John Fairbank has more than forty years’ experience in public opinion research and policy analysis, specializing in ballot measures and advising candidates on national, state, and local levels. As a founding partner of Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates (FM3 Research), John has consulted for clients in the areas of government, politics, education, business, non-profits, housing/development, and labor.
John has been the principal voter opinion researcher and strategic advisor for candidates across the country, helping guide successful campaigns for offices including the United States Senate and House of Representatives, governor, mayor, and other state and local offices. Among his many notable clients, he has served as pollster for U.S. Senator Patty Murray of Washington, former U.S. Senator Harry Reid from Nevada, former California Governors Jerry Brown and Gray Davis; Reps. Jimmy Panetta, Katie Porter, John Garamendi, Norma Torres, Grace Napolitano, Tony Cardenas, Mike Thompson, Lou Correa, Juan Vargas, and Congressman Robert Garcia (former Mayor of Long Beach).
In the 2022 election cycle, John was engaged with a variety of races, contributing to the triumphant campaigns of Communities United for Karen Bass, which made history electing the first woman Mayor of Los Angeles, as well as Rex Richardson in his victorious run for Mayor of the City of Long Beach. His input and services have helped elect County Supervisors Janice Hahn, Lindsey Horvath and Hilda Solis, as well as new LA City Councilmembers Katy Yaroslavsky and Tim McOsker. His polling also provided vital information for the Los Angeles Community College District as it passed the country’s largest ever community college bond measure ($5.3 billion) in 2022.
In addition to his work on candidate races, John regularly lends his expertise to ballot propositions, initiatives, and referendums centering around the arenas of transportation, education, affordable housing, homelessness, water, libraries, parks and recreation, conservation, environmental/climate protection, health care, cannabis, and public safety – particularly state and local bond and special tax measures. His recent research in support of Proposition 19 on California’s statewide ballot helped close a notorious loophole in the state’s property tax system while providing additional, critically needed revenue for local fire protection.
Rounding out John’s services are his consulting for both business and non-profit sectors. Among his many clients: The Walt Disney Company, NBC/Universal, Airbnb, and Mercury Insurance, The Nature Conservancy, the Trust for Public Land, the League of California Cities, the California Association of Realtors, California’s Coalition for Adequate School Housing (C.A.S.H.), the Building Industry Association of California, and the California School Boards Association.
John graduated from UCLA and serves as a Senior Fellow at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. He lives in Los Angeles.