In 1994, freshman Assemblywoman Kathleen Honeycutt (R-Hesperia) opted at the last minute not to seek reelection for health reasons.
She did not inform any GOP officials of her decision, but did tell then unknown Olberg, a consultant with the Building Industry Association, and also endorsed him.
Although he was eventually joined in the race by veteran Victorville City Councilman Michael Rothschild, the tip off helped Olberg win the GOP primary easily, scoring 65% of the vote.
[1] He won easy reelections in 1996 and 1998 in the vast, sparsely populated and overwhelmingly safe GOP district.
He won the GOP primary with 62% of the vote, then narrowly lost the general election to Assemblyman Kevin Shelley (D-San Francisco) by 4 points.