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Joel Ventresca

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Joel Ventresca
Image of Joel Ventresca
Elections and appointments
Last election

June 7, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

University of San Francisco, 1978

Graduate

University of San Francisco, 1985

Personal
Birthplace
Evansville, Ind.
Religion
Roman Catholic
Profession
Analyst
Contact

Joel Ventresca (Democratic Party) ran for election for Governor of California. He lost in the primary on June 7, 2022.

Biography

Joel Ventresca was born in Evansville, Indiana. Ventresca earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in public administration from the University of San Francisco in 1978 and in 1985, respectively. His career experience includes working as an administrator, analyst, and safety security risk expert with San Francisco International Airport, and a department head assistant and aging specialist with the San Francisco Disability and Aging Services Commission.[1][2]

Elections

2022

See also: California gubernatorial election, 2022

General election

General election for Governor of California

Incumbent Gavin Newsom defeated Brian Dahle in the general election for Governor of California on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Gavin Newsom
Gavin Newsom (D)
 
59.2
 
6,470,104
Image of Brian Dahle
Brian Dahle (R)
 
40.8
 
4,462,914

Total votes: 10,933,018
Candidate Connection = 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.

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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Governor of California

The following candidates ran in the primary for Governor of California on June 7, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Gavin Newsom
Gavin Newsom (D)
 
55.9
 
3,945,748
Image of Brian Dahle
Brian Dahle (R)
 
17.7
 
1,252,800
Image of Michael Shellenberger
Michael Shellenberger (Independent) Candidate Connection
 
4.1
 
290,286
Image of Jenny Rae Le Roux
Jenny Rae Le Roux (R)
 
3.5
 
246,665
Image of Anthony Trimino
Anthony Trimino (R) Candidate Connection
 
3.5
 
246,322
Image of Shawn Collins
Shawn Collins (R) Candidate Connection
 
2.5
 
173,083
Image of Luis Rodriguez
Luis Rodriguez (G) Candidate Connection
 
1.8
 
124,672
Image of Leo Zacky
Leo Zacky (R)
 
1.3
 
94,521
Image of Major Williams
Major Williams (R) Candidate Connection
 
1.3
 
92,580
Image of Robert Newman
Robert Newman (R)
 
1.2
 
82,849
Image of Joel Ventresca
Joel Ventresca (D)
 
0.9
 
66,885
Image of David Lozano
David Lozano (R) Candidate Connection
 
0.9
 
66,542
Ronald Anderson (R)
 
0.8
 
53,554
Image of Reinette Senum
Reinette Senum (Independent) Candidate Connection
 
0.8
 
53,015
Image of Armando Perez-Serrato
Armando Perez-Serrato (D)
 
0.6
 
45,474
Image of Ron Jones
Ron Jones (R)
 
0.5
 
38,337
Image of Daniel Mercuri
Daniel Mercuri (R)
 
0.5
 
36,396
Image of Heather Collins
Heather Collins (G)
 
0.4
 
29,690
Image of Anthony Fanara
Anthony Fanara (D) Candidate Connection
 
0.4
 
25,086
Image of Cristian Morales
Cristian Morales (R) Candidate Connection
 
0.3
 
22,304
Image of Lonnie Sortor
Lonnie Sortor (R) Candidate Connection
 
0.3
 
21,044
Image of Frederic Schultz
Frederic Schultz (Independent) Candidate Connection
 
0.2
 
17,502
Image of Woodrow Sanders III
Woodrow Sanders III (Independent)
 
0.2
 
16,204
Image of James Hanink
James Hanink (Independent)
 
0.1
 
10,110
Image of Serge Fiankan
Serge Fiankan (Independent) Candidate Connection
 
0.1
 
6,201
Image of Bradley Zink
Bradley Zink (Independent) Candidate Connection
 
0.1
 
5,997
Jeff Scott (American Independent Party of California) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
13
Gurinder Bhangoo (R) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
8

Total votes: 7,063,888
Candidate Connection = 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.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Campaign finance

2021

Gavin Newsom yes/no recall question

Gavin Newsom recall, 2021

Gavin Newsom won the Governor of California recall election on September 14, 2021.

Recall
 Vote
%
Votes
Yes
 
38.1
 
4,894,473
No
 
61.9
 
7,944,092
Total Votes
12,838,565

Gavin Newsom replacement question

The ordering on the candidate list below does not reflect the order in which candidates will appear on the recall ballot. Click here to read Ballotpedia's policy on ordering candidate lists.

General election

Special general election for Governor of California

The following candidates ran in the special general election for Governor of California on September 14, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Larry Elder
Larry Elder (R)
 
48.4
 
3,563,867
Image of Kevin Paffrath
Kevin Paffrath (D) Candidate Connection
 
9.6
 
706,778
Image of Kevin Faulconer
Kevin Faulconer (R)
 
8.0
 
590,346
Image of Brandon Ross
Brandon Ross (D) Candidate Connection
 
5.3
 
392,029
Image of John Cox
John Cox (R)
 
4.1
 
305,095
Image of Kevin Kiley
Kevin Kiley (R)
 
3.5
 
255,490
Image of Jacqueline McGowan
Jacqueline McGowan (D)
 
2.9
 
214,242
Image of Joel Ventresca
Joel Ventresca (D) Candidate Connection
 
2.5
 
186,345
Image of Daniel Watts
Daniel Watts (D) Candidate Connection
 
2.3
 
167,355
Image of Holly Baade
Holly Baade (D) Candidate Connection
 
1.3
 
92,218
Image of Patrick Kilpatrick
Patrick Kilpatrick (D) Candidate Connection
 
1.2
 
86,617
Image of Armando Perez-Serrato
Armando Perez-Serrato (D)
 
1.2
 
85,061
Image of Caitlyn Jenner
Caitlyn Jenner (R)
 
1.0
 
75,215
Image of John Drake
John Drake (D) Candidate Connection
 
0.9
 
68,545
Image of Daniel Kapelovitz
Daniel Kapelovitz (G)
 
0.9
 
64,375
Image of Jeff Hewitt
Jeff Hewitt (L)
 
0.7
 
50,378
Image of Ted Gaines
Ted Gaines (R) Candidate Connection
 
0.7
 
47,937
Image of Angelyne
Angelyne (No party preference)
 
0.5
 
35,900
Image of David Moore
David Moore (No party preference)
 
0.4
 
31,224
Image of Anthony Trimino
Anthony Trimino (R)
 
0.4
 
28,101
Image of Doug Ose
Doug Ose (R) (Unofficially withdrew)
 
0.4
 
26,204
Image of Michael Loebs
Michael Loebs (No party preference) Candidate Connection
 
0.3
 
25,468
Image of Heather Collins
Heather Collins (G)
 
0.3
 
24,260
Image of Major Singh
Major Singh (No party preference)
 
0.3
 
21,394
Image of David Lozano
David Lozano (R)
 
0.3
 
19,945
Image of Denver Stoner
Denver Stoner (R) Candidate Connection
 
0.3
 
19,588
Image of Samuel Gallucci
Samuel Gallucci (R)
 
0.2
 
18,134
Image of Steven Chavez Lodge
Steven Chavez Lodge (R)
 
0.2
 
17,435
Image of Jenny Rae Le Roux
Jenny Rae Le Roux (R) Candidate Connection
 
0.2
 
16,032
Image of David Bramante
David Bramante (R) Candidate Connection
 
0.2
 
11,501
Image of Diego Martinez
Diego Martinez (R) Candidate Connection
 
0.1
 
10,860
Image of Robert Newman
Robert Newman (R) Candidate Connection
 
0.1
 
10,602
Image of Sarah Stephens
Sarah Stephens (R)
 
0.1
 
10,583
Image of Dennis Richter
Dennis Richter (No party preference) Candidate Connection
 
0.1
 
10,468
Image of Major Williams
Major Williams (R) (Write-in)
 
0.1
 
8,965
Image of Denis Lucey
Denis Lucey (No party preference) Candidate Connection
 
0.1
 
8,182
Image of James Hanink
James Hanink (No party preference) Candidate Connection
 
0.1
 
7,193
Image of Daniel Mercuri
Daniel Mercuri (R)
 
0.1
 
7,110
Image of Chauncey Killens
Chauncey Killens (R) Candidate Connection
 
0.1
 
6,879
Image of Leo Zacky
Leo Zacky (R)
 
0.1
 
6,099
Image of Kevin Kaul
Kevin Kaul (No party preference)
 
0.1
 
5,600
Image of David Hillberg
David Hillberg (R) Candidate Connection
 
0.1
 
4,435
Image of Adam Papagan
Adam Papagan (No party preference) Candidate Connection
 
0.1
 
4,021
Image of Rhonda Furin
Rhonda Furin (R)
 
0.1
 
3,964
Image of Nickolas Wildstar
Nickolas Wildstar (R) Candidate Connection
 
0.1
 
3,811
Image of Jeremiah Marciniak
Jeremiah Marciniak (No party preference) Candidate Connection
 
0.0
 
2,894
Image of Joe Symmon
Joe Symmon (R) Candidate Connection
 
0.0
 
2,397
Miki Habryn (No party preference) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
137
Roxanne (D) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
116
Stacy Smith (D) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
81
Vivek Mohan (No party preference) (Write-in) Candidate Connection
 
0.0
 
68
Thuy Hugens (American Independent Party of California) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
19
Vince Lundgren (No party preference) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
5

Total votes: 7,361,568
Candidate Connection = 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.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates


2019

See also: Mayoral election in San Francisco, California (2019)

General election

General election for Mayor of San Francisco

The ranked-choice voting election was won by London Breed in round 1 .


Total votes: 177,192
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Endorsements

For a complete list of Ventresca's endorsements, please click here.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Joel Ventresca did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Ventresca's campaign website stated the following:

Restore democracy; Reinvent government; Reimagine capitalism.

Create just, livable & flourishing California for all.

  • Enact free, universal, high-quality healthcare, education prekindergarten-through-college, childcare & job training fully-funded by wealthy individuals & corporations, government revenues, and high-income workers.
  • Raise minimum wage to $18.50-an-hour with no exceptions & annual upward cost-of-living adjustments.
  • End homelessness, poverty, gender-based violence, mass incarceration, death penalty, war-on-drugs & institutional racism.
  • Pass best tenant protection, civil rights, gun safety & police reform laws in the nation.
  • Build large-scale multi-unit permanent affordable housing.
  • Eliminate taxes & fees on small businesses for 5 years.
  • Increase taxes on wealthy individuals & corporations.


Reverse economic inequality & expand economic democracy.

  • Disempower top 1% economic elite.
  • Empower nonviolent mass movements.
  • Reinvent California into the first zero-carbon-emissions state in the nation.
  • Restructure energy utilities into one full-service consumer-owned statewide public power system that operates efficiently, reliably, sustainably & safely with 15% lower rates.
  • Convert to non-nuclear 100% clean renewable energy.
  • Establish free public transit.
  • Cease fracking & oil drilling.
  • Reduce inequities, disparities & the gap between rich & poor.
  • Challenge corporate & tech agendas.


Rejuvenate inclusive & diverse participatory democracy.

  • Remove corrupt influence of private money from politics by mandating 100% publicly-funded candidate campaigns & elections.
  • Prohibit elected representatives from meeting with lobbyists.
  • Halt government waste, fraud, abuse, inefficiency, mismanagement & corruption.
  • Make safety, security, opportunity & well-being accessible to all.
  • Confront bias, discrimination & bigotry.
  • Reopen Robert Kennedy murder investigation.
  • Launch advertising-free, public interest-oriented, high-value alternative media (television, radio & print) completely-funded by taxing corporate media & big tech 2.5% of gross sales in California annually.[3]
—Joel Ventresca's campaign website (2022)[4]

2021

Candidate Connection

Joel Ventresca completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ventresca's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I am an Independent, Berniecrat, Democrat.

I have 34 years of exceptional award-winning public service as an administrator, analyst, and safety security risk expert building the industry-leading San Francisco International Airport into an economic powerhouse creating 300,000 jobs and $62.5 billion in business sales annually (1987-2018) and as a department head assistant & aging specialist reorganizing the City and County of San Francisco Aging Commission into a model department (1981-1984).

At the San Francisco airport, I worked in facilities, operations, maintenance, business, finance, and risk management. At the San Francisco aging department, I worked in the areas of budget, programmatic & financial auditing, planning, and contractor oversight.

Some of the key high-level prior impactful leadership positions I have held include: Democratic Party runner-up for San Francisco mayor in 2019; City and County of San Francisco Environmental Commissioner; President, Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods; Executive Board Member, SEIU 790; Nationally-known successful community organizer; Environmental Justice Pioneer.
  • As the new governor, I will enact high quality healthcare & education, cradle-to-grave, for all residents.
  • I will reverse growing economic inequality & expand economic democracy.
  • Restoring, reinventing & reimagining the Golden California Dream by advancing groundbreaking opportunity, sustainability, and majority electoral support is at the center of my campaign.
Here is my platform:

Create just, livable & flourishing California for all.

Enact high quality healthcare & education, cradle-to-grave, for all residents. Raise minimum wage to $16-an-hour. End homelessness, poverty & mass incarceration with comprehensive programs. Pass best tenant protection, civil rights, gun safety & police reform laws in the nation. Increase taxes on wealthy individuals & corporations. Eliminate taxes & fees on small businesses for 5 years. Build large-scale multi-unit permanent affordable housing.

Reverse growing economic inequality & expand economic democracy.

Disempower top 1% economic elite. Empower nonviolent mass movements. Reduce inequities, disparities & the gap between rich & poor. Challenge corporate & tech agendas. Restructure energy utilities into a full-service consumer-owned statewide public power system that operates efficiently, reliably, sustainably & safely with 15% lower rates. Remake California into the first zero-carbon emissions state in the nation. Cease fracking & oil drilling. Convert to non-nuclear 100% clean renewable energy. Establish free public transit.

Rejuvenate inclusive & diverse participatory democracy.

Remove corrupt influence of private money from politics by mandating 100% publicly-funded candidate campaigns & elections. Prohibit elected representatives from meeting with lobbyists. Halt government waste, fraud, abuse, inefficiency, mismanagement & corruption.
I am a FDR, JFK, RFK, George McGovern, Dennis Kucinich, Bernie Sanders Democrat. These progressive voices have been the most important leaders inside the Democratic Party.
Media characterizations of me have included the following words: “hero”; “courageous”; “tough”; “principled”; “incorruptible”; “independent”; “honest”; “successful”; “liberal”; “progressive”; “left”; “empathetic”; “personable”; “knowledgeable”. These are the attributes I believe the voters are looking for in the next Democratic Governor of California.
The core responsibility of a governor is to lead the state into a better future.
For over 25 years as a peaceful warrior champion, I fearlessly battled the Most Corrupt Machine in California & America. The decades-old San Francisco Willie Brown & protégés corruption machine amassed unprecedented power & wealth for a few, caused ever-expanding criminal prosecutions, and rigged an election to place the corrupt governor in office. This nefarious machine is linked to widespread scandal, bribery, money laundering, contract fixing, patronage, violence, threats, election irregularities & backroom deals.
As a prominent 99% Public Interest Game-changer Democrat, I will govern as America's most effective progressive governor.
My top priority will be to enact high quality education & healthcare, cradle-to-grave, for all residents of California.

Funding will come from: workers making over $50,000 a year with a payroll deduction (one-third of the cost); combining federal, state, and local revenues which are already spent on education & healthcare services (one-third of the cost); and increasing taxes on wealthy individuals and wealthy corporations (one-third the cost).

The student, patient, and user of these services will have no out-of-pocket costs. I will eliminate bills, debts, and fears related to these lifetime services.
I will work closely with the state legislature to get things done that are needed to move forward to promote individual opportunity and environmental sustainability.
Our strength is our diversity and desire to restore, reinvent, and reimagine our Golden California Dream.
The state's greatest challenge is to implement a progressive agenda that includes the following:

Create just, livable & flourishing California for all.

Enact high quality healthcare & education, cradle-to-grave, for all residents. Raise minimum wage to $16-an-hour. End homelessness, poverty & mass incarceration with comprehensive programs. Pass best tenant protection, civil rights, gun safety & police reform laws in the nation. Increase taxes on wealthy individuals & corporations. Eliminate taxes & fees on small businesses for 5 years. Build large-scale multi-unit permanent affordable housing.

Reverse growing economic inequality & expand economic democracy.

Disempower top 1% economic elite. Empower nonviolent mass movements. Reduce inequities, disparities & the gap between rich & poor. Challenge corporate & tech agendas. Restructure energy utilities into a full-service consumer-owned statewide public power system that operates efficiently, reliably, sustainably & safely with 15% lower rates. Remake California into the first zero-carbon emissions state in the nation. Cease fracking & oil drilling. Convert to non-nuclear 100% clean renewable energy. Establish free public transit.

Rejuvenate inclusive & diverse participatory democracy.

Remove corrupt influence of private money from politics by mandating 100% publicly-funded candidate campaigns & elections. Prohibit elected representatives from meeting with lobbyists. Halt government waste, fraud, abuse, inefficiency, mismanagement & corruption. Make safety, security, opportunity & well-being accessible to all. Confront bias, discrimination & bigotry.


Emergency powers should be used only when an emergency requires swift action to save lives and businesses.

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.

2019

Candidate Connection

Joel Ventresca completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ventresca's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I am the only Progressive Democrat on the ballot for San Francisco mayor this year. The clear choice now is between a progressive mayor and a "not a progressive" mayor, between a neighborhood mayor and a downtown mayor, and between a public interest mayor and a private interest economic elite mayor for the next four years. The stakes have never been higher for the future of San Francisco.

34 Years of Exceptional Award-winning Public Service:

· Administrator and Analyst; City and County of San Francisco Airport Commission (1987-2018).

· Department Head Assistant and Aging Specialist; City and County of San Francisco Aging Commission (1981-1984).

Prior Positions:

· City and County of San Francisco Environmental Commissioner

· President, Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods

· Executive Committee Member, SEIU

Accomplishments:

· Recognized safety, security, and risk expert.

· Adopted first landmark City and County of San Francisco Sustainability Plan.

· Received nearly 100,000 votes in local elections.

Education:

· Master in Public Administration; University of San Francisco

Media Characterizations:

· "incorruptible"; "principled"; "honest"; "courageous"; "knowledgeable"; "tough"; "independent".
  • New Transformational Leadership & Fundamental Change is Coming: I will govern as America's most effective progressive mayor.
  • As mayor, I will remove all private money from local political campaigns by mandating 100% clean public money candidate campaigns with tough regulations, that can withstand court challenges, which will discourage all private money expenditures.
  • As mayor, I will work to convert the Presidio National Park into a second United Nations headquarters focused on global warming.
Platform:

· Dismantle decades-old establishment, status quo, insider, corrupt political machine.

· Mandate 100% clean public money candidate campaigns.

· Reinvent San Francisco into the first zero-carbon emissions international city in the world.

· Expedite full-service public power.

· Make public transit free.

· Defend neighborhood character, diversity, and self-determination.

· Approve best tenant protection laws in the nation.

· End poverty on streets with comprehensive homeless program.

· Reverse growing economic inequality.

· Challenge corporate and tech agendas.

· Empower mass movements.

· Disempower top 1% economic elite.

· Halt Manhattanization.

· Rejuvenate inclusive participatory democracy.

· Convert Presidio into a second United Nations headquarters focused on global warming.

· Create just, livable, flourishing City.
John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr. These men moved the world forward with ideas that still need to come to pass.
Support for transformational leadership and fundamental change is essential for any leader who wants to improve the quality of life for all residents of a major City.
The media has characterized me as: "incorruptible", "principled", "honest", "knowledgeable", "tough", "independent", and "courageous".
Setting priorities and creating a $12 billion dollar budget and managing a workforce of 30,000.
To be the mayor that reinvented San Francisco into the first zero-carbon emissions international city in the world.
I saw John F. Kennedy on October 4, 1960 while he was running for president. I was eight years old.
At 17, my first job was as a restaurant dishwasher at minimum wage which I held for several months.
To Kill a Mockingbird. It is a moving story about institutional racism and injustice.
The mayor of San Francisco sets the agenda for the future direction of the City as a whole.
Setting priorities and creating a $12 billion dollar budget and managing a workforce of 30,000.
When the mayor is a progressive Democrat and the majority of the Board of Supervisors are also progressive Democrats, then fundamental change of law, regulation, and policy can occur to address the tough issues the City is facing.
Diversity. Inclusion. Progressive ideas.
Platform:

· Dismantle decades-old establishment, status quo, insider, corrupt political machine.

· Mandate 100% clean public money candidate campaigns.

· Reinvent San Francisco into the first zero-carbon emissions international city in the world.

· Expedite full-service public power.

· Make public transit free.

· Defend neighborhood character, diversity, and self-determination.

· Approve best tenant protection laws in the nation.

· End poverty on streets with comprehensive homeless program.

· Reverse growing economic inequality.

· Challenge corporate and tech agendas.

· Empower mass movements.

· Disempower top 1% economic elite.

· Halt Manhattanization.

· Rejuvenate inclusive participatory democracy.

· Convert Presidio into a second United Nations headquarters focused on global warming.

· Create just, livable, flourishing City.
The ideal would be Progressive Democrats committed to fundamental change at every level of government.
The ideal would be Progressive Democrats committed to fundamental change at every level of government.

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.

See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on August 17, 2021
  2. LinkedIn, "Joel Ventresca," accessed May 4, 2022
  3. Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  4. Joel Ventresca for California Governor, “Platform,” accessed April 27, 2022