Simi, Valley of the Winds

SIMI VALLEY Major General Chuck Yeager, a U.S. Air Force hero and the first pilot to travel faster than sound, has endorsed Steve Sojka for Mayor of Simi Valley.

Steve is a man of honor and vision who will lead his community to greatness; he is a man who I am proud to call my friend, Major General Chuck Yeager said. America needs leaders, and Steve is one such man.

It is awe-inspiring to speak with Chuck Yeager, a great American hero, and equally awesome to have his support for my candidacy for Mayor of Simi Valley, Steve Sojka said. His name tops a list of community leaders already on board with endorsements, including current Mayor Paul Miller, three past Simi Valley mayors and many other leaders.

Yeager was an honored fighter pilot during World War II, and then a test pilot during the early postwar years, when among many records he was the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound, in 1947. He also logged combat time in missions in South Vietnam in 1966, and in his career he was awarded the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Air Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, Distinguished Unit Citation, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal and European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal.

Major General Yeager attained Command Pilot, a permanent award of senior pilot ranking and the highest of the U.S. Air Forces aeronautical ratings. Yeager is
enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame, had a cameo appearance in the movie The Right Stuff, and is considered by some to be among the greatest pilots ever. For more information, see www.chuckyeager.com.

Yeager joins in his endorsement of Steve Sojka former Mayors Bill Davis, Ginger Gherardi and Ted Grandsen. Gherardi later served as Executive Director of the Ventura County Transportation Commission, and Grandsen later as the Fourth District Supervisor representing Simi Valley, and currently as a Board member for the Calleguas Municipal Water District.

Other notable local leaders endorsing Steve Sojka for Simi Valley Mayor include Simi Valley City Council members Glen Becerra, Barbra Williamson and Michelle Foster; former City Council member and County Supervisor Vicky Howard; former City Council members Nancy Bender, Dave Reese and Howard Rogo; Simi Valley Board of Education President Jeanne Davis and Trustees Janice DiFatta and Eric Lundstrom; former Simi Valley School Board members Carla Kurachi, Judy Barry and Steven Gould; Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District Board members Gene Hostetler, Mark Johnson and Dee Dee Cavanaugh and former Park District Board member Jim Meredith; Simi Valley Planning Commissioners Keith Mashburn, Mike McGuigan, Tim Shannon and Jim Dantona, Jr., and former Commissioners Rick Kunz and Bob Swoish.

Sojka also is endorsed by dozens of other leaders from community organizations representing police, education, business and youth sports and services interests. For a complete listing visit www.sojkaformayor.com.

Steve Sojka is a three-term Simi Valley City Council member, starting in 1998, who twice served one-year shifts as Mayor Pro Tem. A lifetime resident of Simi Valley, he has been a business owner and active community volunteer and leader in Simi Valley for the past 25 years. His father Bob Sojka was Chief of the Simi Valley Police Department; and today Steve Sojka proudly serves the Board of Directors for the Simi Valley Police Foundation. Sojka and his wife Laura have three children in Simi Valley schools.