With the turn of the new year, the race for the 41st Assembly District seat being vacated by Assemblymember Fran Pavley has moved into a trot. The field of candidates narrowed this week when Louise Rishoff decided to withdraw from the race, noting the rigors of full-time campaigning. Rishoff, Pavley’s district director for three terms, had originally entered the race because of her commitment to the “environmentally fragile district.” She was not alone in focusing on the unique character of the sprawling district, which encompasses 70 miles of coastline between Oxnard and Santa Monica, with parts of the West Valley, Pacific Palisades and Brentwood, north of Montana included. All four remaining candidates endorse strong environmental protection for the area. Kelly Hayes-Raitt, a Santa Monica resident, has built her reputation on leadership in environmental protection. She was the executive director of the Coalition for Clean Air and the environmental representative for Lt. Gov. Leo McCarthy. She helped found Heal the Bay and worked to set health standards for toxic mold and to phase out dirty diesel school buses. She is also a strong supporter for civil rights for women, and was named a 2004 Woman of the Year by the LA County Women’s Commission. She has been endorsed by community leader Stanley Sheinbaum, Marcy Winograd, president of Progressive Democrats of America-Los Angeles; government officials, including Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante and State Sen. Richard Alarcon, entertainers such as Martin Sheen, trade unions members and Democratic party officials. Barry Groveman, a Calabasas resident, established his own reputation in environmental protection during Mayor Tom Bradley’s administration, where he served as assistant city attorney in charge of environmental protection. Later, he was appointed special assistant district attorney for the County in charge of environmental crime and OSHA and established the first environmental crimes/OSHA division in the D.A.’s office. He was principal co-author of the environmental law Proposition 65, the safe drinking water and toxic enforcement act of 1986. He is currently a senior partner at Musick, Peeler & Garrett, where he directs the firm’s public and environmental law practice. He has been endorsed by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Sheriff Lee Baca, L.A. City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, community leaders Lee Alpert, Doug Ring and Daniel Villanueva. Julia Brownley of Santa Monica has demonstrated her vow towards a clean environment through her efforts to convert the Santa Monica School District’s buses to diesel. Also, as president of the Santa Monica Board of Education, she proposed that the district ban the use of pesticides or herbicides on school sites and incorporate “green building standards” in its plans for future facilities. However, Brownley’s primary focus and experience is children. She is serving her third term as a member of the Santa Monica-Malibu Board of Education as well as her third term as president of the board. She holds a B.A. in political science from George Washington University and an MBA from American University. Prior to her work on the school board, Brownley worked in marketing for several Fortune 500 companies. Last year she was named YWCA Woman of the Year for her leadership on the school board and in her community. She has been endorsed by State Sen. Sheila Kuehl, Fran Diamond, board member of the California League of Conservation Voters, L.A. Councilman Bill Rosendahl, business leaders such as Byron Auguste, director of McKensie and Company, and educators. Jonathan Levey brings a background in public policy, law and land-use issues to the race. A Santa Monica resident, Levey most recently was vice president at Catellus real estate investment trust. In that capacity, he worked with development teams and city officials on new and existing projects, which included converting desert areas into wildlife preserve, Union Station transit network downtown and a new home for the UCSF campus and the headquarters for California’s stem cell research initiative. He is currently teaching business law at Cal State University, Channel Islands. A Princeton graduate with a degree in public policy and a law degree from Harvard, Levey served as counsel to an assembly commission on the California Initiative Process, and recently joined an advisory committee for the Trust for Public Land’s Parks for People program. He has been endorsed by former Congressman Mel Levine, State Sen. Jack Scott, and Georgia Mercer, trustee on the LA County Community College Board.
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