He did the Work and Stayed the Course
by ET Russell
With a record of experience and results, Jay Obernolte is the conservative choice for California’s 8th Congressional district.
The road to Washington D.C. has been a work in progress for the Obernolte Family. In the early days, Heather and Jay brought their young two sons to make their home in the San Bernardino Mountain community of Big Bear Lake, California, the family’s history of their journey has been a consistent unfolding of ‘doing the best they knew how’ and always with an open mind to learning ‘how-to’ do better.
The Obernolte’s have incorporated good friendships, as well as techniques from both California and foreign lands in their life’s journey. The community of Big Bear Valley is his support team. Jay likes to share the story of how his exploration of technology began in his college dorm and its advancement to founding a software development company that has gone worldwide. He is the founder and President of Farsight Studios, located in Big Bear Lake, California.
2020 has been an eventful year for the Obernolte family. The constant theme for the year has been running the congressional campaign, but so much more has been happening. Late in August, Jay Obernolte finished his sixth year serving as the 33rd District State Assemblyman. It was a bittersweet end to a position that has been such a focus of their lives. Due to the COVID pandemic, much of this legislative session was done remotely. The major challenge was to protect the Barstow Veterans Home from closure. The Governor attempted to close the home through the budget process, but Assemblyman Obernolte was able to garner enough support from his colleagues and to save the home. As Jay says, “we have won the battle, but we are still fighting the war.” Obernolte will continue the fight to save the Barstow Veteran’s Home.
Both Obernolte sons have had major changes to their lives this year. The oldest son, Hale, is entering his senior year at the California Institute of Technology. He is studying computer science. This summer he interned with Blizzard Entertainment helping to produce the newest version of the World of Warcraft video game. Just last month, Hale married his high school sweetheart, Miranda. They were married at a private family-only event in Malibu overlooking the hills and ocean.
The younger Obernolte son, Troy, completed his first year at Caltech but decided he was interested in a change. He is going to study abroad for a semester in Paris at the American University of Paris. When he returns, he will be continuing his education at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.
While on the subject of schooling, both Jay and Heather are finishing their Doctorates of Public Administration, from California Baptist University. Heather is focusing her dissertation on Identifying Core Leadership Skills for Political Party Leaders. Jay’s dissertation concentrates on Managing Conflict Between the Executive and Legislative Branches of Government in Public Sector Budgeting. They are both scheduled to defend their dissertations by the end of the year.
