Here Comes Jonathan!
Dan Mazur of the Topanga Messenger profiles Jonathan Levey:
In the crowded field seeking the Democratic nomination for California 41st Assembly District seat, Jonathan Levey figures as something of an outsider, without the name recognition or elected experience that most of the other candidates possess. But this Santa Monica attorney and professor at Cal State Channel Islands has made his presence in the race felt with an impressive fundraising effort that put him near the top of the pack in terms of cash-on-hand going into the campaign. Levey points to his breadth of experience in business, law and education, and a “get things done” attitude as he sets out to convince District voters that he’s the man for the job.
A native of St. Louis, Levey graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Law School before moving to Santa Monica to work for law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson. He then went to work as Vice President for Catellus, a major real estate investment and development firm whose projects include the Mission Bay in San Francisco and the refurbished Union Station in downtown L.A. He also served as counsel to a State Assembly Commission on the California Initiative Process, chaired by former Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg.
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Levey has high praise for the environmental accomplishments of Fran Pavley, the current Assembly member from the 41st.
“I would love to pick up the mantle of things Fran has done successfully,” he says. “She’s done a phenomenal job working across party lines and just getting things done.”
He mentions Pavley’s initiatives on greenhouse emissions and hybrid cars, and says he would continue to encourage alternative fuels and sustainable development.
Levey’s undergraduate major was in education policy, and he lists improving public education among his priorities. He describes “one of the saddest, most ironic comments I’ve heard in the campaign.
“You ask people what the issues are, and everyone says transportation, the environment….One person said to me ‘education,’ then he paused and said, ‘maybe not—most people send their kids to private schools.’”
“The irony is,” Levey continues. “California had a public education system that was the envy of the nation. It’s hard enough to find an affordable place to live, and then you’re looking at 10 to 15 to 20 thousand dollars a year for school because people don’t feel comfortable sending their kids to public school.”
When he speaks of education, Levey’s careful to go beyond elementary and secondary schools.
“I’ve been teaching at Cal State Channel Islands and the reason I’m particularly interested at that level is that the Cal State system is the difference between kids who go to college and kids who won’t go to college,” he says. “It’s not just about K-12 and universal preschool, it’s also meeting higher education needs throughout the State.”
