Jeff Stone, who parlayed his Temecula ties to become the first supervisor elected from Riverside County’s southwest corner, said he plans to run for a state Senate seat that will be up for grabs in November 2010.

Stone plans to run for the 36th District seat held by Dennis Hollingsworth (R-Murrieta), who cannot seek re-election due to state term limits. Stone is slated to make a formal announcement on Saturday, which would give him a head start over any prospective competitors for the Republican nomination.

Stone, who has widespread name recognition at the northern end of the sprawling Senate district, downplayed any advantage that an early announcement might provide.

"It’s a tough road ahead," Stone said in a recent telephone interview. "[Victory] is not a given."

But Stone said he is ready for a far-ranging campaign that could end with him putting his decades of business and government experience to work in Sacramento. The interview coincided with news reports that California, where the state budget deficit has snowballed to $24.3 billion, is nearing financial meltdown.

"I like a challenge," Stone said. "I’ve never backed away from one."

Stone, 53, scored a lopsided re-election victory in November when he easily outdistanced a Temecula area winery owner and a write-in candidate. That win gave Stone a second term in the county’s 3rd District, which is home to nearly 200,000 registered voters and blankets most of Temecula, Murrieta, Menifee, Canyon Lake, French Valley, San Jacinto and Hemet.

Stone won the seat from Hemet-based county Supervisor Jim Venable in November 2004, a race that some observers saw as a grueling come-from-behind victory.

In doing so, Stone became the first supervisor to be elected from the southwest section of the county. County supervisors serve four-year terms on the five-member board.

Stone first made a name for himself as a young pharmacist and property owner in fast-growing Temecula before a cadre of community leaders began pushing to form a city there. He opened Temecula Pharmacy in 1983.

He later served on the city’s public safety commission and played a lead role in opposing plans to open a Wal-Mart store at a commercial site that later became the Promenade mall.

Temecula had about 10,000 residents when Stone arrived, and one growth spurt after another has since pushed its population beyond 100,000 residents. Advertisement
Stone was elected to the Temecula council in 1992 and served three terms as mayor before he set his sights on a countywide post.

Serving on the council during Temecula’s largest population increase, Stone helped guide the city as it built a new library, roads, bridges and parks and set aside hefty budget reserves.

As a county supervisor, Stone has focused extensively on jail crowding, graffiti reduction, sexual assault and underage drinking prevention and other public safety programs.

He owns a drug compounding pharmacy in Murrieta. He is married and has two children and two stepchildren.

Ron Roberts, a four-time Temecula mayor and current council member, works as a legislative aide to Stone. Stone’s sister, Lori, serves as a volunteer staffer in his office.

In turning his attention to the state, Stone will set his sights on a heavily Republican district that is home to more than 850,000 residents and covers portions of Riverside and San Diego counties.

Thus far, no other prominent candidates have publicly announced plans to run for the Senate district that stretches from Lakeland Village to nearly the Mexico border.

Hollingsworth, a staunch conservative who vaulted to the Senate’s Republican leader as California’s state budget crisis unfolded, was elected in November 2002 after serving in the state Assembly.

The 36th Senate District takes in Murrieta, Temecula, Fallbrook, La Mesa and most of east San Diego County.

Much of the electorate – about 377,800 registered voters – live in the San Diego County portion of the district. By contrast, about 133,725 registered voters live in the Riverside County portion, according to recent statistics.

Of the combined area, nearly 235,600 of those voters are Republicans and about 148,000 are Democrats. Another 105,500 voters declined to state a party affiliation.

The primary election for state Legislature races will be June 8 and the general election will be held five months later.

Stone’s "campaign kickoff reception" is scheduled for 1 p.m. June 20 at the Mount Palomar Winery along Rancho California Road east of Temecula.

A flier announcing the event lists about 60 elected officials and prominent government, business and community leaders who support Stone from a vast area that stretches from Poway to Palm Desert and Buena Park.

The list includes four members of Congress who represent districts throughout Riverside and San Diego counties.