Meet the Candidates: Write-In the 76th with Thomas Krouse

We are approaching that fateful day when we fill out our ballots and drop them in the mail or return them to the polls, then watch the results roll in on the evening of June 7th. But there’s often a harried history leading up to that day; that’s certainly the case with the 76th Assembly District. In 2015, the current 76th District Assemblyman Rocky Chavez announced that he was making a run for the US Senate being vacated by Barbara Boxer, which opened the door for Phil Graham (the stepson of former San Diego Mayor, US Senator and Governor of California Pete Wilson) and Oceanside City Councilman Jerry Kern to file for a run for the open assembly seat, and it looked as if they would run unopposed and face off in the November general election. But in February, Chavez announced he was dropping out of the Senate race when it became apparent he had little chance of making it past the June Primary. Since the Chavez announcement, both Graham and Kern have dropped out of the race, leaving Chavez as the sole candidate in the 76th—or is he? Enter write–in candidate Thomas Krouse.

A California native, Krouse grew up in Half Moon Bay, a town known for the Mavericks surf competition and has a population of less than 12,000. He went on to earn his B.A. in Economics from Stanford University in 1990 and his M.B.A. from the University of Southern California in 2001. He also attended the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 2003. Professionally, Krouse holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. He has worked in finance, as an entrepreneur and in the education field for 25 years.

I recently spent some time with Krouse, and I have to say, I like the guy and what he stands for. This is the second time he has decided to toss his name in the hat for the 76th, following a run in 2014 where he received a third of the votes, even after being outspent by at least 35 to 1. "As more and more Californians understand that our state government is functionally no longer accountable to its citizens," Koruse said "I am running to help restore that accountability without which our taxes will simply keep going up, and our job competitiveness and quality of life will keep going down."

Krouse continued, "Measure A in Carlsbad is a perfect example of the dysfunction, lack of transparency and dishonesty in government that people are so sick and tired of. Measure A, however, had a happy ending; the community was so shocked and angry that we were able to quickly organize and launch a successful six month effort to demand a vote on an initiative that 12,000 Carlsbad residents had petitioned for and then win a special election on this initiative despite being outspent over 100 to 1 by the special interests and crony capitalists trying to jam it past the people."

We asked Candidate Krouse what he offers and watched his face light up. "I bring a range of real–world experience in finance, small business, technology development, health care and higher education that I can use to benefit California by uncovering dysfunction and waste in our state’s agencies so that they can operate more effectively and more efficiently." He added, "Between the tens of millions of dollars in special interest lobbying, the backroom schemes of the two major political parties, and SuperPAC media blitzes, the voice and will of the people is more often than not drowned out. I am running to serve the people, not the fat cats, and to prove to my fellow Californians that when we work together, we can take our government back from those who bought it."

Dysfunction is a term often applied to the recent routines in Sacramento, routines Krouse is quick to decry. "With the State of California wasting billions of dollars regularly on politically– motivated projects like the dysfunctional and misrepresented Crazy Train and numerous wasteful Information Technology projects, California becomes less and less competitive on a daily basis, and those people who depend on essential services, like seniors, veterans and children, are not receiving the attention and assistance that they deserve," Krouse passionately explained. "And Californians as a whole are not receiving the value of services and opportunities that we are paying for. I am running, knowing that one single member of the State Assembly cannot turn our dysfunctional and aloof State Government around— but we have to start somewhere to build a working coalition of fair–minded public officials who will use common sense, not political sensibilities, when fulfilling their duty to the people." 

Unlike many politicians, Krouse is thinking about the big picture. "We will only succeed in taking our government and our future back from exploitive special interests if we elect enough like–minded representatives of the people at all levels of government who will put America and its people first. I truly believe that the role of elected officials is to listen to and to represent all of the citizens in their district regardless of whom they voted for, or if they voted at all. People have been so disgusted by what they have seen evolve in politics over the last 30 to 40 years that many have stopped participating. We will not establish enduring accountability in government until we bring these people back into the political process with the knowledge that their votes and their voices matter, and they do." Krouse’s words are inspirational for people of all backgrounds; he’s proud to be endorsed by leading local Democrats, Republicans and independents, as well as by the Veterans Party of America.

Krouse strongly believes that the purpose of the California government lies in its work for the people. "This is not a victory that can be won by one party or the other; there is simply too much financial incentive to sell out once one party or the other achieves control of the government. Right now, our government is not under the control of its people, but of a small cadre of political party bosses and special interests. The outcome of this is self–evident. People are disgusted with it, frustrated and uncertain about how to fix the problem. The central path forward is to elect people who will represent all of the people’s interests in an open and fair– minded way with transparent common sense solutions. That is what I am here to do, and that is what I am offering to the people in Assembly District 76."

Thomas Krouse is a write–in candidate on your June ballot, and you will most likely see his name on the General Election ballot in November. If that is the case, then the 76th Assembly District may see a new representative taking a seat in Sacramento next January.