Three School of Law Alumni Announce Local Office Candidacies
September 26, 2016
Three Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law alumni – Josh Mauras (’09), Karl Truong (’11), and Jake Vollebregt (’08) – recently announced their candidacies for local office. Mauras is running for a seat on the Santa Ana City Council and Truong and Vollebregt are seeking positions on their local school boards.
Josh Mauras
Mauras is an associate at Goldman, Magdalin & Krikes, LLP, where he practices workers’ compensation defense litigation. He has represented clients before the California Court of Appeals, the U.S. Central District of California, the U.S. Southern District of California, the U.S. Eastern District of California, the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, and the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board.
As a City Council candidate for Santa Ana’s Ward 3, he is focused on public safety, city budgeting and labor renegotiations, solutions for a growing homeless population, parks and recreation, and the city’s current business environment.
Mauras and his wife were recognized as Neighborhood Heroes this year by the Santa Ana’s Communication Linkage Forum for their work with the Morrison Park Neighborhood Association.
“Nobody knows the individual neighborhoods better than the people who live there – the needs of the community, the sources of crime and blight, etc.,” Mauras said. “I’m running for the City Council with the goal of fostering a closer working relationship between the City Council, the Santa Ana Police Department, and the neighborhood leaders so that the problems and needs of each community can be more efficiently and effectively identified and addressed.”
Karl Truong
Truong, who is running for the Westminster School District Board, is a partner at Sullivan, Krieger, Truong, Spagnola & Klausner, LLP, where he focuses on civil litigation and international business transactions. He previously served as a legal consultant for Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, D.C. His candidacy for the school board is not his first foray into politics. Shortly after graduating from law school, Truong spent nearly a year on Capitol Hill as an intern for Representative Loretta Sanchez. Truong hopes to put his combined experience in law and public service to use in his community.
“Public service is a means to give back to our country for everything it has given us,” Truong said. “I’m grateful for the legal education I’ve received and the skills and experience I’ve developed practicing law. I believe that by leveraging this knowledge and skill set I’ll be an even more effective member of the Westminster School Board. I’d like to ensure that our community’s children will receive the education they need and deserve to enable each and every one of them to reach their full potential.”
Jake Vollebregt
Vollebregt, who is running for the Capistrano Unified School District Board, is Director of Regional and Legal Affairs at Moulton Niguel Water District in Laguna Niguel. Prior to his work in public law, Vollebregt served as a judicial advocate in the U.S. Marine Corps.
As a San Juan Capistrano native and father of three children, his primary focus is to revive the school district’s facilities to better serve its students. He also hopes to protect residents from a proposed $1.8 billion school facilities tax.
“We trust teachers to nurture and enliven our children as lifetime learners,” Vollebregt said. “Our community must support and empower our teachers to provide learning environments that are inclusive, inquisitive, and inspiring. This includes financing, building, and maintaining classrooms.”