CCTA President Andrea Seastrand
The Honorable Andrea Seastrand
The Honorable Andrea Seastrand was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 104th Congress from 1995-1997. She served on the Committee on Science and on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. From 1990-1994, she was a member of the California State Assembly, and served as Assistant Minority Leader.
Upon leaving Congress in 1997, Seastrand took the position of Executive Director of the California Space and Technology Alliance. Through her visionary leadership, the organization evolved into the California Space Authority (CSA) which provided voice, visibility and a competitive edge for California’s commercial, civil and national security space enterprise. She initiated the first-ever California Space Day in Sacramento and California Space Week in Washington DC, both of which became annual advocacy events. Recognizing the value of collaborative strategic visioning, Seastrand oversaw the development of the country’s first statewide, collaborative space enterprise strategic plan in 1998. This led to a series of thought leadership efforts, with successive statewide strategic plans in 2004, 2007, and 2010. At the state level, Seastrand was also appointed to the Aerospace Advisory Committee which reported to the Lt. Governor’s Commission on Economic Development. The Governor had earlier appointed Seastrand to serve as one of 20 members of the Governor’s statewide Council on Base Support and Retention.
On the national level, Seastrand served as an Air Force advocate under the Air Force Chief of Staff’s Civic Leader Program. After five years of service, she was honored in February of 2011, with the U.S. Air Force Distinguished Public Service Award, the highest civilian honor awarded by the U.S. Air Force. Seastrand remains a Member Emeritus of the Civic Leader Program. Seastrand also served for several years as a California Alternate Delegate to the Aerospace States Association, as well as the Dean’s Advisory Council, College of Engineering, California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo. Over the years she has been involved in many organizations including Women in Aerospace, the Navy League and the Air Force Association.
Presently, Seastrand serves as President of the Central Coast Taxpayers Association (CCTA). The organization's efforts are to inform and educate voters on important tax issues at all levels of government. CCTA continues to advocate for the protection of Proposition 13 and fights for the Forgotten Taxpayer. The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association named Seastrand as the 2016 Taxfighter of the Year, which is an award presented annually to a citizen taxpayer who shows an exceptional dedication to protecting taxpayers, often including the contribution of a great deal of time and energy.
Seastrand began her professional career as a teacher on the central coast of California. She was very actively involved in grass roots politics for many years, serving in a variety of campaign efforts for many conservative candidates at all levels of government, including her husband Eric Seastrand, who served in the State Assembly from 1982 -1990. Seastrand is presently retired; however, continues being actively involved in grass roots politics and campaigns. She has two children and four grandchildren.