for Richard Holober

	Detailed Biography for Richard Holober

This information is provided by the candidate

Richard Holober is the President of the Millbrae School Board. During his tenure as an elected trustee, the Millbrae School District has won several awards for academic achievement. Last year, the district's middle school was one of only two middle schools in the county that won national recognition as a Blue Ribbon School by the US Department of Education. This year, Millbrae middle school students were randomly selected to participate in an international competition in science. Out of 41 nations competing, Millbrae's middle school students ranked second. In contrast, U.S. students overall finished in 17th place.

Richard "has demonstrated an impressive command of school finance." (Millbrae Sun 10/27/93) Richard Holober has produced $40 million dollars in balanced school district budgets. Last year, Standard and Poor's gave the Millbrae School District an "A+", its highest fiscal rating. Richard opposed school district plans to tax local property owners without a vote of the people.

Richard Holober is a leader in the career-training field. In 1995, Richard Holober served on the California Department of Education's School to Career Curriculum Committee. The committee wrote an innovative curriculum to link the classroom with student's future career paths. Richard also served on the California Community Colleges Vocational Education Plan Committee ('Perkins Plan'). He serves on the San Mateo County School to Career Task Force. He has served on the San Mateo County Private Industry Council, which oversees federal job training funding.

Richard Holober wrote the Minimum Wage Initiative (Proposition 210). Richard works in the field of labor relations, representing working people. For years, Richard fought to raise the minimum wage. By 1995, the minimum wage had plunged to a 40 year low. One in four California children lived in poverty, at great risk of failing in school. Most poor children had parents working minimum wage jobs.

That year, Richard founded the Liveable Wage Coalition. Richard Holober was the statewide Proposition 210 campaign manager. Richard built a coalition that embraced labor, religious, consumer, senior citizen, civil rights and business organizations. He directed a petition drive that collected nearly 800,000 signatures to put the minimum wage increase on the ballot. Richard appeared in 40 radio and television debates. He championed the value of rewarding hard work with a living wage. The initiative won with a landslide victory in the November 1996 election, and received a 69% Yes vote in San Mateo County. The Proposition 210 campaign brought the issue of the working poor into public view and spurred Congress to enact a federal minimum wage increase in July 1996.

Richard Holober cares about the community. Richard Holober has served on the Board of Trustees of the United Way of the Bay Area, Caltrain Citizens Advisory Committee, and the San Mateo County Growth Policy Council. After the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, Richard directed a fund raising drive that distributed $250,000 in relief to earthquake victims.

Richard's family knows the value of public education. Richard's wife Nadia, is a graduate of San Carlos High School, Canada College, UC Berkeley, and Hastings College of the Law. Nadia is an attorney and San Mateo County Planning Commissioner. They have two sons who attend public school in Millbrae.

Richard is an area resident for 17 years. He received a public school education, graduated from the University of Rochester, and attended graduate school at Cornell University.

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Detailed Biography for Richard Holober

This information is provided by the candidate