About John Kern

John served as a panel member at American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) conferences on the topics of "Uncommon Candidates" and "Opposition Research." His campaign direct mail has been featured in Campaigns and Elections Magazine and won an Honorable Mention and a Second Place at the AAPC Pollie Awards, the Academy Awards of politics. His articles on politics have appeared in California Journal, Sacramento Bee, Campaign Industry News and the San Diego Union.

John Kern has been working in the fields of government, politics and communications for more than 40 years.

John covered government and politics as a reporter in both New York and California. He won the San Diego Press Club Best Political/Governmental Story award in both 1975 and 1976 and the San Diego Press Club Best of Show award in 1976. In 1977 he accepted the post of Press Secretary to California Assembly Minority Leader Paul Priolo. He remained in that post until 1979 when he returned to San Diego as Chief-of-Staff to San Diego City Councilman Larry Stirling. After Mr. Stirling was elected to the State Assembly, John served as Chief-of-Staff for San Diego Councilmembers Dick Murphy and Judy McCarty. In 1989 he opened his political and government affairs consulting business which began as the firm of Anderson & Kern and became The Kern Company in 1999.  In 2000 he accepted the position as Chief of Staff for San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy and remained in that position until March 2005 when he reopened The Kern Company

John served as President of the Valley Center Fire Protection District Board of Directors from 1994 to 1998. He was an elected member of the Valley Center Community Planning Group. He was an elected member of the San Diego County Republican County Central Committee from 1993- 1996, served as 2nd Vice Chairman for the 1993-1995 term, and as Chair of the Candidate Support Committee in 1995 and 1996. He is a former member of the City of San Diego Salary Setting Commission.

A History-Political Science graduate of LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York, he enlisted in the Navy in 1963 and left active duty as a Lieutenant in 1968.