Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.
Micheál O'Leary
Micheál O'Leary (independent) ran for election to the California State Board of Equalization to represent District 3. He lost in the primary on June 5, 2018.
Biography
Micheál O'Leary studied agricultural sciences as the University College of Dublin. O'Leary's career experience includes working as a small business owner. His organizational affiliations include the Eagle Rock Athletic Club.[1]
Elections
2018
General election
General election for California State Board of Equalization District 3
Tony Vazquez defeated G. Rick Marshall in the general election for California State Board of Equalization District 3 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Tony Vazquez (D) | 69.9 | 1,895,972 |
 | G. Rick Marshall (R) | 30.1 | 815,829 | |
| Total votes: 2,711,801 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
 = 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. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for California State Board of Equalization District 3
The following candidates ran in the primary for California State Board of Equalization District 3 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | G. Rick Marshall (R) | 26.4 | 335,570 |
| ✔ | | Tony Vazquez (D) | 20.2 | 255,988 |
 | Cheryl Turner (D) | 16.9 | 214,916 | |
| Scott Svonkin (D) | 13.4 | 170,254 | ||
 | Nancy Pearlman (D) | 12.6 | 160,105 | |
| Doug Kriegel (D) | 3.5 | 44,962 | ||
| Ben Pak (D) | 3.5 | 44,588 | ||
 | Micheál O'Leary (Independent) | 3.4 | 43,084 | |
| Total votes: 1,269,467 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Campaign themes
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
- See also: Ballotpedia's candidate surveys
Micheál O'Leary participated in Ballotpedia's candidate survey on April 18, 2018. The survey questions appear in bold, and Micheál O'Leary's responses follow below.[2]
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
| “ | 1) I will bring an end to this era of fiscal mismanagement at the state level. Tax dollars will be accounted for! I will bring a new transparency & accountability to this office, from making my calendar public to clearly documenting work. 2) I will be a strong advocate for business and property owners across the district, making tax obligations as pain-free as possible. |
” |
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Why?
| “ | As a small business owner myself for almost 20 years, I know the role that government can play in supporting or hindering the success of commercial endeavors and the entrepreneurs in our state. I'm passionate about government transparency and efficiency, clearing away red tape, and making government supportive, accountable, and a partner in economic success across all sectors for the growth and sustainability of California.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many[4]
|
” |
Ballotpedia also asked the candidate a series of optional questions. Micheál O'Leary answered the following:
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
| “ | I admire the writings of Alexander Hamilton a great deal. I even use one of his quotes on my campaign business cards: "Purpose of Government is to erect all practicable obstacles to corruption!"[4] | ” |
| “ | I recommend listening to my podcast, created for my campaign, in which I interview other candidates, electeds, advocates, and business owners about their perspectives and experiences working with local and state government. www.oleary4boe.com/podcast/[4] | ” |
| “ | Integrity is a priority. Elected officials are entrusted to make decisions for the future of society and the public must know that they're in trustworthy hands. Additionally, an elected must be willing to understand all sides of an issue. The ability to listen, to process, to weigh outcomes, all become critical components to the job.[4] | ” |
| “ | I have been a successful officeholder! I helped lead Culver City through the recession and proved to be a capable steward of public monies. I never assumed I had the answers and would always seek to hear opposing opinions on any issue.[4] | ” |
| “ | Transparency, accountability, and the willingness to actively engage constituents are the elements that I see missing from this office today, and I plan to fix that.[4] | ” |
| “ | When the era of fiscal mismanagement is a thing of the past, I'll know I played a role in steering the ship straight.[4] | ” |
Campaign themes
2018
Ballotpedia biographical submission form
The candidate completed Ballotpedia's biographical information submission form:
| “ | What is your political philosophy?
Public service has been the privilege of my life, and my honor as a proud, American citizen, having immigrated from Ireland. I became a business owner, a homeowner, and an involved member of my local community. Having served in an elected capacity for two terms in my local city council, I became even further inspired to continue my work in the public sector, influencing regional decisions and statewide issues that affect all of us. When elected to the Board of Equalization: I will bring an end to this era of fiscal mismanagement at the state level. Tax dollars will be accounted for! I will bring a new kind of transparency & accountability to this office, from making my calendar public to clearly documenting work. I will be a strong advocate for business and property owners across the district, making tax obligations as pain-free as possible. I will give constituents an easy-to-navigate path to my office, on & off-line, with responsive and responsible customer service along the way. Is there anything you would like to add? I helped lead the City of Culver City through the 2008 Recession, developing a reputation for being financially prudent with the City Budget, while managing to protect public sector jobs as well. I owned small businesses in the restaurant industry for almost two decades in both LA and Ventura Counties, and in public service always sought to make government a friend, not an adversary, to the business community. Over 8 years and two terms in office in Culver City, I reliably supported environmental measures, even serving as the Board Chair for the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission. I'm not one to sit idly by and not have a seat at the table, so I very intentionally participated in various regional discussions, including critical public transit infrastructure conversations. Always vocal about what would be "the RIGHT thing to do" and never willing to let integrity take a back seat, I advocate for transparency in government, civil public discourse, and broader civic engagement efforts.[4] |
” |
| —Micheál O'Leary[1] | ||
See also
| California | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Information submitted on Ballotpedia’s biographical information submission form on April 18, 2018
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Micheál O'Leary's responses," April 18, 2018
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
 |
State of California Sacramento (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
