Bert Ashland is native Californian and a 35 year resident of central Orange County. As a lobbyist and land development consultant he has worked with many of southern California's most recognizeable companies. Though a life long registered Republican, his involvment in party politics is a somewhat recent phenomena dating back to President Bush's first campaign for President. In January 08, Bert was appointed to the OC Parks Commission by Supervisor Janet Nguyen where he presently serves as Vice Chair. He is also Chairman of the Garden Grove Traffic Commission and is an officer in the East Garden Grove CRA. Bert is an avid fly fisherman and spends several months each year chasing trophy steelhead and ocean-run brown trout in the Pacific Northwest. He received a BA in Social Ecology from UC Irvine and attended graduate school at Cal Poly Pomona where he studied Urban Planning.