As the world gets more complex, the importance of local community could not be more clear.

Being born in California, raised back-and-forth between Connecticut and Florida by divorced parents, and searching for that sense of belonging from town to town and year to year, Brian would find it in the San Fernando Valley, where he lives with his wife, Stephanie, and their two cats. Serving as President of the Studio City Neighborhood Council, Brian’s fundamental goal is to provide that feeling of community through local civic engagement.

He is passionate, compassionate, and has a sense of responsibility to those who often feel like the decks are stacked up against them. A strong progressive, Brian believes in the protection and expansion of civil rights, the reclaiming of our public spaces and public goods, and the building of a society that restores justice for all.

He believes that the San Fernando Valley can be the key to solving some of today’s biggest issues. If we can solve the housing crisis here, we can solve it everywhere. If we can bring real transportation options for our area, we can scale it sea to shining sea. Progressive change can only happen when it’s approached with a local focus, because it’s the only way to ensure that the people are being put first.

As an enthusiast of American history (as can be seen through his political web comic, Two Party Opera), Brian understands, contextually and practically, the ebb and flow of tyranny and the cyclical nature of our country’s past and present. In times like these, he feels that the only direction to go when faced with daily chaos and runaway injustice, is not to just return to some nonexistent “normal,” but to repair the failures of a society that led to the crisis in the first place.

With his understanding of legislative procedures both theoretically, through his academic research, and practically, through his work with the Studio City Neighborhood Council as both a board member and President, he’s able to see both the greater context of policies and legislations to be brought forth, as well as the implications on the local level for the CA-30th district.

The importance of civic engagement and the power of communities to understand the inner workings of the jobs of those who are meant to be of service to them, such as our members of Congress, is a huge driver for Brian and the work that he does.