John Cruikshank

John Cruikshank is a candidate for Los Angeles County Supervisor which is the southeastern portion of LA County. He will be an effective Supervisor helping the County solve the real, pressing issues that affect all residents. His Core Four focus areas are Economic Empowerment, Homelessness, Infrastructure, and Public Safety.

John is currently President & CEO of JMC2, a California civil and structural engineering corporation he founded in 1996. John attended the University of Southern California (USC) where he received his Bachelor of Science in Building Science in 1988. He became a Registered Civil Engineer in the State of California in 1993. He is a licensed professional engineer in more than 30 states. He obtained his Master of Science in Engineering Management from USC in 1994.

In 2017, he was named a Fellow with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), awarded Alumni of Year from USC’s School of Civil Engineering, and elected as a City Councilmember. He is currently the Mayor Pro Tem and immediate Past Chair of the South Bay Cities Council of Government. John lives in Rancho Palos Verdes with his wife, Jennifer and son, Sean, who is a recent graduate at Arizona State University.

• As a business owner, civil engineer, and City Councilmember, John Cruikshank has the experience to solve the major issues facing Los Angeles County.
• John Cruikshank is a 3rd generation Los Angeles County who cares deeply about finding ways to make life better for everyone in LA County.
• Are major issues (public safety, infrastructure, homelessness, and economic empowerment) are non-partisan issues that are not getting solved by our current elected, LA County Supervisors. It is time for a change in direction with a proven leader.

Yes, I would trust but verify all major decisions being made by the public service team that I would be in charge of. The current LA County Board allowed a non-medical doctor to shut our businesses and schools down for far too long. This has caused irreparable harm to our society.

Yes, I believe crime rates have been increasing. I look at crime data but it's no longer 'apples to apples' from the past when we many more crimes were considered felonies, there were more police officers, and more prosecutions were being processed. The police (who are understaffed) are as busy as ever, but the criminals they are catching are getting out with much less punishment if any at all. I would do all I can to get all legitimate criminals behind bars to keep our residents safe.

There are several "downtowns" in the 4th District of Los Angeles County. Some are healthy (e.g., Whittier) and some are not (e.g., downtown Los Angeles). A healthy downtown is clean, safe, and developed based on the needs of the surrounding communities. As Supervisor, I would like to work with cities that are trying to improve their downtowns and get all roadblocks out of their way to make their plans a reality.

Involving residents in the government's decision-making process is the key to being a successful representative. When I get elected to the LA County Board of Supervisor, I try to bring as much citizen involvement as possible given the magnitude of the issues and large population.

All levels and departments of government need to be transparent and accountable. Public records need to be held in a manner that allows for information to be found and made available to the public quickly.

As a Supervisor, I would work dilligently to address the consent decrees that have plagued our jail systems. We don't have enough humane, jails to properly lock up all our criminals. I will work hard to have more detention facilities built to meet the demand. Yes, I do have a different stance. I will look after the victims and our citizens not the criminals.

I would work with each specific city's planning department or the County's planning department to determine the right balance of housing and business. I'm not a big fan of displacement unless we can find a win-win for those who will be displaced. My family was forced out of our home when I was a kid, and I always remember the distress and mistrust that was caused by that whole process.

I would set priorities based on high impact and ease of implementation. These plans would be developed using the expert resources available to LA County who would help develop plans based on community input.

The County Board of Supervisors approach to public safety is broken. They seem more concerned about the criminals then they do about victims or our public safety personnel. I would open more, humane jail space to make sure all criminals are locked up. I would fully support our sheriff and fire departments. I would push to have tougher sentencing laws and not support weak (and woke) District Attorneys.

Our County is not environmentally healthy. Every day there are several beach closures due to bacteria. Our roads and public facilities are dirty and covered with graffiti. I would use our limited tax dollars to proactively maintain our infrastructure and keep our public sites clean.

LA County government is responsible for so much infrastructure including our transportation systems, parks, sanitation, storm drainage, beaches, and public buildings. After taking some time to learn how each are managed, then I will focus on being proactive in our approach to maintenance and to public safety. LA County should have world class infrastructure.

I would make sure our board members support our Sheriff's Department and get them the resources they need to recruit and retain their personnel. Also, I would talk to them to make sure they have the tools they need and they have proper public facilities (jails, administration, training facilities, etc.)

I would not have had mask or vaccine mandates. I would have gotten rid of our unqualified Health Director and hired a real doctor who could best understand and balance all our needs during a medical crisis. COVID-19 did not affect our kids so why did we lockdown the schools. These policies did more harm than good. I would have the backbone to make hard decisions not woke platitudes.

I’m running for County Supervisor because I care deeply about Los Angeles County and our current Board of Supervisors is not tackling our real problems of homelessness, public safety, aging infrastructure, and eroding business opportunities. Our supervisors consistently take their partisan approach to our issues even though our issues demand non-partisanship.

I look up to my late father, Jack Cruikshank. He was always kind and fair-minded with everyone equally. He was selfless and would do anything for us (his family). I follow his example because the world needs less partisanship and more thoughtfulness. I look forward to bringing my brand of pragmatic politics to LA County.

Elected officials need to have enough well-rounded experiences to utilize as a basis for critical thinking and decision making that so affects our society. Along with knowledge and experience, officials need to have common sense and the backbone to make hard but the best decisions. Our biggest issues are non-partisan, and elected officials need to be able to act freely and not under undue voting mandates from their political party.

I am a trained problem solver having run my own civil engineering firm since 1996. Also, I have been involved with numerous community leadership roles such as Redondo Beach Harbor Commissioner, Rancho Palos Verdes Planning Commissioner, AYSO Board Asst. Regional Commissioner, and a two term City Council Member. I am honest and believe in listening to everyone that I can before making critical decisions that will affect their lives.

I want to make Los Angeles County a much better place than when I start my term. I am a third generation Los Angeles County resident, and I care deeply about my friends, neighbors, and the communities around me.

I remember visiting the Freedom Train and meeting President Gerald Ford in 1976 (or so) when I was just 10-years old and in the Cub Scouts.

I held summer jobs during high school and college, but my first full-time job out of college was with the State of California, Department of Transportation (Caltrans) in Los Angeles. I held that job for a little more than a year, then moved over to the private sector.

"Raise the Bar" by John Taffer as he explains how to run a successful enterprise into easy to understand terms.

Luke Skywalker

"Listen Like Thieves" by INXS

I have struggled with the hope and belief that one day California will turn around and be more balanced politically. It's not healthy for all decisions to be made by one party that makes up 50% of the population. I believe that if I work hard, be nice and honest, and set stretch goals, that I can get to a place where I can bring this much needed balance in our political systems in LA County.

The LA County Board of Supervisors is now responsible for a $47 billion budget and 115,000 employees. Their work is responsible for our infrastructure, public safety, homelessness crisis, and economic empowerment. These are my Core Four Issues that need to be addressed with clarity and focus as they work symbiotically.

I think that having some government experience is important since it's such an enormously important role. But I think the most important experience is real life, leadership outside of government. The incumbent has been in office too long and is out of touch with reality. She votes on party lines without regard to how it affects businesses and residents. It's great to understand how government works, but it's best to be a problem solver.

The greatest skill for this role and any political leadership role is listening skills. We have two ears and one mouth and need to use them proportionately. Since LA County has such an effect on our daily lives, I believe being a civil engineer and business owner brings a unique skill set that is desperately needed.

How can you tell an introverted engineer from an extroverted engineer? The introverted engineer is looking at his own shoes, while the extroverted engineer is looking at the other engineer's shoes.

Elected Officials:
Michael Antonovich - Former Los Angeles County Supervisor
George Barks - Former Hermosa Beach Mayor
Gerard Bisignano - Former Redondo Beach Councilmember & Partner - Vista Sotheby's International Realty
David Bradley - Councilmember Rancho Palos Verdes
Tom Brewer - Former Torrance Councilmember
George Chen - Mayor Torrance
Bea Dieringer - President League of Cities LA Division & Councilmember Rolling Hills
Ken Dyda - Former Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor and City Founder
Barbara Ferraro - Mayor Rancho Palos Verdes
Joe Franklin - Mayor Pro Tem Manhattan Beach
Dean Grose - Former Los Alamitos Mayor
Jack Guerrero - Former Cudahy Mayor
Janine Heft - Mayor Laguna Hills
Bob Holmes - Former Manhattan Beach Mayor
Jon Kaji - Councilmember Torrance
Michael Kemps - Councilmember Palos Verdes Estates
Aurelio Mattucci - Councilmember Torrance
Leah Mirsch - Mayor Pro Tem Rolling Hills
Judy Nelson - Former Glendora Mayor
Gregory C. O'Brien, Jr. - Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, Retired
Liz Reilly - Former Duarte Mayor
Frank Scotto - Former Torrance Mayor
David Shawver - Mayor Stanton
Bernadette Suarez - Councilmember Lawndale

Organizations
LA County Republican Party (LAGOP)
California Republican Party (CAGOP)
LA County Taxpayer's Association