Thank you for visiting my website. I am excited to represent our community on the SMMUSD School Board. This grassroots campaign is about putting our children and parents first and working with teachers and the community to fight for our students. I am a civil rights attorney with a long history of public service. A seat on the SMMUSD School Board is an extension of my commitment to serve the public good, but in this case, my clients are the families of Santa Monica. My wife and I have our own two elementary school age daughters and understand first-hand the need to invest in the future of our community. I am asking for your vote on November 3rd.
I have made a career fighting for the underdog. As a Deputy District Attorney in Portland, Oregon, I prosecuted abusers on behalf of domestic violence victims. As a criminal defense attorney, I accept court appointments to defend indigent members of our community. As a civil attorney, I have defended the intellectual property of some of our local artists against large companies and movie studios, protected women and minorities from discrimination, and enforced prisoners’ rights including the first successful lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Prisons on behalf of prisoners who became ill with Valley Fever while imprisoned.
The late Robert F. Kennedy said: “The purpose of life is to contribute in some way to making things better.” I have lived that idea whether it’s volunteering for many years at the Venice Family Clinic or serving on the College Board of Trustees as the elected student representative for my law school or serving on the Board of Planned Parenthood as well as being a member of the PTA for John Muir and Franklin Elementary, community service is a part of my life.
As a parent in SMMUSD, I have watched the district debt crisis deepen. Parents feel more removed from the School Board’s decision making process. And as a parent of a special needs student, I have seen too many disputes unnecessarily devolve into lawsuits causing precious resources to fund lawyers and settlements instead of those resources going to our teachers, students and schools.
I support the Board’s mission of closing the achievement gap, but we need new leadership for these extraordinary times. The achievement gap closes when all students achieve their potential. We have fantastic schools, but a dysfunctional bureaucracy. Wonderful teachers, but our School Board has become complacent. I pledge to you that this will change.