Chief Service Officer Josh Fryman Announces Run For Lt. Governor

California Chief Service Officer Josh Fryman (D), who leads all state service and volunteer efforts with Governor Gavin Newsom’s office, announced on Wednesday that he would be running for Lt. Governor next year.

A law school graduate from UC Berkeley, Fryman began his career in the mid-2000’s heading up the Northern California operations for John Edwards’ presidential campaign from 2006 to 2008. After brief stints as a legal clerk for then San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris and the U.S. Department of Justice, Fryman entered the Navy as part of the JAG Corps where, among other things, he assisted in relief efforts in Japan following the Fukushima earthquake in 2011. After leaving the Navy in 2013, he became COO of a Tom Steyer-funded climate change group and then helped expand the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) while serving as President of Golden State Opportunity.

In 2015 he was elected to the Novato City Council, where he also served as Mayor for a time. In 2019, Governor Newsom tapped him to be his Chief Service Officer, a position he has held ever since. Since being appointed Fryman has, among other things, began both the Climate Action Corps and California College Corps service programs.

With Newsom term-limited out next year, Fryman decided to begin his campaign for Lt. Governor on Wednesday. In a statement and announcement video, Fryman stressed a reduced polarization of political beliefs as Lt. Governor. In addition, he noted that he would focus on tackling climate change, affordable housing, and expand volunteer service positions in the state.

“I am running for Lieutenant Governor of California — because change is going to take all of us,” Fryman said on several social media platforms on Wednesday. “From the cost of living to the climate crisis to cleaning our streets, we need an all-hands-on-deck approach to tackle the challenges facing our state. The government alone isn’t going to solve our problems. It’s up to us — the people of California — to fix the communities we love. I’m all in.”

“We’re in a moment where we have to recognize that political division and extremism isn’t going to improve anybody’s life, and we have to also be honest that government is not going to solve everything — it can’t alone,” added Fryman later in a statement. “It’s actually up to us — the people of the state — to fix the communities we love. And the lieutenant governor can play a critical role in bringing people together to engage and empower everyone in new ways.

“When you serve, and this is my experience, that’s when you get to feel what it’s like to have a common bond with other people, especially people from very different backgrounds and perspectives, who think differently than you, look different and probably vote differently than you. That experience to be part of something that’s bigger than you with other people, we just don’t provide that in our society enough.”

“What we’re trying to build, what I’ve been building, and what I hope to continue building is very much in that Kennedy spirit of calling on people to serve, asking people to be engaged, and expecting people to be engaged, and then actually creating opportunities for them to be engaged.”

Fryman runs for Lt. Governor

Fryman is now part of a growing list of candidates for Lt. Governor. So far, 5 other candidates are in the race, including former state Senator Steven Bradford (D), former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs (D), State Treasurer Fiona Ma (D), Sausalito City Councilor Janelle Kellman (D), and businessman and former Congressional candidate David Serpa (R). The list of candidates is expected to grow throughout the year, with many candidates expected to join in should speculative candidates like former Vice President Kamala Harris or former Congresswoman Katie Porter join the race.

In addition, Fryman joins the race as one of the most politically connected candidates. He is currently serving in a close capacity to Governor Newsom, and has worked under both Harris and billionaire Tom Steyer in the past, the latter whom Fryman served as CEO of his climate change group. Despite these connections, many questioned on Wednesday if his previous experience is enough to entice voters in the primary a year from now.

“Fryman comes from the same San Francisco pedigree as Newsom and Harris. I mean, if not to make it obvious, he has worked for both,” explained political advisor Sharon Lee to the Globe on Wednesday. “Everything he has been a part of in the past is also now a major campaign point for him. Climate change. Volunteering. That sort of thing doesn’t excite voters. He is going to need to really stress what he did as the Chief Service Officer to convince voters and get a start on fundraising now. He hasn’t run for an office since 2015. And that was for Councilman of a city of about 50,000 people. This is Lt. Governor. It’s a much bigger race.”