Candidate for
Councilmember; City of Rancho Palos Verdes

Please visit Doug's web site at http://www.palosverdes.com/douglasstern. The web site contains numerous news articles that will best acquaint you with Doug and his resident-friendly record while on the RPV City Council.

Doug Stern has been very active in Rancho Palos Verdes working to protect and preserve the unique quality of life that residents of the Peninsula enjoy. He served for 7 years on the Board of Directors of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy, where he was a prime architect of the land acquisition program that has preserved 190 acres of Peninsula land for the enjoyment of all residents. He has a unique background because of this experience.

Prior to joining the RPV City Council in 1999, Doug was the two term president of the RPV Council of Homeowners Associations, where he championed many resident friendly initiatives. Among these was a request that the RPV City Council post on the Internet all the city staff reports for all items on the City Council agenda, so that residents could review the items easily. This was rejected by the then sitting council, and was not adopted as policy for RPV until Doug was elected in 1999, and he renewed this request.

Doug is a lifelong resident of Los Angeles County, having been raised in Bellflower, California. He attended U.C.L.A. where he received his A.B. with a double major in political science and economics (with honors) in 1975. He then attended U.C.L.A. Law School, where he was selected to serve on the U.C.L.A. Law Review, based upon being in the top 10% of his class. He graduated from U.C.L.A. Law School in 1978, and has been practicing business litigation since.

Upon graduation from Law School Doug began the practice of law with the Los Angeles law firm of Miller & Mandel, specializing in business litigation. That firm merged with the national law firm of Pepper, Hamilton & Scheetz in 1982. In 1986 Doug was elected to the partnership at Pepper, Hamilton & Scheetz. In 1990 Doug joined the national law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P as a business litigation partner. His practice has been varied and covers many areas of business law.

Doug has been married for 27 years to Eileen Stern. They have two daughter, one attending U.C.S.D. and the other attending Palos Verdes Peninsula High School.

While on the City Council Doug has emphasized the importance of open communication with the residents, and high ethical standards. He has been a strong advocate for conducting business in the most open manner possible, and providing the residents with the most accessible information possible. He has led the city to make dramatically improved use of the Internet, e-mail, listserv, and other technologies to provide the residents information. The press has noted Doug's devotion to open government, and commented, "Council took an important step in bettering communication ... when it barely voted through Councilman Doug Stern's measure .... it was a truly major step toward repairing relationships between the residents and the body they elected..." P.V. News September 9, 2000.

He has also led the effort to preserve natural open space on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, drawing on his unique background in the PVP Land Conservancy.

Doug has received numerous other favorable comments from the press. He has been described as "Mayor Doug Stern ... the detail conscious member ..." P.V. News May 22, 2003.