Candidate for
State Senator; District 31

Marjorie Musser Mikels, an Inland Empire native, is the Democratic candidate for the 31st State Senate District.

Community and Political Experience

While Mrs. Mikels earns her living as an attorney at her Upland firm, she devotes her life to community service. Social Justice is her passion. She has a long history of political struggle for human dignity and wise planning in governmental decisions. She cut her political teeth in the 1960s battles for civil rights, choice, and to stop the Vietnam War. She then turned her attention to local government and environmental issues.

In 1977 she assisted the campaign to incorporate the City of Rancho Cucamonga, and helped elect her husband as a founding Councilman and Mayor and later to the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors. She has actively participated in Inland Empire local government issues for over 27 years.

In the 1990's Marjorie fought political and legal battles on behalf of grassroots organizations to stop the Ward Valley radioactive waste dump and restrict transport of nuclear materials. She remains active in efforts to clean up polluted groundwater basins, stop the privatization of water resources, and halt development in the forest reserves.

In 2002, Marjorie ran for Congress against a powerful Republican incumbent in a heavily Republican district. She drew attention to her opponent's role in weakening our Constitutional rights by pushing through the Patriot Act without adequate review or debate. She opposed efforts to pass the "fast-track free trade" bill that resulted in massive loss of American jobs by encouraging corporations to move abroad to exploit cheap labor and weak environmental protections.

While progressive on social issues, Mrs. Mikels is a fiscal conservative. She helped Upland taxpayers successfully defeat a proposed utility tax measure, and has litigated on behalf of persons whose property is taken without just compensation through illegal tax assessments and code enforcement mechanisms. She published articles and contributed to a book on tax limitation and expenditure measures such as Propositions 13 and 4.

Marjorie Musser Mikels is passionately committed to social justice and human rights. She vigorously defends open government and fights corruption and influence by special interests. She supports and has represented political participants who were victims of official retaliation for blowing the whistle on government misconduct.

Boards and Commissions

Mrs. Mikels has served on many boards and commissions including:

• Peace with Justice of the Pomona Valley;
• Ontario Community Relations Commission;
• Chaffey College Foundation;
• Main Street Upland;
• President of Upland Charter Chapter of American Business Women's Association, selected as one of its Top Ten Business Women in the United States;
• First Amendment Coalition annual conference panelist;
• Pomona Valley Human Relations Counsel honoree for contributions to peace and justice and featured speaker on the current status of women.

Marjorie earned her law degree (Juris Doctor) from UCLA and holds a Bachelor's of Arts degree in sociology from Westmont College, where she graduated magna cum laude.

Personal

Marjorie Mikels is the mother of three grown daughters and looks forward to becoming a grandmother. She has traveled extensively in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Asia. She loves singing and playing her accordion.