In the Running for California Governor

Vik S. Bajwa

Age: 42

Party: Democrat

Occupation: Businessman

Residence: Santa Rosa

Family: Married, three children

Education: Undergraduate degree in public administration, 1977, and J.D., 1980, both at Punjab University, India.

Career highlights: Started a real estate development business that concentrates on building townhomes, single-family homes and hotels.

Quote: “This election is open to everyone and it’s an opportunity to bring in new ideas and new blood.”

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Joel Britton

Age: 62

Party: Nonpartisan

Occupation: Retired meatpacker

Residence: Los Angeles

Family: Married, no children

Education: Attended Northwestern University and Roosevelt University, both in Illinois, and North Dakota State University, 1959-1962.

Career highlights: Worked as a meatpacker in Chicago, late 1990s and early 2000s; as a chemical process operator at Chevron refinery, 1983-1992; active member of the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers Union; member of National Committee of the Socialist Workers Party.

Quote: “The crisis of the capitalist system and the capitalist government in Sacramento shouldn’t be put on the backs of the working people.”

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William Chambers

Age: 47

Party: Republican

Occupation: Railroad worker

Residence: Auburn

Family: Married, one child

Education: Attended Cypress Community College.

Career highlights: Switchman and brakeman for Union Pacific Railroad for 26 years.

Quote: “I’m tired of what the politicians have done to our state. One political party is not to blame for all of the problems we have in California. All of the parties are to blame. The politics-as-usual syndrome has got to stop.”

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Robert Cullenbine

Age: 65

Party: Democrat

Occupation: Retired real estate agent, now a development director

Residence: Palo Alto

Family: Divorced, three children, three grandchildren

Education: B.A. in economics, Stanford University, 1962.

Career highlights: One of the founders and president of the Mid-Peninsula Free University, an education collective active in Palo Alto in the late 1960s. Also was a real estate agent and restaurateur. Now development director for a charity founded by his daughter to benefit needy Bay Area children.

Quote: “I think the recall is a terrible idea -- the only legitimate vote in this is one for [Cruz] Bustamante, because everyone else, including me, is an interloper. I did this because there’s no other chance for me to make an argument against the recall to as many people as I’m making it to for a small amount of money.”

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Jack Loyd Grisham

Age: 42

Party: Nonpartisan

Occupation: Punk rocker

Residence: Huntington Beach

Family: Married, two children

Education: Attended Long Beach City College.

Career highlights: Lead singer of group TSOL (True Sounds of Liberty).

Quote: “This is the first time in our lives that anybody off the street could be a public servant without going through the whole political system. One of the things I’d bring to the office is that I still smell like dirt, and that’s real.”

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Garrett Gruener

Age: 49

Party: Democrat

Occupation: Venture capitalist

Residence: Oakland

Family: Married, one child

Education: B.A. in political science, UC San Diego, 1976; M.A. in political science, UC Berkeley, 1977.

Career highlights: Joined venture firm Burr, Egan, Deleage & Co. in early 1990s; co-founded venture capitalist firm Alta Partners in 1996; founded the Internet search engine Ask Jeeves; helped finance the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland.

Quote: “Jobs, jobs, jobs. I will focus relentlessly on creating jobs in every corner of our state. From putting world-class technology in every classroom across the state and investing in growing industries, we can create hundreds of thousands of jobs for Californians.”