Candidate for
Member, City Council; City of Rancho Palos Verdes

I graduated from USC in 1971 with honors and participated in a unique program called Urban Studies providing an in-depth look at what makes a community work. I had the great honor of working with Frank Hotchkiss, one of the early pioneers of the Southern California Association of Governments. Lessons learned from those studies continue to shape my view of how to sustain the quality of life we all enjoy in our beautiful city.

For more than 35 years I have been involved in real estate development with extensive experience in contracting, legal and financial aspects of the business. By carefully analyzing investment opportunities, I took an alternative approach to the business. I specialized in preserving the historic buildings of the Venice area and quickly found that not only did I not waste resources by recycling older buildings but, because of the cultural value and charm of these historic buildings, I was getting the same, and sometimes more, rent per square foot as my colleagues did with their more wasteful and expensive "tear down and build new" approach. The alternative niche I created for myself was a rewarding experience not only financially but also the pride of saving the historical culture of this unique community.

During that time I was also very involved in the arts. I was a musician with a group called The Aman International Folk Ensemble and traveled across the nation, as well as toured the Middle East for the U.S. Information Service, performing the music for the many beautiful cultures this world has to offer. I was also a part of the Music Center's educational program and shared this cultural experience through my music with many inner city children. Knowing that the arts are always the first thing to get cut out of our school budget, I stepped up with my knowledge of the many forms of international music and put together a class for my daughter's school to enrich their educational experience. As my daughter advanced in the school system, I continued working to find ways of preserving the music programs that were under threat of being cut out of the budget.

I have always felt a desire to make my community a better place in which to live. In College, I proposed a new link between science and government. In the early 1970's, legislators were making decisions about environmental issues using partial information provided by lobbyists. I proposed to have a third, neutral source of scientific knowledge be consolidated from the available research institutions so that the legislative body, as well as the public, could compare that information with information the lobbyists were presenting. The idea got bogged down by bureaucratic hurdles, but to this day I firmly believe that informed decision makers make informed decisions and as Planning Commissioner always do my homework before making a decision.

I moved to Rancho Palos Verdes about 13 years ago with my family and was attracted to the quality of life this community provided: excellent schools; abundant open space; safe neighborhoods; and the quality of the people who also claimed this city their home.

My civic involvement in Rancho Palos Verdes started a decade ago when I took action against threats to the character of our community by losing some of our precious open space to an exclusive golf proposal. Learn more about this effort by accessing the community service list on the home page under Save our Coastline II

As I learned more about our city, the residents and those who were elected to represent the residents, I became more engaged in the many issues facing the City and took a more proactive stance with City planning which lead to my seat on the current Planning Commission.

As a retired businessman, I now have the time to devote to the demanding job of Councilman and would be honored to be your representative.