Steve Rocco is an American politician, who served as a board member of the Orange Unified School District from December 6, 2004 to December 6, 2008 in Orange, California, a perennial candidate for public offices, and a former public-access television cable TV personality. Rocco gained international attention by winning an upset victory to his board seat in 2004 with absolutely no campaigning and for being considered an eccentric.
Rocco previously ran for mayor of Santa Ana but finished third out of three candidates.
In 2004, Rocco was elected to Orange Unified School District despite making no public appearances or comments about his candidacy. Although some[who?] were not sure if he would even show up to the board meetings, he did so, and with a theatricality whereby he made speeches about conspiracy theories involving charter schools, his father's death, and a group of politicians and other leaders he calls The Partnership, which he claimed was trying to control the United States and kill Rocco for speaking out against them. Soon, an attempt to recall Rocco was established but failed to garner enough signatures to be put on the ballot. The board did vote to censure Rocco, to which Rocco responded by suing the board, but he lost the case in court.
In 2008, Rocco filed to run against incumbent Carlos Bustamante for Santa Ana City Council. Rocco won 18% of the vote, coming in third out of four candidates. In September of that year, he was arrested for stealing a bottle of ketchup from the cafeteria of Chapman University.
In 2014, Rocco ran for Orange County Clerk-Recorder.[1] He ran for Clerk-Recorder again in 2022. In 2024, Rocco again ran for a seat on the school board of the Orange Unified School District.[2]