Eric Mar
| Eric Lee Mar 馬兆光 |
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| Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from District 1 |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 8, 2009 |
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| Mayor | Ed Lee |
| Preceded by | Jake McGoldrick |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 15, 1962 San Francisco, California |
| Nationality | United States |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | San Francisco, California |
| Alma mater | University of California, Davis |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Asian American Studies teacher |
Eric Lee Mar (Chinese: 馬兆光; pinyin: Mǎ Zhàoguāng, born August 15, 1962) is a California politician, previously serving on the San Francisco Board of Education and San Francisco County Democratic Central Committee. In 2008, he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors representing District 1.
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[edit] Early Life
Eric Mar was born in San Francisco, CA on August 15, 1962 along with his twin, Gordon.
Mar was an associate professor at San Francisco State University from 1992 to 2008, when he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He taught Asian American and Ethnic Studies. [1] As an associate professor, he mentored and supported hundreds of young people to become active in their communities and the political process.
From 1993-97, Mar was the Assistant Dean for New College Law School in San Francisco, where he taught a course on critical race theory.[2]
Mar is a graduate of the University of California, Davis; he received his law degree from New College of California and is an inactive member of the California State Bar.[3]
[edit] Early Activist and Organizing Work
Mar has served on the Human Rights Committee of the State Bar of California and the Civil Rights Committee of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.
Mar is a board member of the Chinese Progressive Association and a founding member of API-FORCE (Asians and Pacific Islanders for Community Empowerment) and the Institute for Multiracial Justice. He is a past executive board member of the Bay Area Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. In 1999, Mar received the community service award from the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA). He is a former shop steward for Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 790.
In 2000, Eric Mar's house burned down and on the same day, his daughter Jade was born.[1]
[edit] San Francisco Board of Education
After his house burned down in April, 2000, Mar was ineligible to run for Supervisor as he had planned.[4] Instead, he ran for the Board of Education, placing second. As a Commissioner for the Board of Education he
- Co-authored with Tom Ammiano and led the campaign to pass Proposition H in 2004 which spends up to $60 million per year in funding to for school programs;
- Addressed fiscal corruption and mismanagement in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD);
- Created the Parent Advisory Council to the SFUSD, which strengthened parent, student and community involvement in SFUSD policy-making;
- Authored legislation on closing the achievement gap[citation needed] and on fostering healthier and safer schools;
- Led to the creation of a model "green building" facility at Argonne Child Development Center in the Richmond District;
- Served on the Select Committee of the Board of Supervisors and Board of Education, which coordinates policy-making between city government and the school district.
Eric Mar often spared with former Superintendent Arlene Ackerman because of her authoritarian manner which often excluded the voices of teachers, parents, and students. Ackerman has since been hired, then fired by the Philadelphia school district.[5]
Beyond Chron, blamed Ackerman for the discord:
At a September 2003 meeting of the Board of Education, Mar was among "three board members with whom Ackerman has locked horns said they remain steadfast in their objections to her management of the district, which they characterize as autocratic and unyielding to differing views."[6]
In 2003, Mar, along with School Board members Sara Lipson and Mark Sanchez, passed a resolution that passed the board called for a day of on-campus public discussion about the possibility of a war in Iraq.".[7]
AsianWeek newspaper criticized Mar for his support of closing down the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps in San Francisco high schools. [8]
[edit] San Francisco Board of Supervisors
In 2008 Mar ran for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for District One and won the election, defeating planning commissioner Sue Lee in November.[9]Mar took office on January 8, 2009.
Mar co-sponsored the building the Sunset Reservoir Solar Project, California’s largest municipal solar installation. The project has been credited for creating jobs and lowering the city's carbon emissions.[10]
Mar was the chief supporter of a law to ban restaurants from including toys unless the meals were nutritious, for instance they reduced sugar, fat and sodium content, and included fruits and vegetables. Mar said he intended the measure as an incentive for restaurants to sell healthier meal choices. This legislation was passed on an 8-3 vote despite Mayor Newsom's disapproval and veto. Newsom's veto, however, was overridden by a super majority of the Board of Supervisors. [11][12]
[edit] References
- ^ a b AsianWeek.com
- ^ Full Biography for Eric Mar
- ^ State Bar of California Membership Records
- ^ AsianWeek: Bay Area: Political Potstickers
- ^ Arlene Ackerman
- ^ S.F. schools chief vows to stay in job
- ^ Knight, Heather (September 25, 2003) "Schools chief in S.F. hints at quitting." San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ Staff Report (November 10, 2006) "End of the JROTC?" AsianWeek.
- ^ San Francisco City and County Dept. of Elections (November 4, 2008) Ranked Choice Voting: Board of Supervisors, District 1
- ^ http://www.sfbuildingtradescouncil.org/content/view/461/65/
- ^ http://www.sfexaminer.com/blogs/under-dome/2010/11/happy-meal-toy-ban-official
- ^ http://www.sfbos.org/ftp/uploadedfiles/bdsupvrs/ordinances10/o0290-10.pdf
[edit] External links
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Jake McGoldrick |
Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 1 2009–present |
Incumbent |
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