Dan is a 5th generation Californian who has lived all over California, developing a deep connection to the diverse communities that define our state. His long-standing roots and lifetime of local experience inform a common-sense approach to leadership and advocacy. He remains dedicated to ensuring that every constituent has a resilient and principled voice in the halls of government.
The Candidate
DAN STROUD
A Legacy of Service
DAUNTLESS DEDICATION
I am Dan Stroud, a retired Army Command Sergeant Major, combat veteran, and entrepreneur, not a career politician. For thirty years, I led troops in Armor, Special Operations, and Civil Affairs, holding command positions from battalion to theater levels during Operation Iraqi Freedom and in Afghanistan. I am a builder and a real time problem solver. Learning to design, fabricate, and build vessels and houses alongside my father led me to earn an AS in Engineering with focuses in business and computer drafting, and a BS in Leadership and Operational Management while attending the United States Sergeants Major Academy. Whether executing critical missions under immense pressure in a combat zone or overseeing large-scale high-end construction as a civilian project manager, I focus on mission execution. I know what it is like to be responsible for others’ lives. Leading troops and directing operations means developing solutions that work for the people they directly impact. I hold profound respect for others and deeply understand how my decisions affect their lives. I also apply my hands on experience as a former shipyard foreman handling vessel hauling and systems installation to my current business designing and developing scuba diving equipment. My wife and I are proud Army veterans with three sons, our oldest currently serving in the Navy. I want to bring my dedication to our country and California, practical engineering background, and proven leadership to work for District 5. I respectfully ask for your vote.
THE STROUD VISION FOR DISTRICT 5
Housing Affordability: Building Solutions, Protecting Homeowners
I'm a long-time Californian, and I know exactly how crushing the housing market is. I bought my own home on military pay by scrounging and saving, so I know the struggle firsthand. But beyond that, I grew up in a family construction business and spent years between deployments as a project manager building homes. I know what goes into building a house, from the dirt to the roof, and I know exactly why they cost so much.
We need to lower the barrier to entry for new buyers and renters, but we must do it without crashing the market and wiping out the equity that existing homeowners have worked their whole lives to build. If increased supply causes home values to dip, we need to protect current homeowners with targeted tax breaks.
Here is my practical, builder-first approach to the housing crisis:
Making Homeownership Attainable:
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Tackle Material & Land Costs: We have to drive down the cost of construction. That means negotiating better trade deals on imported materials like Canadian lumber and aggressively boosting the U.S. lumber industry.
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Smart Infrastructure, Not Boondoggles: The cheapest land is outside the city centers. To make living there viable, we need practical, cost-effective public transit to job hubs—not open-ended money pits like the bullet train. We also must bring down fuel costs so working families aren't punished for commuting.
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Ban Corporate Land-Grabs: Wall Street corporations have no business buying up single-family homes to manipulate the market and turn neighborhoods into permanent rental farms. This practice needs to end. We also need strict limits on short-term rentals (like Airbnbs) in family neighborhoods to return that housing supply to the people who actually live here.
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Expand Mortgage Access: We need to explore expanding low-barrier lending programs—similar to the VA loans we offer our veterans—to help working-class, first-time buyers get their foot in the door.
Corporate Accountability in Renting:
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Make Mega-Corporations Pay Their Freights: In places where massive tech companies have driven the cost of living into the stratosphere, an employee making $70,000 a year shouldn't have to commute two hours just to afford an apartment. If a multi-billion-dollar corporation chooses to set up shop in an ultra-expensive area, it should be on them—not the taxpayers—to provide or ensure affordable housing options within a reasonable radius for their workforce.
We can solve this crisis by driving down building costs, kicking corporate monopolies out of our neighborhoods, and holding mega-corporations accountable.
Wildfires: Proactive Prevention and Protecting Our Homes
We have a serious wildfire problem in District 5, and it’s personal for me. During the Thomas Fire, I had to evacuate my own home. My family lived through the Paradise Fire, and my brother-in-law is a California state fire inspector. I know firsthand the devastation these fires cause, and with changing weather patterns drying out our higher altitudes, the threat is only growing.
Credit where it’s due: California and the Federal government have dialed in their fire suppression efforts. Thanks to better funding, modernized fleets with C-130s and advanced helicopters, and improved pay to retain our wildland firefighters, our response is stronger than ever.
But suppression isn't enough. We have a massive prevention problem, and it's directly driving the home insurance crisis that is crushing California homeowners. Out of 19 million acres of Federal land, clearing just 10,000 acres at a time is like pulling a single tick off a bull. We need to aggressively shift our focus.
The Action Plan:
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Solve the Insurance Crisis via Home Hardening: The biggest hole in our current strategy is home insurance. I will push for targeted federal and state funding to help residents harden their homes and clear defensible space. Once we upgrade our community safety standards, we can leverage that to force the big insurance companies to stop bailing on us and provide affordable coverage.
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Hold Power Companies Accountable: Neglected utility infrastructure sparked the Thomas Fire and many others. We pay these power companies a fortune. It is time to force them to use that money to aggressively maintain their equipment, clear the surrounding brush, and harden their grids by burying lines where necessary.
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Aggressive Forest Management: We need to move past the slow pace of current federal clearing efforts and the conflicting "let it burn" policies. We must dramatically scale up forest floor clearing and active mitigation across our federal lands before the fires ever start.
We have the suppression dialed in. Now, we need the funding and the political will to harden our homes, clear our forests, and hold the utilities accountable.
School Safety: Real Security, Not Partisan Politics
For too long, our students have been caught in the middle of a never-ending partisan argument over gun control and the Second Amendment. While politicians debate, our schools remain vulnerable.
As a retired Army Command Sergeant Major with 30 years of service, including multiple deployments downrange in Special Operations, I know weapons, and I know security. Banning specific firearms is a shiny object that doesn't solve the root problem, and our Second Amendment rights to self-defense are non-negotiable.
If we want to stop mass shootings in our schools right now, we need to treat them with the same level of protection we give to airports, theme parks, and sports stadiums.
The Action Plan:
• Physical Perimeters: Secure campuses with proper fencing, clear sightlines, and comprehensive camera systems.
• Controlled Access: Establish single-point entryways equipped with metal detectors to stop threats at the door.
• Dedicated Personnel: Staff entry points with trained, approachable security guards—like our retired veterans—who can build relationships with the students.
• Federal Funding: I will introduce legislation to federally fund these critical physical security upgrades for all public schools. If we can afford tax breaks at the billionaires, we can absolutely afford to protect our children.
By securing the perimeter, we keep threats out and prevent tragedies—for both the victims and any student in distress—before they happen. It's time to stop arguing and start protecting our kids.
Immigration & Border Security: Practical Solutions, Not Political Theater
For too long, the extremes on both sides have failed us. We've been left with a completely broken system while politicians scream at each other and nothing gets fixed. As a retired Army Command Sergeant Major with 30 years in Special Operations and Civil Affairs, I look at this strictly through the lens of practicality and results. We need a secure border, a functional immigration system, and a firm commitment to basic human dignity.
The current representative for District 5 has sat on the immigration subcommittee for years while this crisis has only gotten worse. Career politicians have had their chance and failed to deliver. It’s time for leadership that actually gets the job done.
The Action Plan:
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Secure and Control the Border: A wide-open border is a massive security failure that enables human trafficking and the unchecked flow of narcotics. We must close and control our entry points. I know it can be done—we successfully patrolled the East-West German border during the Cold War.
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Deport Criminals, Provide Pathways for Contributors: Violent criminals who break our laws must be deported immediately. However, for those who are already here—working hard, paying taxes, and being good citizens—we need a practical pathway to legal citizenship.
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Overhaul Legal Immigration: Our current legal system is incredibly slow and inefficient. We need a fluid, tiered system: a fast-track process for immigrants with the education and skills our economy needs, and a thorough, steady vetting process for everyone else.
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Enforce the Law with Dignity: Conducting military-style, tactical roundups in our streets, kicking in doors without warrants, and treating people like cattle is un-American. When I kicked in doors in Iraq, even captured enemy combatants were treated with basic dignity. America is a melting pot, and enforcing the law should never mean abandoning our humanity or tolerating bigotry.
Foreign Policy & Iran: Strategic Reality Over Political Profit
As a retired Command Sergeant Major with 30 years in Army Special Operations and Civil Affairs, I’ve served in Yugoslavia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. From the Cold War in Germany to modern conflicts in the Middle East, I have planned and run operations at the highest levels. I evaluate any military action by asking one fundamental question: What is the strategic objective, and what is the end-state? When we look at the current bombing campaign in Iran, the strategic math simply does not add up. We have to take a hard look at what is actually happening versus what we are being told.
The Tactical Reality:
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The Nuclear & Missile Threat: We are told the objective is eliminating their nuclear and missile capabilities. But with extensive intelligence assets in the region, precision strikes can manage localized threats without leveling a country. Furthermore, Iran does not possess the Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) required to pose a direct, existential threat to the U.S. homeland.
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The "Boots on the Ground" Trap: If the unspoken goal is regime change, let me be clear: there is no scenario where we install a friendly government in Iran without putting American boots on the ground. Iran wrote the book on asymmetrical warfare. A ground invasion would be a catastrophic loss of American lives, and it is a line we must not cross.
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The "Bomb and Leave" Failure: If we aren't putting troops on the ground, and we just bomb their infrastructure into submission and walk away, what have we achieved? The extreme anti-American regime remains in power, the Iranian people suffer immensely, and the region becomes more volatile. We've learned the hard way that it doesn't take a massive state military to execute devastating terrorist attacks or disrupt global shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
If It Doesn't Make Military Sense, Who Profits?
If this campaign doesn't secure a realistic end-state for American safety, we have to ask who actually benefits from the chaos.
When you destabilize Iran, you leverage the global oil market. It is no secret that Donald Trump, his family, and advisors like Jared Kushner have received billions in investments from Arab oil states. We have to seriously question if these military decisions are being driven by what is best for American security, or by an administration manipulating global oil fear for financial gain.
We need leadership in Congress that evaluates foreign policy based on the safety of the American people and the lives of our military personnel—not personal profit.
LIVE TOWN HALLS
SCHEDULE FORTHCOMING
LONE PINE, CA TOWN HALL
Alabama Hills Bakery Bar
325 S. Main St, Lone Pine CA
THIS SUNDAY: 22 MAR 2026
TIME: 2:30 - 4:00 PM
If you would like to invite me to speak, please reach out via team@danstroud2026.com.
The foundation of a transparent campaign is a direct, honest dialogue with every constituent. Dan Stroud believes in the power of public forums and is dedicated to regular, live sessions across California's 5th Congressional District.
Get ready to connect, to ensure we stay aligned, transparent, and engaged as a team, we will soon be launching a brand-new series of virtual weekly Town Hall meetings. These regular gatherings will serve as an open forum to share important updates, celebrate our recent wins, and answer your questions directly. Please keep an eye out for the upcoming calendar invitations and more details on our official start date.
DISTRICT 5 DIALOGUE
DAN STROUD
2026 // CA-D5