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Welcome to another edition of California Patriot Profiles. These profiles are open to all subscribers and guests.
A Relentless Conservative Voice in California Politics
Every week, we feature a Californian whose work, influence, or integrity stands out, even in a state that often rewards the opposite. Some make an impact through elected office, others through scholarship, and many through long-term activism. These profiles are open to all subscribers and guests.
Steve Frank is a Republican because he is a conservative, not the other way around. His values and principles came first, and they continue to define him today. Party affiliation has always been a vehicle, not an identity.
For decades, Steve has been motivated by a consistent set of beliefs: faith, freedom, free enterprise, and the conviction that limited, accountable government matters. Those principles are not seasonal. They have driven his work through victories, defeats, and long stretches where California politics offered little encouragement to conservatives who refused to compromise simply to fit in.
That consistency explains why Steve Frank has never been a comfortable figure inside political institutions, even ones he helped build. He has always measured success by fidelity to principle rather than proximity to power.
A Movement Conservative, Not a Media Creation
Steve Frank did not arrive in California politics through social media or cable television. His involvement long predates both.
Born on December 28, 1946, in the Bronx, Frank later moved to California, attended Los Angeles City College, and earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Redlands. He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War with the 1st Infantry Division, an experience that shaped his lifelong interest in national defense and veterans’ issues.
His conservatism was forged in an era when activists built organizations rather than personal brands. From early on, he became deeply involved in party mechanics, rules, and grassroots organizing—areas that rarely attract attention but often determine outcomes.
Formed Early, Tested Immediately
I had a chance to speak with Shawn Steel while working on this profile. Shawn is a longtime friend of Steve’s and a fellow movement conservative whose activism in California also dates back to the 1960s.
When Steve returned home from Vietnam, he enrolled at Los Angeles City College. At the time, communist activists had erected physical barriers on campus, preventing students from freely entering or leaving. Rather than complain or wait for permission, Steve began tearing the barriers down himself. Other students soon joined him.
That night, according to Shawn, Steve received a call from Richard Nixon.
The specifics matter less than the pattern. From the beginning, Steve’s activism was direct and instinctive. He confronted intimidation head-on, and others followed.
Steel summed it up simply: Steve has never rested. Across decades of California politics, through changing leaders and shifting strategies, he has remained engaged—not as someone who arrived late to the fight, but as one of the original figures of the modern conservative movement.
Campaigns and Conservative Causes
Over the years, Steve Frank has been involved in numerous political campaigns and conservative causes, sometimes as a consultant, sometimes as an organizer, and sometimes as an outside critic.
In 1980, he was a member of California’s Electoral College. That same year, Steve was elected president of the California Republican Assembly, a statewide organization that Ronald Reagan famously called the conscience of the Republican Party. Fifteen years later, I was elected to the same position.
Steve is a political encyclopedia, knows where all the skeletons are because he has buried them! He has been a political mentor to hundreds of people throughout the years, who have gone on to excel in the conservative movement. He’s a long-time family friend!
- Celeste Greig, Past President of the California Republican Assembly
In 1996, the National Federation of Republican Assemblies was created, and Steve was elected its first national chairman, giving grassroots conservatives a coordinated presence inside the Republican Party.
Steve also ran for office himself, seeking a seat in the California State Assembly in the mid-1990s. While he did not win, the campaign reflected his belief that activists should be willing to step forward personally, not just comment from the sidelines.
He later served multiple terms as the California Republican Party’s parliamentarian, placing him at the center of party conventions and internal disputes.
Shared Roots in the Conservative Movement
I met Steve Frank not long after I first became involved in conservative politics in the late 1980s. Even then, Steve was already well entrenched as a leading conservative activist in California.
During my three years as chairman of California Young Americans for Freedom, my two years as state president of the California Republican Assembly, and later during my time as executive director of the California Republican Party, Steve was a mentor, an advisor, and a friend (as he remains).
Steve is the happy warrior for freedom. Every time I have ever asked him how he was doing, he said with a big smile, "I am doing great! Killing commies and having fun!
—Mike Schroeder, Former Chairman, California Republican Party
Over the years, we have remained close through campaigns, reform efforts, party battles, organizational launches, and behind-the-scenes problem-solving. That long perspective matters. It has allowed me to see Steve as someone deeply invested in the conservative movement’s long-term health—even when that meant being unpopular or isolated.
We have not always shared the same tactical instincts. But I have watched him stay engaged, principled, and active long after many others burned out, moved on, or chose quieter paths.
A Conservative Watchdog Still in the Arena
Steve Frank remains an active and outspoken figure in California conservative politics. He is best known today for his online efforts with California Political Review and California Political News and Views.
Through those platforms, Steve continues to promote grassroots activists, challenge Republican complacency, criticize party leadership when he believes it has drifted from core principles, and argue that California’s problems are rooted in bad policy rather than bad messaging.
He has never softened his tone simply to fit polite political company.
POW/MIA Advocacy and Service Beyond Politics
One of the lesser-known chapters of Steve Frank’s life involves his work on behalf of American prisoners of war and those missing in action. According to his published biography, he spent years working full-time on POW/MIA issues, helping organize advocacy efforts and raise national awareness.
That work reflected a recurring theme in Steve’s life: persistence on behalf of causes he believes matter, even when they are politically inconvenient or unfashionable.
Family, Roots, and Reagan Country
Steve lives in Simi Valley, under the shadow of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, a setting that feels entirely appropriate given his lifelong commitment to conservative ideas and the movement they shaped.
Steve and his wife, Leslie, have two grown daughters with families of their own. Steve especially enjoys being a grandfather.
So, Does It Matter?
Steve Frank’s career illustrates a reality of California conservatism that often goes unacknowledged: movements do not survive on candidates alone. They require people willing to organize, criticize, document, and persist over decades, even when victories are rare and gratitude is limited.
Steve chose a path that guaranteed influence without comfort. California’s conservative movement would look very different without the infrastructure, agitation, and long memory he has helped provide.
I can say without hesitation that I would not be where I am in my career today if it were not for Steve’s friendship and mentorship during my early years in California politics. He remains a dear and trusted friend.
Check Out Steve In Action…
I found this great video from a few years ago of Steve doing an online Zoom talk for the California Federation of Republican Women. You don’t need to watch it all, but watching some can give you a sense of this fine patriot.
Check Out Our Library of 27 Other California Patriot Profiles!
Each week, we profile an exemplary California conservative. Previous profiles have been of San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes, Political Law Attorney Chuck Bell, Federal Judge Roger Benitez, the late Andrew Breitbart, actor and comedian Adam Carolla, HJTA President Jon Coupal, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow, actor Kelsey Grammer, investigative journalist Katy Grimes, pro-liberty attorney Julie Hamill, historian Victor Davis Hanson, Dr. Charles Kesler, longtime Nixon and Reagan speechwriter Ken Khachigian, Editor of the Claremont Review of Books, Congressman Kevin Kiley, talk radio host John Kobylt, Former San Diego County GOP Chairman Tony Krvaric, Pastor Rob McCoy of Turning Point Faith, Former CAGOP Chairman Ron Nehring, the late Second Amendment champion Sam Paredes, talk radio hosts John Phillips and Dennis Prager, actor Gary Sinise, economist and author Thomas Sowell, actor James Woods, and constitutional scholar John Yoo.
You can go here [ [link removed] ] to see them all! If you have an idea for a profile of a patriot, let me know!
Jon

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