Candidate for
Councilmember; City of Berkeley; District 6

BIOGRAPHY

I have a long history of community involvement, service, and accomplishment in Berkeley. As the aide to Council member Betty Olds since 1992, I am also the senior member of the Planning Commission, having served as chair for two of the last ten years. During that time I led the University Avenue Strategic Plan Sub-Committee, which made recommendations to the City Council on development standards on University Avenue. In addition, I also chaired the Density Bonus Sub-Committee, which examined the very complex rules governing development in California. I also served on committees that evaluated the Landmarks Preservation Ordinance, and established a Blight Ordinance that helps neighborhoods deal with abandoned properties in the City of Berkeley.

Active in Democratic Party politics, I have served as President of the Berkeley Democratic Club since 2000. With my energy and conviction, the BDC has become a major force in educating people about important legislative issues and in fundraising for democratic candidates. I have served on many boards, including those of Prospect School, The Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association, and The Live Oak Neighborhood Association, which I founded.

Trained at the Bank Street School in New York with a Masters Degree in Special Education, I was a classroom teacher for many years. I am also an award winning documentary film maker, best known for my film "Love It Like A Fool" about Berkeley songwriter and singer Malvina Reynolds. Currently, I consult as the visuals editor at the Emma Goldman Papers at UC Berkeley, which recently published the first two volumes of "Emma Goldman, a Documentary History of the American Years."

I came to California in 1969 from New York City. My husband Mark, an Oscar-winning film sound maven and professor at UC, and I raised our family in North Berkeley.

An independent thinker and creative problem-solver, I take pride in my effectiveness at bringing consensus to differing opinions on controversial issues. My endorsements reflect the respect I have earned from a broad political spectrum.