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| Affiliation | Republican |
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| Name | Bill Horn |
| Address |
Valley Center, California , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
Unknown
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| Contributor | Summer Intern |
| Last Modifed | Summer Intern
Jul 25, 2004 05:16pm |
| Tags |
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| Info | Bill Horn is a native San Diegan. This was where he went to school, and now his public life is dedicated to serving the County of his roots.
Bill reluctantly entered the world of politics while a North County businessman and avocado and citrus rancher. In 1992, displeased with the Escondido Union High School District Board, he threw his rancher’s hat into the political ring and was elected to the Board.
When he found County government unresponsive to constituent needs, he ran for County Supervisor and was elected in 1995. He was elected to a third term in 2002 and twice has been named Chairman.
Bill represents the Fifth District (North County) on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, an area that spans 1860 square miles from the Imperial County line to the Pacific Ocean.
Private Property Rights
Bill champions the private property rights guaranteed by the Constitution while conserving our natural resources. He has taken the lead on the County’s General Plan 2020 and has urged a return to common sense when it comes to responsible management of public lands and forests and fire prevention.
Bill has hosted conferences on finding ways to bring affordable housing to more people, especially young families and transportation forums to consider the merits of the County’s TransNet sales tax for transportation projects.
Young People
Bill created the North County Gang Task Force that reduced gang activity in Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos and Fallbrook and brought crime down by 52%. He established innovative programs to deal with juvenile crime by finding money to establish four after-school teen centers. Bill also created the Child Assessment Network – North (CANN), a pilot program hailed for its success in caring for abused, abandoned, and neglected young people in North County. A stunning achievement is a dramatic decrease in the number of children admitted to the Polinsky Children’s Center in Kearny Mesa.
In 2003, Supervisor Horn was honored by the San Diego County Commission on the Status of Women for his support of women’s issues and concerns.
Bill expanded the Psychiatric Emergency Response Team (PERT) in North County to handle emergency calls when children are involved.
In 2002, Bill’s vision for a new library in Valley Center Library was realized with the dedication of a brand new, state-of-the-art facility. And thanks to Bill, all computers in the County’s libraries have filters to stop pornography.
Because of his commitment to honor and protect life, the Life Resource Network, an organization dedicated to the sanctity of life, honored Chairman Horn with the 2001 Legislator of the Year.
Faith-Based Initiatives
Bill has always known the importance and supported the faith-based movement. He was at the forefront in matching faith-based groups with government agencies in San Diego County long before faith-based initiatives were supported in Washington, D.C. In 2004, Bill was named to the Faith Hall of Fame and was the first recipient of the President’s Award by the Faith-Based Community Development Corporation.
Government Spending Watchdog
In 1997, as Board Chairman, Bill was the motivating force in selling the costly County trash system for $184 million and keeping the county from bankruptcy. That money was re-invested and will bring the County $30 million a year until 2021. Not surprisingly, the County has the best credit rating of any county in America. In January 2002, a national study rated San Diego County the best-managed county in California and among the top three in the nation.
The San Diego County Taxpayers Association honored Chairman Horn with a Special Watchdog Award for 2001 for being the only member of the Service Authority for Freeway Emergencies Board to vote against charging San Diego motorists $2 million a year to use highway call boxes. They stated, “Horn’s vote was a rare instance in which a public official, in order to keep faith with the taxpayers, was willing to take on the ire of the public safety unions.”
Public Safety
Bill was voted legislator of the year by the California Narcotic’s Association in 1999.
In 2002, Bill’s dream for new facilities for the Sheriff’s Department in Valley Center was realized when a new substation opened.
Bill has been able to get funding from local Indian tribes to widen roads in front of Indian casinos and has used District Community Projects funds to help local fire departments purchase new fire engines and upgrade their equipment.
Bill’s Life in Review
Bill was born in downtown San Diego and attended Mission Bay High School and San Diego State University. He was a surfer, baseball player, and a Boy Scout (Troop 524). While in college, Bill reported for the Business Extension Bureau.
Bill graduated from San Diego State in 1966. America was at war and Bill enlisted in the Marine Corps. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant and was sent to the jungles of South Vietnam. There, he led his men as an Executive Officer and Commanding Officer and was recognized for his extraordinary heroism.
Captain Horn’s military career saw him receive the following decorations: the Bronze Star Medal with Combat V, the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Naval Unit Citation, the Meritorious Unit Citation, the National Defense Medal, the Vietnamese Campaign Medal with four stars, the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Gold and Silver Star, the Cross of Gallantry Unit Citation, and the Vietnam Service Medal.
Returning from Vietnam, Bill went on to sponsor more than twenty Vietnamese refugee families. He provided housing, counseling, and job and education incentives for them to become successful in their chosen professions. Two have become medical doctors and all are successful professionals.
Bill has an international perspective that went beyond Vietnam. In the mid-1980’s, Bill spent time in Israel serving as an agricultural and finance advisor to a kibbutz. He returned home and served as a Board member of the San Diego County Farm Bureau, a member of the 76th Assembly District Education Committee, President of the Valley Center Rotary Club, a Paul Harris Rotary Fellow, and youth soccer coach.
Bill serves on more than 25 committees in San Diego County, providing leadership in areas that include housing, health, land use, water quality, public safety, economic development, education, and transportation.
Bill is a resident of Valley Center. His three grown children remember fondly sharing their father’s love of skiing, model trains, and restoring antique automobiles.
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