Candidate for
Member, City Council; City of Pleasant Hill

GENERAL BACKGROUND

After 28 years living in large and small cities, from Bronx, New York to Studio City, California, to Mountlake Terrace, Washington, to Woodridge, Illinois, I settled in Pleasant Hill. In 1990, my new wife, Cindy, and I moved our young family here.

I have varied interests, including sports, music, and conversation. I am an active community member, committed to teaching and helping others. My board memberships/community activities:

PUBLIC SERVICE BACKGROUND

I elected to the Pleasant Hill City Council in 1999. Be fore that, I was appointed to the Pleasant Hill Planning Commission in 1996, and was selected Chair `98-'99. My term on the Commission expired with my election to the City Council in 1999 in 2000. I was a member of the Retail Business Task Force and a recent graduate of Leadership Diablo when I was elected in 1999.

I am an associate member of the Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce and sit on two non-profit organizations' Boards of Directors: Legal Assistance for Seniors (a senior legal services provider) and Youth ALIVE! (A youth violence prevention and leadership training organization).

Pleasant Hill City Councilmember (1999-pres.; Mayor, 2001-2002; Redevelopment Agency Chair, 1999-2000 and 2003-pres.)

• TRANSPAC member (1999-pres.; Chair, 2003-2004)
• Contra Costa Transportation Authority Alternate (2002-pres.)
• Central County Regional Library Board Rep. (2000-2002; 2003-2004)
• So. Pleasant Hill FEMA Task Force (2000-pres.; Co-Chair)
• General Plan Task Force (2000-2002)
• Shaping Our Future Project steering committee (2002-2004)
• Association of Bay Area Governments City Rep. (2003-2004)
• City Rep. to Regional Committee to Develop a Mutually Agreed Upon Urban Limit Line (ULL) (2004)
• City Council Rep., Pleasant Hill Recreation and Park District Master Plan Task Force (2004)
• Education/Schools Advisory Commission Liaison
• Contra Costa Airport Land Use Commissioner + Contra Costa Mayors' Conference Appointee (2000-pres.)
• Mayors' Conference Executive Committee (2004);
• City-County Relations Committee - Mayors' Conference Appointee (2003-pres.)
• Director, Legal Assistance for Seniors (1996-pres.: Board President, 1999-2002; Co-Board Pres., 2003-2004)
• Director, Youth ALIVE! (1996-pres.: Board President, 1998-2001)
• Associate Member, PH Chamber of Commerce (1997 - pres.)
• Sequoia Middle School Parent/Faculty Club President (1992)
• Volunteer - Friends of Rodgers Ranch
• Volunteer - Pleasant Hill Fourth of July
• East Bay Housing Coalition Steering Committee
• And much more...

Over the years, my volunteer work has included volunteer income tax preparation for the elderly, pro bono legal service (primarily fraud and social security cases), participation in "Lawyers in the Library" (legal advice to the indigent), several years as a Street Law instructor in high schools (both during law school and in my professional life), volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, volunteer instructor at various legal advocacy skills programs and in high school moot court competitions in Oakland, food preparer at Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco, and volunteer counselor and fundraiser for YMCA.

EDUCATION

University of Chicago School of Law, Chicago, Illinois - J.D., 1990. Volunteer income tax preparer; intra-mural sports non-legend; member Black Law Students Association (Treasurer and VP).

Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey - B.A., Political Science, 1986. Certificate in Administration of Justice.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Safeway Inc., Pleasanton, California - Sr. Corporate Counsel, 8/30/99-Present. Counseling in the areas of intellectual property (principally, trademark and copyright), unfair competition, advertising, sweepstakes/contests, customer relations, pricing and consumer protection. Negotiating and drafting commercial contracts (gas and electric energy, product supply, distribution, manufacturing and purchase and asset acquisition agreements; software and technology licensing agreements; professional services agreements; advertising agreements; confidentiality agreements). Counseling and litigation management of public property speech/first amendment, bankruptcy, credit, collection, banking and financial services matters. Counseling senior executives through middle management in various departments: primarily corporate advertising, marketing, supply and distribution, I.T., e-commerce, energy, public affairs, and pharmacy acquisitions. Outside counsel management in patent and trademark infringement, commercial and advertising matters and related litigation.

Crosby, Heafey, Roach & May, Oakland, California - Associate, 9/90 - 8/99. Practice primarily involved intellectual property and general business litigation, including media representation. Also handled significant pro bono matters, including social security benefits cases. Past Chair, Associate Committee (1994-1997). Member Associate Pro Bono Committee and Associate Training Committee. Actively involved in recruiting. Professional Associations: State Bar (Litigation and Intellectual Property sections); American Bar Association (Intellectual Property and Litigation Insurance sections), Alameda County and Charles Houston Bar Associations.

Sachnoff & Weaver, Ltd., Chicago, Illinois - Summer Associate, 1989. Primarily in litigation.

Chapman and Cutler, Chicago, Illinois - Summer Associate and Law Clerk, 1988- 1989.

Cipher Services, Inc., Seattle, Washington - Paralegal, 1987.

American Arbitration Association, Somerset, New Jersey - Tribunal Administrator, Commercial/Construction Department, 1985-1986.

Public Defender Service, Washington, D.C. - Criminal Investigator - Intern, 1984(additional work as private investigator)

Held various receptionist, office clerk, bindery assistant, warehouseman, and other miscellaneous positions from 1979 - 1984.