Sean is a native of Southern California and has lived in the region for more than 50 years. He and his wife Trenna, a lifelong Riversider, are proud homeowners in the Fallbrook at Riverwalk Vista Community within Ward 5. Their daughter Hailey is a 2018 graduate of Riverside Poly High School.
Born to an immigrant father and a mother who was a police officer’s daughter, Sean was raised in the working class community of Santa Ana with his brother Mike. His parents impressed upon him that education was the key to success. A product of public schools, he went on to attend the University of California, Irvine. A proud Anteater, Sean graduated in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science.
Sean’s parents also taught him the importance of public service and giving back to the community. At the age of 18 he was appointed by the Santa Ana City Council to the Parks and Recreation Commission, the youngest person ever appointed to a city board at that time. He served in that position for several years, rising to the position of Chairman and was integral in improving the safety of city parks by creating armed Park Rangers to patrol them, Sean went on to serve on other commissions within the city such as the Uniform Code Appeals Board and the Historic Resources Commission before the City Council called upon him to serve on the Planning Commission. During his nearly eight years on the Planning Commission, Sean played a primary role in the city’s renaissance. He fought tirelessly for responsible development and made sure that state-mandated affordable housing projects were done by credible developers.
Sean then planted his roots in Ward 5 and his desire to volunteer and serve the community came with him. Raising a teenage daughter led him to give of his time coaching Riverside’s youth, first as a volunteer coach with Evans Park Little League/Softball and for the last three years as the Head Junior Varsity Football Coach and Assistant Varsity Coach at Riverside Poly High School. He believes that youth sports are an excellent tool to teach life lessons and loves the opportunity to help work with the leaders of tomorrow.
Sean has also served as an appointed City official since arriving in Riverside. Former Councilman Chris MacArthur appointed Sean to the Airport Commission where he served until being appointed by MacArthur to the Planning Commission, where he currently serves as Vice-Chairman. Last November, Sean was narrowly defeated by 189 votes for the Ward 5 City Council seat.
Professionally, Sean has worked in the title insurance industry for the last 28 years. Currently, he is Vice- President of Sales for WFG National Title Company.