THE RACE FOR COSTA MESA CITY COUNCIL

Jennifer Kho

COSTA MESA -- City Council candidate Ronald J. Channels is a man of

many interests.

He has four jobs, including running his own accounting firm, Ronald J.

Channels Inc., volunteers at several youth organizations, flies an

airplane at least once a week, plays racquetball, rides his two

Harley-Davidson motorcycles, makes pens out of wood, paints and is

learning to play the piano.

Channels said he is a handyman who can fix nearly anything in the

house that breaks, and he is religious.

In his spare time -- three hours a day, seven days a week -- he reads,

learning how to fix things and researching government codes, tax

regulations and procedures, immigration, astrophysics and anything else

that piques his interest.

“My brain goes very fast,” Channels said. “I can’t stop it. Sometimes

I wish I could, but I can’t. I knew since I was a little kid that I could

do more things than the average person, but that hasn’t always been a

plus. People get mad at you when you can do too many things, and you end

up being a loner. They consider you a little weird when you don’t fit in

with the norm.”

He said the number of activities he participates in doesn’t reduce the

intensity he devotes to them, however.

Volunteering is his most satisfying activity, he said, adding that his

interest was sparked when he and his wife separated 10 years ago.

“I really had to work things out,” Channels said. “It changed my life.

I went from taking as much as I could to giving, and that really made my

life so much easier.”

He and his wife reconciled, and Channels said he has dedicated

countless hours to helping others since.

Aside from the organizations he volunteers at, Channels said he has

helped a number of individuals personally, including one woman he helped

to save her own marriage.

“I believe [volunteering] is really where I get the most

satisfaction,” he said. “I believe you get 10 times what you give, and

I’m not talking about money. When you do good and help other people, you

have a better mental attitude because you’re excited and can see the

fruits of your labor down the road.”