Blaze Bhence (Cypress City Council District 4, California, candidate 2024)

Blaze Bhence

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Nonpartisan

Candidate, Cypress City Council District 4

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

University of California, Los Angeles, 1987

Graduate

University of Southern California, 1997

Personal

Birthplace

St. Louis, Mo.

Religion

Spiritual

Profession

Business owner and president

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Blaze Bhence ran for election to the Cypress City Council District 4 in California. He was on the ballot in the general election on November 5, 2024.^[source]

Bhence completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Blaze Bhence provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on October 18, 2024:

• Birth date: April 21, 1966
• Birth place: St. Louis, Missouri
• High school: Redondo Union High School
• Bachelor's: University of California, Los Angeles, 1987
• Graduate: University of Southern California, 1997
• Gender: Male
• Religion: Spiritual
• Profession: Business Owner and President
• Incumbent officeholder: No
• Campaign slogan: Honesty, Integrity, planning for the future of Cypress
• Campaign website
• Campaign endorsements
• Campaign Facebook
• LinkedIn

Elections

General election

General election for Cypress City Council District 4

Blaze Bhence, Glenn Button, and Leo Medrano ran in the general election for Cypress City Council District 4 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Blaze Bhence (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Glenn Button (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Leo Medrano (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Endorsements

To view Bhence's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Bhence in this election.

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Blaze Bhence completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Bhence's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

A 25-year Cypress resident, fiscally responsible in all aspects of life and ardent community advocate.

Cypress small business owner in the technology and security sector, author, UCI leadership and business adjunct professor, and former VP of a fortune 500 company. Volunteer Services: Retired Orange County Sheriff Reserve Lieutenant and continued Public Service Representative, organize Orange County MADD meetings and Make-A-Wish events, served as Cypress Traffic Commissioner and President of Cypress Tanglewood HOA (301 units), spcaLA, and student-athlete mentoring organization (We Are G.A.M.E.). Education: UCLA–BSEE, USC–MBA My priorities include: - Fiscal responsibility: Budget transparency; Reduce spending while providing a high level of service - Community and economic development: Advocate for cohesive development plans ensuring balance between residential and commercial; support and attract current and new businesses; create jobs; foster conditions for sustainable growth - Improve public safety: Work with public safety officials; bolster police and fire resources; plan for city expansion - Enhance residents’ quality of life: Seek partnerships to improve services and facilities for our children and elderly; beautify neighborhoods My wife and I proudly raised our daughters here and want all Cypress families to have a bright future. I respectfully ask for your vote.

www.Blaze4Cypress.com

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Let's have a plan. We are one of the few cities in Southern California that does not have a planning commission. We need to have planning by the people of Cypress for our community. We have not planned well and the lack of planning seen business fail along the Lincoln corridor, now Valley View and Katella, and concern at the race course.
• We need more transparency and fiscal responsibility.
• We have a terrific police force, and can improve with technology and enhanced specialties. As a former Reserve Orange County Deputy, I have worked with the Cypress PD and feel we can improve safety fairly easily without cost burdens.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

City planning and safety.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

City independence for local services and spend.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Betty White. She was an inspiration to so many, always had a smile on her face, and was a tenacious advocate for the voiceless and underserved.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The Pounce Theory by Blaze Bhence.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, Integrity, Communication skills with decorum, and fiscal acumen and knowledge to ensure responsible spending without leaning on tax increases for increased services.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Honesty and Integrity, as well as experienced in leadership.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Balancing the city budget and maintaining or increasing community safety and services .

What legacy would you like to leave?

Left the city in a much better position fiscally, and service to the community than when I started.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

3-mile island and the politics around the close melt-down. The Jimmy Carter years is when I started watching politics. I was 10 years old when he was elected.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I was 9 years old and worked as an engineering trainee and stayed for four years until the firm closed. My first adult job was with Xerox as an engineer and then progress to sales and project management. I stayed there for 24 years as my career developed.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Pounce Theory - I wrote it :-)

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Spiderman. He's my grandsons favorite. It would be cool to take the mask off and see his expression when he sees I'm Spiderman.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Send me an Angel 1989 version.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Cancer. Survivor so far, yet always a battle. I am a fighter and have summitted Kilimanjaro, run a marathon, hiked throughout Africa with chimpanzees and Gorillas, and lived life to the fullest, while battling cancer. It will not get the best of me and I hope to have inspired others to flourish after diagnosis.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

My extensive volunteering from law enforcement, to mentoring student athletes, enabling underserved students to obtain full-ride scholarships, to being a dog trainer and kitten foster family, to many other volunteering efforts saving the Orange County community millions over the years.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

To some extent. I have vast experience in corporate and business ownership, as well as government contracting experience. The GSA and government contracting experience has provided me the most insight as to how an effective governmental body works and should work.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

financial acuity and an understanding of how to listen to the community and bring solutions to the table to progress they city as they community desires.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the local government?

I've lived and served the community for over 25 years and feel I understand how to progress out city even further as we develop and grow.

Tell us your favorite joke.

I get ridiculed about my dad jokes, so I'll pass on this one to save the eye rolling. A sense of humor is extremely important though.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

OCFA (Orange County Fire Authority), WAVE, Carpenters Union, USW675, Josh Newman, Sharon Quirk-Silva, George Pardon, Marilyn Reams, David Burke, Francis Marquez, many others.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

We need more transparency. When cities establish contracts over $250K, we should go through the bid process for contractors. When spending over a certain amount, say $10M on any improvements, we should go to vote to ensure the citizens agree.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Candidate

Cypress City Council District 4

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