For the Staffer Spotlight for Monday May 14, 2007, I have the distinct pleasure of honoring my good friend, Josh Candelaria of Fourth District County Supvervisor Gary Ovitt's office. Candelaria is currently deputy chief of staff to Supervusor Ovitt, where he and COS Mark Kirk lead an outstanding team of talented individuals in service to the constituents of the Fourth District.

Here is Joshua Candelaria's biography, as it appears on the official county website:

Joshua Candelaria is the Deputy Chief of Staff for San Bernardino County Supervisor Gary C. Ovitt. Josh is responsible for the overseeing the Supervisor’s staff as well as assisting the Chief of Staff with the overall policy direction. A political science graduate from Oral Roberts University, Josh is currently working towards his Masters in Public Administration at the University of La Verne. Josh and his wife Alicia live in Rancho Cucamonga.

While Josh's "official" resume illustrates a portrait of a well-educated fellow who is dedicated to public service to move the County forward (which he clearly is), the Josh Candelaria I know is all that - and more.

I first met Joshua Candelaria when we were both staffers on the 2004 Elia Pirozzi for Assembly Campaign (AD 63) in the Republican Primary that was narrowly won by Dr. Bill Emmerson. I could sense that Josh really understood the importance of effective grassroots organizing in political campaigns.

Joshua even enjoyed and had a great time doing the work that many political professionals are loathe to do: Carrying sacks of bulk mail to and from the US Post Office, setting dates for in-house "Meet the Candidate" coffee hours, printing precinct walk and call sheets, ordering and picking up meals for volunteers, and posting large and small campaign signs throughout the district at all hours of the day.

Josh Candelaria did it all, and he did it with a smile on his face. Joshua Candelaria would exhibit a similar enthusiasm when he worked on Gary Ovitt's successful 2004 Supervisorial race, and again in 2005 when he undertook a leadership role and quarterbacked the successful efforts of Republican Ontario Mayor Paul Leon.  In 2006 Josh managed the efforts of Brenda Salas' Republican Primary campaign for State Assembly (AD 65) and worked on Bill Postmus’ successful efforts to become San Bernardino County Assessor.

In conclusion, Josh Candelaria is one of the most hard-working and talented individuals I have ever worked with in the trenches of a hard-fought and emotional political campaign. It is my privilege to name Joshua Candelaria as Red County San Bernardino's Staffer of the Week.