Richard Rider

AGE: 64

EDUCATION: B.A. Economics, University of North Carolina, 1968

MILITARY SERVICE: Commander, Supply Corps, U. S. Naval Reserve, retired after 26 years (four years active, the rest in the reserve). Vietnam veteran.

AFFILIATION:

• Chairman, San Diego Tax Fighters
• National Taxpayers Union
• Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association
• San Diego County Taxpayers Association

POLITICAL ACTIVITIES:

• Successfully sued the county of San Diego (Rider vs. County of San Diego) to force a rollback of an illegal 1/2-cent jails sales tax, a precedent that saved California taxpayers over fourteen billion dollars, including $3.5 billion for San Diego taxpayers.
• Actively supported a variety of tax-cutting ballot initiatives including Proposition 13. Has written ballot arguments against numerous county and state tax increase initiatives.
• County co-chair of both California term limit initiatives (Prop 140 and Prop 164).
• Libertarian Party candidate for Congress in 1986 and 1988. LP candidate for governor in 1994.
• Candidate for the 3rd District County Supervisor in 1992 (third place among six candidates with about 20% of the vote).
• 1993 – appointed to (and then elected chair of) the San Diego County Social Services Advisory Board.
• 1996 – appointed as a Commissioner on the California Constitution Revision Commission by state Assembly Speaker Kurt Pringle.
• Has been involved in legal actions against City of San Diego to force a public vote on issuing bonds for Qualcomm stadium expansion, convention center, baseball ballpark and other projects.
• 2005 – Unsuccessful candidate for Mayor of San Diego, though his reform ideas have since taken hold.
• 2007 – Columnist for NORTH COUNTY TIMES and SAN DIEGO DAILY TRANSCRIPT
• 2009 - The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association's "California Tax Fighter of the Year"

FAMILY: Married. Wife, Diane, is a retired public high school teacher. Two sons, ages 31 and 26.