Josh Fried, California’s chief service officer in the California Governor’s Cabinet, speaks to a campaign supporter during the California Democratic Convention in San Francisco.
(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
Friday is the former mayor of the Northern California city of Novato and serves as the state’s Chief Service Officer, leading the newly created Governor’s Office of Service and Community Engagement. He is also a veteran who served as Judge Advocate General in the Navy.
While stationed in Japan, Friday helped coordinate disaster relief efforts following the 2011 tsunami and Fukushima nuclear disaster. He represented detainees while serving at Guantanamo Bay and later urged legislators to close the detention facility during his testimony before a US Senate committee.
“I have experience helping people and have the courage to stand up for our values ​​and speak up when it matters most,” she said.
A self-described environmental champion, Friday supports the state’s plan to phase out new gas-powered cars by 2035. “We need to be very aggressive in pursuing the transition to a clean economy,” he said.
Friday has concerns about the Billionaires Tax Act and believes the state should look for other ways to raise revenue.
He does not support the death penalty.
“Public safety should be a major concern of the government,” he said. “It’s part of why I volunteered to serve in the military, to keep my country safe, but I think the death penalty has proven that it doesn’t deter crime and is unfairly applied.”
Friday will fight against the Trump administration’s attacks on universities, communities, and the environment.
“We need the courage to stand up to the Trump administration to be able to defend our state,” he said.
Other certified candidate Also appearing on the ballot for lieutenant governor are Democrats Janelle Klayman, Jason Lopez, Oliver Ma, Tim Myers and Abdur Rahman Sikdar and Republicans Abby Lynch, David Kollenberg, David Fennell and Skip Shelton. Third-party candidates include Alice Stake and Rakesh Christian of the Peace and Freedom Party, and Sean Collinson, who has no party listed.
