Biography

Like so many Californians, Community College Trustee Donald Wagner has watched - frustrated - as California 's elected leaders have recklessly committed our state to spending programs we can't afford while ignoring badly needed reforms in the management of fiscal affairs. But rather than sitting on the sidelines, and with the encouragement of friends and neighbors, Don has decided to do something about it. That is why Don Wagner is running to serve in the California State Assembly.

First elected in 1998 to the South Orange County Community College District Board of Trustees, Don currently serves as the Board president. He has been elected to three consecutive terms and developed a reputation as a straight-shooter with a commitment to fiscal responsibility. Under Don's leadership, his district has not raised taxes by floating bonds, paid off all of its debts, and balanced every budget. This is the type of conservative, fiscally responsible leadership Sacramento needs.

A practicing attorney, Don is active in the Orange County business and legal communities. He has served on several committees or advisory boards for the Orange County Bar Association and as a Judge Pro Tempore in the Superior Court of Orange County . He also publishes articles on legal, political, and cultural topics in the local media.

Don is committed to his community and is actively involved in several non-profits and charities. He served as president of the American Lung Association of Orange County, an affiliate of the nation's oldest voluntary health organization. He founded and served as the first president of the Orange County Chapter of the Federalist Society, a national organization of conservative lawyers, judges, and law professors committed to ensuring a judicial integrity and strict adherence to the Constitution of the United States . Don was also a finalist for the 1996 Irvine "Citizen of the Year" award.

Don received his bachelor's degree in English from the University of California , Los Angeles . He earned a Juris Doctorate in 1987 from the University of California , Hastings College of Law and was admitted to the California Bar in the same year.

Don is proud of his service on the South Orange County Community College District Board of Trustees. "We have two great colleges that provide the gateway to higher education and lifelong learning for thousands of young people. It is exciting and rewarding to serve them and all of the citizens of South Orange County ."

Don and his wife, Megan, reside in Irvine , where they regularly attend church and are members of the Irvine CRA. Their three children have all been educated in the Irvine public schools, with which the Wagners have long been heavily involved in various types of volunteer work.