Brian Nestande (born January 10, 1964) is a
consultant
A consultant (from la, consultare "to deliberate") is a professional (also known as ''expert'', ''specialist'', see variations of meaning below) who provides advice and other purposeful activities in an area of specialization.
Consulting servic ...
who was a
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
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 A ...
man representing the
42nd district.
Early life, education, and early political career
Brian Nestande grew up in a political family. His father,
Bruce Nestande
Bruce Kenneth Nestande (January 28, 1938 – July 9, 2020) was an American politician who served as a Republican California State Assemblyman and Orange County Supervisor.
Early life
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Nestande was drafted by th ...
, was a state legislator and Orange County Supervisor during the 1970s and 1980's. Nestande graduated from
Canyon High School in
Anaheim
Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...
in 1982. Nestande earned his
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
in
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
from
Cal State Fullerton
California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...
in 1991.
Immediately after graduating from college, Nestande obtained a job as Deputy Campaign Manager of the successful congressional campaign of
Michael Huffington
Michael Huffington (born September 3, 1947), is an American politician, LGBT activist, and film producer. He was a member of the Republican Party, and a congressman for one term, 1993–1995, from California. Huffington was married to Arianna H ...
in
Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County, California, officially the County of Santa Barbara, is located in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 448,229. The county seat is Santa Barbara, and the largest city is Santa Maria.
Santa Barba ...
. In 1994, Nestande managed the successful congressional campaign of then-
Palm Springs
Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land ...
Mayor
Sonny Bono
Salvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono (; February 16, 1935 – January 5, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and politician who came to fame in partnership with his second wife Cher as the popular singing duo Sonny & Cher. A member of the Republica ...
. Nestande went to work in Bono's office as Chief of Staff until Bono's death in early 1998. Bono's widow,
Mary Bono Mack
Mary Bono (née Whitaker and formerly Mary Bono Mack, born October 24, 1961) is an American politician, businesswoman, and lobbyist who served Palm Springs and most of central and eastern Riverside County, California, in the U.S. House of Repres ...
, was elected to succeed Sonny, and Nestande served as her chief of staff from 1998 until 2000.
In 2000, Nestande built a government affairs consulting business named Nestande and Associates which was headquartered in
Palm Desert
Palm Desert is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley, approximately east of Palm Springs, northeast of San Diego and east of Los Angeles. The population was 48,445 at the 2010 census. The city has been ...
. He represented a variety of clients working on issues involving alternative energy, health care, telecommunications as well as on other projects and issues in Riverside County.
California State Assembly
Elections
;2008
In 2008, Nestande ran for the
64th State Assembly district. He defeated businesswoman Kelly McCarty in the Republican primary 68%-32%. He won the general election unopposed.
;2010
In 2010, he won the Republican primary, defeating Jeffrey Lemasters Tahir 76%-24%. He won re-election to a second term defeating
Jose Medina
Jose Medina (born March 29, 1953) is an American politician in the California State Assembly. He is a Democrat representing the 61st Assembly District, which encompasses parts of northwestern Riverside County and includes the cities of Rive ...
57%-43%.
;2012
After redistricting, he decided to run in the newly redrawn
California's 42nd State Assembly district
California's 42nd State Assembly district is one of 80 California State Assembly districts. It is currently represented by Independent Chad Mayes of Yucca Valley.
District profile
The district straddles the gateway between the Inland Empire ...
. He won re-election to a third term, defeating Democrat Mark Orozco 55%-45%.
Tenure
The first bill Nestande introduced in Sacramento was to limit the number of bills a legislator could introduce.
Nestande later led a bipartisan coalition that closed a loophole on out-of-state businesses.
In January 2011, Nestande criticized a proposal to cut in-home supportive services. He sponsored legislation to aid the Salton Sea restoration. He proposed legislation that would create online education standards, increasing college access to those unable to participate in traditional classroom instruction. In June 2014, Nestande expressed concern about the potential for money in the Governor's budget to be diverted from tech education programs.
He has argued that the state government should include unfunded liabilities when making spending decisions.
In January 2014, Nestande called for a hearing about the 43 employees with a criminal record hired by
Covered California
Covered California is the health insurance marketplace in the U.S. state of California established under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). The exchange enables eligible individuals and small businesses to purchase priv ...
, the California state health exchange administering the
Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...
in that state. In October 2013, he sponsored legislation requiring lawmakers who want legislative health care coverage to enroll through the Covered California exchange, saying "If we truly want to understand how the ACA is working and being implemented, there is no better way than to enroll in the exchange along with the people."
Committee assignments
;2013
*Budget
*Governmental Organization, Vice-chair
*Health
*Insurance
*Revenue and Taxation
2014 congressional election
Nestande announced in May 2013 that he would challenge first-term Representative
Raul Ruiz, D-Palm Desert, to represent
California's 36th congressional district
California's 36th congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in California. Based in the eastern part of Riverside County, it covers most of the desert communities of Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Indio, Coachella, Rancho Mirage, D ...
in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
. Ruiz defeated longtime incumbent Republican
Mary Bono Mack
Mary Bono (née Whitaker and formerly Mary Bono Mack, born October 24, 1961) is an American politician, businesswoman, and lobbyist who served Palm Springs and most of central and eastern Riverside County, California, in the U.S. House of Repres ...
in 2012.
Nestande, described by the ''Press Enterprise'' as the moderate candidate, received more votes than the conservative Ray Haynes, a former state assemblyman, in the
blanket primary The blanket primary is a system used for selecting political party candidates in a primary election, used in Argentina and historically in the United States. In a blanket primary, voters may pick one candidate for each office without regard to par ...
. Nestande won 34% of the vote to Haynes' 16%.
[
In September 2014, '']Roll Call
''Roll Call'' is a newspaper and website published in Washington, D.C., United States, when the United States Congress is in session, reporting news of legislative and political maneuverings on Capitol Hill, as well as political coverage of c ...
'' wrote that Nestande "has proved to be one of the cycle’s more disappointing candidates" in terms of fundraising, but a campaign spokesperson in October 2014 told the ''Desert Sun'' that there was a "strong finance plan for the end game." The campaign also stated that opponent Ruiz is receiving financial contributions from outside forces, "while more than 90 percent of Nestande's money is from California."
In October 2014, the ''Press Enterprise'' offered their endorsement to Nestande who they write is "best-suited to protecting taxpayers’ money, tackling the federal government’s mounting spending and debt and generally keeping government from hampering job growth and interfering in individuals’ personal affairs."
Personal life
Nestande is the son of politician Bruce Nestande
Bruce Kenneth Nestande (January 28, 1938 – July 9, 2020) was an American politician who served as a Republican California State Assemblyman and Orange County Supervisor.
Early life
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Nestande was drafted by th ...
, himself a former California assemblyman and Orange County Supervisor.
Nestande resides in Riverside County
Riverside County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,418,185, making it the fourth-most populous county in California and the 10th-most populous in the Unit ...
with his wife Gina and their seven children. Gina was elected to the Palm Desert City Council in November 2016 and became Mayor in December 2019.
References
External links
Brian Nestande for Congress
*
Join California Brian Nestande
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nestande, Brian
1964 births
American political consultants
California State University, Fullerton alumni
Living people
Republican Party members of the California State Assembly
People from Palm Desert, California
People from Orange County, California
21st-century American politicians
Candidates in the 2014 United States elections