Candidate for
Member of the State Assembly; District 44

Family

The youngest of four children, Anthony Portantino was born in Long Branch, New Jersey. From age eleven, he was raised by his single mom. Anthony cites his close relationship with his mother, Barbara, as the single greatest influence on his life. Her tremendous spirit and warm Italian heart inspired him. Her determined struggle to send her kids to college changed the course of his life.

A child of immigrants, Anthony's father was the first person in his family to attend college. Part of Tom Brokaw's aptly named "greatest generation," Anthony Portantino, Sr. was a World War II veteran who attended college after his service as part of the GI Bill of Rights. Unfortunately, his life was cut short at the age of 48, leaving Anthony's mom to raise four children on her own.

Anthony attended public schools on his way to a double BS in Psychology and Business from Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania. In college, he met his future wife, Ellen Gallagher. Ellen's father, Ed, was a lineman for over 30 years for Pennsylvania Power and Light and is a proud retired IBEW member. In 1989 Anthony and Ellen Portantino moved to California so he could pursue a career in the entertainment industry. Today Anthony is a successful filmmaker and Ellen is a Vice President of The Baby Einstein Company, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Anthony and Ellen have two daughters; Sofia, age fourteen, and Bella Rose, four.

City Council / Public Service

Anthony Portantino is a Councilmember in La Canada Flintridge, and the only Democrat on the City Council. He was elected to the Council in 1999 with over 70% of the vote in a heavily Republican city. He is known as a popular, hard-working leader who is currently serving in his seventh year on the City Council and who has just completed his second term as Mayor. He sits on a number of statewide and regional boards and served as President of the League of California Cities Mayor's and Councilmember's Department. He was also a past member of the Pasadena City College Bond Oversight Committee.

Public School Parent, PTA Member & Community Volunteer

With one child in public school and another on her way, Councilmember Portantino has been active in supporting education as well as in civic affairs. As a member of the City Council/School District Joint Use Committee, he has helped provide major funding and services for the local public schools. Anthony is an active member of the PTA, a Girl Scout dad, former middle school substitute teacher, an AYSO volunteer referee, and a past member of the Child Care Roundtable. In addition, he is a member of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), Vice Chair of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Advisory Board, a Life Member of the Altadena NAACP, a Board Member of Habitat for Humanity and a Kiwanian. A strong supporter of Community Colleges, Anthony signed the ballot argument in favor of the PCC $150 million school bond and served on the PCC Bond Oversight Committee.

Filmmaker

Anthony's career in film and TV production includes work as co-writer and producer of the feature film Time of Tears; Line Producer of the Spanish language children's Christmas special El Regalo De Paquito for Telemundo; Production Designer of Grizzly Adams/The Mark of the Bear and Art Director of the NBC series, Unsolved Mysteries. Anthony was also the Property Master of the acclaimed American Playhouse production of Warm Summer Winds. As an independent filmmaker, Anthony enjoys developing and working on historical films -- many dealing with important racial issues in American history. One of his favorite projects was the bi-lingual film Break of Dawn, which tells the true-life story of Pedro Gonzalez, the first Spanish-speaking radio personality in Los Angeles.

Party Activities

For nearly a decade Anthony has volunteered to help Democratic candidates and causes in the 44th Assembly District. In 2004 he was a leader in the Pasadena United Democratic Headquarters (UDH), working hard in our local effort to defeat George Bush and elect John Kerry. As Chair of the UDH Fundraising Committee he helped make our headquarters one of the largest grassroots efforts in the State of California. In addition, Anthony's Democratic Party Activities include: Past Co-Chair of ACT (the San Gabriel Valley's oldest liberal organization), member of Stonewall Democratic Club, Arroyo Democratic Club, Foothill Community Democratic Club, Democratic Club of the Pasadena Foothills, South Pasadena Democratic Club, Northeast Democratic Club, Charter Member of the La Canada Flintridge Democratic Club and a member of the Los Angeles County and State Central Committees. Anthony recently joined other activists in the fight against the Governor's misguided propositions on the November 8th Special Election.

Environmental Activism

As Vice Chair of the Santa Monica Mountains Advisory Committee, Anthony has made several trips to Washington to lobby Congress on environmental legislation -- twice on Sierra Club delegations in support of environmental legislation sponsored by Barbara Boxer and Hilda Solis, and once representing the Conservancy in testimony before Congress on the Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act. Anthony is Congressman Adam Schiff's district spokesperson on this Bill. Anthony also was instrumental in securing purchase grants for important regional open space in cities throughout the area. Most recently he spearheaded the effort to fund the Trust for Public Land to help acquire the Annandale Canyon Estates property in the City of Pasadena. Many prominent environmentalists in Los Angeles County and the State of California support him.

Broad-based Support

Anthony is running a strong campaign. He has raised over $500,000, and has garnered an impressive list of endorsements from grassroots activists, labor organizations, business leaders and elected officials from around the state and within the 44th Assembly District, including termed-out Assemblywoman Carol Liu (D-44) and State Senator Jack Scott, who previously held the 44th Assembly seat.