Ryan Valencia, 25

Ryan Valencia first got involved in his local government at the age of 16 as a member of the city’s youth council. Now almost a decade later, he's looking to join city council to serve his hometown community.

What was the best piece of advice you received about running for office?

Choose to fight only righteous fights. Do it for the issues. If you come into public service without the will to serve others, then you are in the wrong business. Whether it is local, state or federal government, our greatest challenges are not solved by those who are focused on career advancement, but rather by those who entered the field to advance issues. You’ll find the willingness to push on in the toughest of times when the cause is greater than yourself.

Just a snippet of my favorite quote comes from President Theodore Roosevelt, who said that credit belongs to the person in the arena "who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly".

When did the light bulb go off? When did you realize you wanted to run for city council?

I did not picture myself running for office in this moment. I have typically been a “behind-the-scenes” kind of guy. For years I’ve served my hometown, whether as a teenager on the Simi Valley Youth Council to the Board of our local Chamber of Commerce to serving as District Director for California’s 38th Assembly District.

But in 2018, I witnessed the wave of new candidates who won. That, coupled with the negative headlines that have dominated the news in my city, I decided to run because “Why not me?”. Across the country, we are seeing glass ceilings shattered as the picture of what a “typical candidate” is washes away. From historic congressional wins to the average age of legislators lowering, young people are proving that our turn is now and if we wait for others to ask us to run, that day will never come.

What are the potholes in your city? What are the issues you feel are going ignored and you want to see addressed?

I’m excited to bring a fresh perspective to a number of challenges we are facing as a city. These issues include stagnant local economic growth, a lack of affordable housing, and our need to address growing public safety concerns. We are witnessing a “brain drain” occurring in Simi Valley, where we educate some of the best and brightest, yet struggle to retain them as better paying jobs are elsewhere, while simultaneously pricing them out of housing. Communities succeed when they are multigenerational. That’s why I want to prioritize workforce housing, create a business incubator to promote an entrepreneurship culture, introduce campaign finance reform, and invest in green energy and storage to limit the impact of public safety power shutoffs and a changing climate.

There are reasons why we all moved to Simi Valley: safe streets, great schools, open space, and the perfect place to raise a family. Our goal is not to change the character of our city, but to sustain it for the next generation of residents to come.

Most teens aren’t concerned with their local government. Yet, you first got involved at the age of 16 as a member of your city’s youth council. What first motivated you to get involved in your city?

I first got involved with Youth Council because of my particular concern of rising drug usage I saw on my high school campus. It was my reaction to the fact that Drug Abuse Resistance Education (otherwise known as D.A.R.E) was cut from our schools and yet we had no alternative in place as a city. I wanted to use my voice to do something. For example, we focused on how we can expand after school programming in our community with the Recreation and Park District.

What challenges do you see facing young candidates running for office?

Time. Typically young candidates are early in their professional careers, which often drags them away from the campaign as hours may be grueling. Time away from work means a tougher time saving up for that first home or paying off student loan debt, on top of possibly trying to start a family. While older candidates are well into their careers and financially able to divert time towards running (or may even be retired), young people must work on balance.

What advice would you give to another young Democrat considering a run for office?

Own your truth. There will be a lot of naysayers and those who will seek to control the messaging of your campaign because they believe they know better. But, you’ll quickly find yourself lethargic if you are not vested in your own vision for the office you are seeking. Authenticity and passion arrive from owning your truth and believing in what you are saying. Others will follow if you are willing to lead.

The views expressed in this interview are those of the candidate, and do not reflect the beliefs and views of Ballot Breakers or its staff.