Biography

Kate O'Brien has been a Libertarian since the mid 70s. She won election to her office (Member, Board of Directors, Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District) by 3 votes in 2000.

This was a complete surprise because:

a. It was her first try at running for office
b. She spent no money (other than gas money to drive to the courthouse for the recount)
c. Her main opponent spent around $30,000 (not counting the money spent for the recount)

In 2004, she was reelected to the same office in a contested race with the highest vote total in the history of the Park District.

She has had a varied career outside of politics. She has worked in sales, construction, engineering, and financial services. She ran her own engineering firm for 8 years, and currently holds a state license in Civil Engineering.

One of the things she has learned while on the Park Board, is that government is like a T-bone steak. The fat the is going to kill you is the marbled fat inside the meat, not the fat on the outside that you can easily cut off.

She grew up in Silicon Valley and has been living in Simi Valley for the past ten years.