Pub. 2 2014 Issue 3

28 San Diego Dealer BRIAN MAIENSCHEIN LEGISLATOR PROFILE I n November of 2012, Brian Maienschein was elected as Assemblyman for the 77 th District, winning with a record number of votes in the district. Prior to being elected as an Assemblyman, Maienschein was selected as San Diego’s first Commissioner on Homelessness. The programhe created received aGoldenWatchdog award fromthe SanDiegoCounty Taxpayers Association for its success in reducing homelessness and savings millions of dollars in taxpayer money. Brian was elected to the San Diego City Council in November 2000 with 63% of the vote, the most ever received by a non-incumbent, and was re-elected without opposition in 2004 to represent the San Diego City Council’s Fifth District. In the course of both elections, he received the highest number of votes ever cast for a City Council candidate. During his tenure on the City Council, Brian preserved over 11,000 acres in the San Pasqual Valley from development. He secured the opening of State Route 56 and made numerous infrastructure improvements throughout his district. He is most well known for his outstanding response to two wildfires that swept through his district, the Cedar Fire in 2003 and the Witch Creek Fire in 2007. Brian and his staff walked the burned-out neighborhood streets themselves to create a list of the homes that had been destroyed and got this news out to his constituents before they were allowed to return. In the fire’s aftermath, he set up a one-stop shop for disaster victims to lead the rebuilding efforts. The plan he created is now viewed as a national model for disaster response. Prior to serving on the City Council, Brian was the Executive Director of Youth Court, an innovative program that has forged a partnership between law enforcement, schools, and community groups to get first-time juvenile offenders back on track. For his work with the program, Brian received the District Attorney’s Crime Victims Rights Award. As a Councilmember, he expanded the program throughout San Diego. Thousands of San Diego students have now been through the program. In recognition of his hard work on behalf of our community, Maienschein received the 2003 Legislator of the Year Award by the American Planning Association. He has also been named one of the Top 50 People to Watch in San Diego by San Diego Magazine and was the recipient of the Top 40 under 40 Leadership Award by San Diego Metropolitan Magazine . Brian was named one of San Diego Magazine’s 50 People to Watch in 2011, receiving this prestigious recognition for a second time. Recently, Maienschein received the Channel 10 News Leadership Award and was named one of San Diego’s 2012 Top Influentials by The Daily Transcript. Brian teaches a course on Election Law at the University of San Diego Law School and California Western School of Law. A graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara and California Western School of Law, Brian’s proudest accomplishments are his two daughters, Taylin and Brenna.