Candidate for
Councilmember; Town of Portola Valley

Douglas B. Aikins. Born October 10, 1950, in San Diego, California. Descendant of Mountain View's pioneer Whisman family. Married to Deborah Churton Aikins, with sons Ross (20)and Andrew (18) and stepson Michael Hale (22).

Educated in public schools in California, Virginia, Oklahoma. Graduated from Norman High School, Norman, Oklahoma, 1968. Received my B.A. in Political Philosophy (1972), and M.A. in Human Relations/Social Psychology (1974) from the University of Oklahoma, and my J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 1977. I have lived in Stanford/Palo Alto since 1974.

Began municipal law career with Wilson, Jones Morton & Lynch, the San Mateo law firm which incorporated Portola Valley and provided its Town Attorney for decades. I served as Deputy City Attorney of Cupertino and Assistant City Attorney of Sunnyvale from 1978 through 1986, specializing in land use, planning and zoning, public works, redevelopment, housing and related subjects. Associate attorney with Brobeck Phleger & Harrison, and partner at Ware & Freidenrich (now Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich) from 1986 through 1995, representing private clients and the East Palo Alto Redevelopment Agency. I formed the East Palo Alto Redevelopment Agency and helped implement economic revitalization of that community as its Redevelopment Counsel for 6 years, until 1992.

In private practice with General Counsel Associates since 1995, I have represented landowners, Silicon Valley companies and other clients throughout the state, including as Pro Bono clients the Sierra Wilderness Coalition, The Backcountry Horsemen and the High Sierra Packers' Association, and a 1998 citizen's lawsuit to prevent Bay Meadows' effluent pollution of Foster City Lagoon.

I served in the Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Naval Reserve, for 8 years, retiring as a Lieutenant Commander in 1988. I have spoken and lectured on land use and environmental law before many professional groups and associations, including the League of California Cities, the California Community Colleges Association, Stanford Business School, USF Law School, San Jose State Graduate Planning Department, the American Planning Association and the Building Industry Association.

Hobbies and recreation include trail running, cycling, open-water rowing, camping, golf, kayaking and other outdoor sports. Amateur interests are Geology (member of the Portola Valley Geologic Safety Committees since 1999), California history and archeology.