the Local Government Council of Washington D.C., an organization dedicated to free-market principles and traditional values.   In 2004 he was the 13th individual in the school’s history (and first politician) to be inducted into the Grossmont College Walk of Fame. His involvement in a host of political campaigns and Republican Party activities over the years – as both a volunteer and consultant – led to Barry being selected in 2000 as one of George W. Bush's 54 presidential electors from the State of California .  As Barry describes it, "I didn't get to take part in the Electoral College that year...lest Republicans forget, Al Gore won the state...we still have lots of work to do."Barry was employed by Kaiser Permanente from 1980 to 1999 in the Facilities Development Department, starting as a carpenter apprentice, becoming a journeyman carpenter, and working his way into the construction office while attending school.  After working as a draftsman and project coordinator, he eventually became the department’s financial services manager, overseeing a $6 million annual operating budget and over $40 million annual remodel budget for 30 San Diego County health care facilities, culminating in Kaiser’s award-winning Otay Mesa project completed in 1998.He founded Jantz Communications in 1999, specializing in public relations, governmental affairs and media training.In his spare time, he enjoys running, racquetball and – surprise – politics.  Barry and his wife, Colleen, were married in 1995, and reside in La Mesa with their daughter Kayleigh.