Candidate for
Supervisor; County of San Diego; Supervisorial District 5

Bill Horn knows San Diego, especially North San Diego County. And the people know him. A native San Diegan and North County business man and avocado rancher, Bill has earned a reputation as a champion for fiscal responsibility in government. When he was elected to the County Board of Supervisors in 1995, the County of San Diego was on the brink of bankruptcy. Today it has earned a national reputation as one of the best managed counties in the United States of America.

While other State and local governments are struggling for their financial lives, the County of San Diego is looked upon with favor by three major credit-rating agencies. On April 16, 2004, Standard & Poor's declared the County of San Diego's credit characteristics to be "very strong" and that significant financial reserves have been achieved with "good planning and prudent forecasting." The agency kept the county's credit rating at AA and its pension fund is the first pension fund to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Bill was born in downtown San Diego and attended Mission Bay High School and San Diego State. He was a surfer, Little League baseball player, and a Boy Scout (Troup 524). While in college, Bill reported for the Business Extension Bureau.

Bill graduated from San Diego State in 1966. With America at war, 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 a Commanding Officer and was recognized for his extraordinary heroism.

Captain Horn received 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 sponsored more than twenty Vietnamese refugee families. He provided housing, counseling and job and education incentives for them to become successful. Two young ladies became medical doctors and all are successful professionals.

In the mid- 1980's, Bill spent time in Israel serving as an agricultural and financial advisor to a kibbutz. When he returned home, he 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 a 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 has always known the importance of the faith-based movement. When he was Board Chairman in 1996, 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 Hall of Faith and was the first recipient of the President's Award by the Faith-Based Community Development Corporation.

Bill and his wife are residents of Valley Center. His three grown children remember fondly sharing their father's love of skiing, model trains, and restoring antique automobiles. Bill now has his grandson, Jackson with him for hours of "All Aboard!" model railroad fun.