Steve Soboroff
 |
This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2012) |
Steve Soboroff (born August 31, 1948) is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Weingart Foundation and past Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Playa Vista. In September of 2011 he was appointed by the California Science Center to be the Senior Advisor to the museum in its project with NASA to bring, and permanently exhibit, the Space Shuttle Endeavour to the CSC.
Soboroff is the Chairperson of the Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles Loyola University. He is also a Senior Fellow and member of the Advisory Board at UCLA's School of Public Affairs [1], a member of the Board of Councillors at the USC School of Planning and Public Policy and served as Senior Advisor to Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan.
From 1995-2000 he was President of the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Commission and ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of Los Angeles in 2001 with Riordan's endorsement.
Contents |
[edit] 2001 Race for Mayor
Soboroff entered the 2001 mayoral primary election, and received Riordan's endorsement. In the primary, Soboroff received the most votes among Republicans, Jews, Westsiders and residents of the San Fernando Valley. He finished third overall, coming within 3% of eventual winner James K. Hahn. Hahn and former California State Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa advanced to the runoff.
In 2005, many of the traffic-fighting proposals Soboroff introduced during his 2001 campaign, as well as his plan to break up the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), were reintroduced by other candidates in that year's mayoral contest. Later in 2005, newly-elected Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, with whom Soboroff competed for the Mayor's job in 2001, implemented Soboroff's proposal to ban all road construction during rush hour. Villaraigosa's 2005 and 2009 campaign manager, Ace Smith, played the same role for Soboroff in 2001.
[edit] Education
Soboroff holds Bachelor and Masters Degrees from the Dept. of Finance, Insurance and Real Estate at the University of Arizona.
[edit] Playa Vista
In October 2001, six months after finishing out of contention in the Los Angeles mayoral race, Soboroff joined Playa Vista as the company's President.
[edit] Los Angeles Dodgers
On April 19, 2011, Soboroff was hired by Frank McCourt to be the Vice Chairman of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team. His responsibilities were said to include leading the efforts to improve the fan experience and strengthening the team's ties to the community.[1] One day later, Major League Baseball seized control of the Dodgers from McCourt. Soboroff was one of McCourt's most vocal defenders, making several statements to the media on his behalf.[2] He resigned his position on June 25, 2011, citing the "unanticipated action by the commissioner of Major League Baseball..." as preventing him from doing the job he was hired for.[3]
[edit] Works cited
- Los Angeles Times. Staples Center : "Six Who Made It Happen". (articles.latimes.com/1999/oct/10/magazine)
- Vincent, Roger. "Steve Soboroff moving on from Playa Vista; He played a lead role in getting the project built" Los Angeles Times. 21 April, 2010
