John was born in the Philippines and is the oldest child in a very large Navy family.  He completed his undergraduate studies at California State University Fullerton in 1980, receiving a bachelor’s degree in biology.  He is a 1985 graduate of the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law.  For several years, he represented plaintiffs in personal injury cases in courts throughout Northern California.  Thereafter, he represented injured workers before the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board and before the Social Security Administration.  Since 2000, his practice has been limited to the defense of carriers, third party administrators, and employers in workers’ compensation issues, and he is a Certified Legal Specialist in workers’ compensation law.  John has membership in the Workers’ Compensation sections of both the California State Bar and the Sacramento County Bar Association of which he is the section president in 2008. 

He enjoys family activities with his wife, daughters and grandsons.  An avid fly fisher, John taught fly casting and tying for years, and has taken groups of fly fishers to various North American locations and has testified in Superior Court as a fly fishing expert.  He also enjoys flying stunt kites at the beach and watching professional soccer, especially the English Premier League, and Manchester United in particular.