FOR CALIFORNIA
MEET JOSH FRYDAY
A Public Servant Who Gets Things Done
Josh Fryday is a Novato, California native, a husband to public school teacher Mollye, and dad to three energetic boys—Shay, Calvin, and Tam. He has served as mayor of his hometown, he’s a U.S. Navy veteran, a climate leader, and a public servant at heart.
Currently serving as California’s Chief Service Officer, Josh leads service, volunteer, and civic engagement efforts throughout California. Under his leadership, California Volunteers has grown to become the largest service corps in the nation—larger than the entire Peace Corps—providing more than 10,000 paid opportunities for Californians to serve their communities.
From Working-Class Roots to Public Service
Josh’s commitment to making California more affordable is personal. Growing up in a working-class family, Josh and his brother lived in 17 different homes before he graduated high school—moving each time a landlord raised the rent. This personal understanding of housing insecurity drives his urgency to address California’s affordability crisis.
Military Service and Moral Courage
After earning his undergraduate and law degrees at UC Berkeley, Josh volunteered for the United States Navy as a JAG Corps officer. He served overseas in Yokosuka, Japan, where he coordinated humanitarian and disaster relief efforts after the devastating 2011 tsunami and Fukushima Nuclear Disaster. His experience cutting through red tape to deliver urgent aid shaped his approach to government: when people need help, bureaucracy shouldn’t stand in the way.
Josh also demonstrated moral courage while stationed at Guantanamo Bay, where he represented detainees and later testified before the U.S. Senate, urging Washington to honor the rule of law and close the detention facility.
BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER
Building California's Future
Josh’s career has focused on bringing people together to solve big problems:
- At NextGen Climate (2013-2016): Served as Chief Operating Officer, helping build one of the nation’s leading climate advocacy organizations
- As Mayor of Novato (2018): Created a local GI Bill program in partnership with a local university, providing free college for students who committed to community service
- At Golden State Opportunity: Led efforts to help working families access benefits and achieve financial stability
- As Chief Service Officer (2019-present): Built and scaled innovative programs including:
- California Climate Action Corps – the nation’s first statewide climate corps
- College Corps – providing debt-free pathways to education through service
- Youth Jobs Corps – creating opportunities for underserved youth
Why Lieutenant Governor?
The Lieutenant Governor has unique power to bring people together and drive systemic change. As the only official who sits on all three public higher education boards (UC Regents, CSU Trustees, and Community Colleges), plus key environmental bodies like the Coastal Commission and State Lands Commission, the role is perfectly positioned to expand service opportunities, accelerate our clean energy transition, and make California more affordable.
Josh lives in Davis with Mollye and their three sons. When he’s not working to build a better California, you’ll find him distance running or exploring California’s unmatched outdoors with his family.