SLO LIFE Magazine Apr/May 2019

| Q&A
THAT’S ME
After just a couple of months into his new role as the President and CEO of the
San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce, JIM DANTONA stopped by the office
to introduce himself. In addition to a deep dive into topical issues, such as the
decommissioning of Diablo Canyon, uncertainty surrounding the acquisition
of MindBody, and workforce housing, we were also treated to a wide-ranging
conversation getting to know him on a personal level. Here are some highlights…
Jim, let’s take it from the top. Where are you from?
I was actually born in Granada Hills, moved to Simi
Valley when I was around eight, and spent most of
my life there. I was, and still am, a sports fanatic,
especially baseball. My dad was a chief of staff to a
state senator, so I was around politics very early in
my life. After I blew out my arm, I thought that I
wanted to get into politics also. My long-term goal
was to become a politician myself. That never came to
fruition, but I ended up doing a lot of private sector
work, working in human resources and accounting
up in Sacramento, Folsom; and, then later, I ended up
becoming the chief of staff to three different elected
officials around L.A. where I spent much of my time
interacting with local chambers of commerce.
Did you ever run for office? I did, actually. In 2000,
I ran for a local park board seat, which was during
the Bush-Gore debacle. My race was between me
and another woman, and we were separated by just
three votes. We actually had a recount going on the
same time Florida was doing their recounts. So, the
local papers were playing up the Bush-Gore thing,
only it was Dantona-O’Brien. I ended up losing that
race by a couple of votes, but it didn’t dissuade me.
I was determined to keep trying. About three years
ago, I decided that I was going to run for state senate.
And the more I got into it, the more I realized that it
just was not for me. I decided to back out of the race
before it ever really started and have waved off the
idea of ever becoming an elected official. You know,
it’s a very difficult time for anybody that runs, and
particularly for your spouse, no matter who you are,
or at what level.
Speaking of spouse, let’s hear about how you met
your wife. Sure. We met at Moorpark Junior College.
We had a political science class together. I was one
of those typical baseball guys sitting in the back of
the classroom with my hat on—it was this bright red
Philadelphia Phillies hat. Now, pay attention to this
hat because it will become important to understand
this story. So, I’m sitting way in the back and she
walks in and settles into a seat toward the front. I was
pretty taken by her the minute she walked in. The
class ended and I went to my second class, and then
she walks in again, and once again she finds a seat
toward the front of the class. So, over the course of
a few days, maybe it was a couple of weeks, I slowly
started to make my way toward where she was
sitting. One day, I’d move up a couple of seats.
The next day, another one, continually heading
her way. As she would tell this story later, she
remembers seeing this red hat closing in over
her shoulder as she thought, “Oh, great.” One day,
I finally made it to the desk behind her, and she said
to herself, “Well, he’s made that much effort, so I
guess I can say, ‘Hi.’” I mustered up the courage to say
something and we started talking.
Please, go on… We both ended up transferring
to Sacramento State to study political science. We
did some work up there after graduating. Then, we
eventually came back to Southern California. But, we
always had this dream of moving to San Luis Obispo,
which is where my wife’s mom lives. Over the years, as
we visited her, we came to fall in love with the place.
So, one day, out of the blue, my mother-in-law calls
me and says, “Hey, they’re looking for a new chamber
CEO up here. Would you be interested in doing
this kind of work?” And I said, “Yeah, absolutely!” I
work almost exclusively with chambers. I understand
their issues. I understand how they work. I’ve never
actually worked in one, but I’d love the opportunity to
tell them why I would be super helpful. So, I learned
about the opportunity and submitted my resume
because of my mother-in-law. And, that’s one of
the great things about this community: there’s two
degrees of separation max, right?
Let’s close with the question we always like to ask:
What would people be surprised to know about you?
So, okay, I’m a huge fan of musicals. You may not
expect that, but coming from a political background
there is this element of performance and
theatrics. There’s that old saying, “Politics is
the entertainment industry for ugly people.” It’s
really true. All politicians love the spotlight and there
is absolutely a parallel to theatre. I remember seeing
my first musical when I was around five. It was Jesus
Christ Superstar, which is sort of a rock-opera. I liked
it so much that my parents got me the record and I
played it non-stop. Whenever there was a great show
in L.A., I would go see it. I love live theatre. People
are usually surprised to hear that because I am such a
huge sports fan and would never guess that I wander
around the halls singing songs from musicals. They
say, “What? Was that you?” Yep, that’s me. SLO LIFE
32 | SLO LIFE MAGAZINE | APR/MAY 2019