Russell Goldencloud "Russ" Weiner (born 1970) is the creator of the Rockstar energy drink. Weiner is also the founder and CEO of the company, which is based in Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

. Weiner is the son of Michael Weiner, better known as conservative radio talk show host Michael Savage

Michael Savage (commentator)

Michael Savage is a conservative American radio host, author, and political commentator. He is the host of The Savage Nation, a nationally syndicated talk show that airs throughout the United States on Talk Radio Network...

, and Janet Weiner.

Politics

With his father, he co-founded the Paul Revere Society. In 1998, he ran as a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 for the 6th district seat in the California State Assembly

California State Assembly

The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...

, receiving endorsements from his parents and the president of the NAACP branch in Oakland, California

Oakland, California

Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...

. In June 1998, Weiner won the Republican primary election by five votes. Among his campaign issues included advocacy for Proposition 227

California Proposition 227 (1998)

Proposition 227 was a California ballot proposition passed in the June 2, 1998 ballot. It effectively ended bilingual education programs in the state and replaced them with the Structured English Immersion model. The bill's intention was to educate Limited English Proficiency students in a rapid,...

, the ballot initiative eliminating bilingual education

Bilingual education

Bilingual education involves teaching academic content in two languages, in a native and secondary language with varying amounts of each language used in accordance with the program model.-Bilingual education program models:...

 in public schools, and protection of old-growth forests. Receiving 13.3% of the vote, Weiner lost to incumbent Democrat Kerry Mazzoni

Kerry Mazzoni

Kerry Mazzoni is a former California State Assemblywoman who represented the 6th District, consisting of Marin County and part of Sonoma County, from 1994 to 2000....

. After he lost the election, election posters depicting him were vandalized in an anti-Semitic

Anti-Semitism

Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...

 manner.

In 2009, Russell Weiner donated $25,000 to the California gubernatorial campaign of Gavin Newsom

Gavin Newsom

Gavin Christopher Newsom is an American politician who is the 49th and current Lieutenant Governor of California. Previously, he was the 42nd Mayor of San Francisco, and was elected in 2003 to succeed Willie Brown, becoming San Francisco's youngest mayor in 100 years. Newsom was re-elected in 2007...

, who was then the Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 mayor of San Francisco.

Personal life

Weiner graduated from Redwood High School in Larkspur, California

Larkspur, California

Larkspur is a city in Marin County, California, United States. Larkspur is located south of San Rafael, at an elevation of . As of the 2010 Census, the city's population was 11,926. Larkspur is located north of San Francisco near Mount Tamalpais. Larkspur's Police Department is shared with that...

 and graduated from San Diego State University

San Diego State University

San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...

 with a bachelor's degree in political science. He organized events for the Paul Revere Society and worked as a travel consultant. In 2006, he bought the West Hollywood

West Hollywood, California

West Hollywood, a city of Los Angeles County, California, was incorporated on November 29, 1984, with a population of 34,399 at the 2010 census. 41% of the city's population is made up of gay men according to a 2002 demographic analysis by Sara Kocher Consulting for the City of West Hollywood...

 home of basketball player Carlos Boozer

Carlos Boozer

Carlos Austin Boozer, Jr. is an American professional basketball player with the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association...

for $10 million. In 2008, he listed his home there for nearly $3 million (originally nearly $15 million based on replacement costs) and sold it for $8 million in 2009.