Sally J. Lieber
Encyclopedia
Sally Lieber was a Democratic California State Assembly
member and former Mountain View, California
City Council member and Mayor. She represented the 22nd Assembly District that includes the cities of Mountain View, Sunnyvale
, Cupertino
and portions of Santa Clara
and San Jose
which are all located in Santa Clara County.
Lieber held the office of Speaker
pro Tempore
in the 2007-2008 legislative session. In the November 7, 2006 general election she was re-elected to her third and final term in the assembly, beating her Republican
opponent Roger Riffenburgh by 68.8% to 31.2%. In 2008, she was term-limited out of the office.
on April 24, 1961. As a youth growing up in the '60s and '70s, she was interested in the antiwar and civil rights movement
s. In junior high school, she wore glasses over her hair so she would look like Gloria Steinem
, the feminist icon and revolutionary journalist.
After graduating high school, Lieber worked restoring Victorian houses and specialized in hanging historical wallpapers http://www.metroactive.com/metro/03.07.07/sally-lieber-0710.html http://www.vote-smart.org/bio.php?can_id=MCA59766. She spent 10 years at this job. As she hung wallpaper, Lieber's interest in politics grew as she listened to NPR
and this encouraged Lieber to return to school.
In her late 20s, she began taking night classes at San Francisco City College. During this time, she met her husband David Phillips, a product management director in Mountain View. The two ran into each other at Burning Man
, an art festival held every year in the Nevada desert.
After they married in 1992, Lieber moved to the peninsula and transferred to Foothill College
, where she started going to school full-time and became involved in student government. She worked on issues of child care for student parents, campus access for the disabled and student health care.
with a political science
major, working with Professor Luis Fraga. When she took his urban politics class, she began to think seriously about running for the Mountain View City Council. The 37-year-old Lieber, still a senior at Stanford, launched her campaign for city government in 1998. Lieber won this election, as the top vote-getter of seven candidates and served as Vice Mayor and Mayor. She also served as the City's representative on the Valley Transportation Authority's Board of Directors and as Chair of the Santa Clara Valley Water District's Water Commission. In 2001 a group of citizens launched an effort to recall her from office but that effort was abandoned when Lieber won the Democratic primary for the 22nd Assembly District, a seat almost guaranteed to the Democratic candidate, by way of an earlier redistricting of voters in the 22nd Assembly District.
Lieber ran for the 22nd Assembly district seat in 2002. She ran against Santa Clara
council member Rod Diridon Jr. who was endorsed by most of the party heavyweights, and fellow Mountain View council member Rosemary Stasek in the democratic primary. She surprised some a political spectators when she won with 44 percent of the vote. Her volunteers walked to 58,000 households during the campaign http://www.metroactive.com/metro/03.07.07/sally-lieber-0710.html.
Lieber won the general election against Sunnyvale Republican Mayor Stan Kawczynski. Kawcynski accused Lieber of voter fraud because Lieber referred to herself on the ballot as a "councilwoman" instead of a "councilmember" and because she referred to her position on the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Board of Directors as a transit director http://www.mv-voice.com/morgue/2002/2002_08_23.sally.html. A lawsuit over the issue was dismissed.
Lieber announced in December 2006 that she would be running for the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors district 5 in 2008 against Liz Kniss
http://www.metroactive.com/metro/03.07.07/sally-lieber-0710.html, though she later bowed out of that race.
, and increased social justice
. Since she's been in office, Lieber's dedication to her citizen constituents far outweighs her allegiance to big corporate players, which is unusual considering her district includes the business hub of the Silicon Valley
.
Lieber authored legislation to increase the state's minimum wage
, co-authored a green house gas reduction bill, and joint-author of a bill to legalize gay marriage (though that bill was later vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
). Lieber was one of only a few heterosexual legislators to joint-author Mark Leno
's marriage equality bill. She has authored legislation that includes efforts increasing pupil immunizations, creating an independent sentencing commission, and improving the living conditions of inmates in California's overcrowded prisons.
Lieber has authored legislation providing for a death penalty moratorium, advocating for the rights of pregnant inmates in state prison (allowing them to have prenatal vitamins
, providing larger clothes as they got larger with pregnancy, anti-shackling during childbirth), fighting for victims of human trafficking and battling toxic-dumping corporations. Most recently, she helped thousands of women by pushing for a mandatory vaccine against the virus that causes cervical cancer
aka HPV.
, in an attempt to understand the problems the homeless face, and how the legislature can help them. She begged for money, and collected cans and bottles, in order to buy food on the streets of Mountain View and San Jose
http://www.metroactive.com/metro/03.07.07/sally-lieber-0710.html. Lieber used the experience to encourage the Governor to keep cold weather shelters open for the homeless.
which prohibits spanking children under the age of 2 years or over the age of 11 years, which was passed in 2004. The proposed bill has since been opposed by some on the basis of the practical aspects of enforcing it, though there are those who support it as well (early polling suggests that it is supported by 23% of Californians). Lieber was not spanked as a child http://www.metroactive.com/metro/03.07.07/sally-lieber-0710.html.
California, the California National Organization for Women
, California League of Conservation Voters
, California School Employees Association
, the California Alliance for Retired Americans
, and the California Labor Federation AFL-CIO
. She has received low ratings from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association
and the California Chamber of Commerce
.
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
member and former Mountain View, California
Mountain View, California
-Downtown:Mountain View has a pedestrian-friendly downtown centered on Castro Street. The downtown area consists of the seven blocks of Castro Street from the Downtown Mountain View Station transit center in the north to the intersection with El Camino Real in the south...
City Council member and Mayor. She represented the 22nd Assembly District that includes the cities of Mountain View, Sunnyvale
Sunnyvale, California
Sunnyvale is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is one of the major cities that make up the Silicon Valley located in the San Francisco Bay Area...
, Cupertino
Cupertino, California
Cupertino is an affluent suburban city in Santa Clara County, California in the U.S., directly west of San Jose on the western edge of the Santa Clara Valley with portions extending into the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The population was 58,302 at the time of the 2010 census. Forbes...
and portions of Santa Clara
Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara , founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852, is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. The city is the site of the eighth of 21 California missions, Mission Santa Clara de Asís, and was named after the mission. The Mission and Mission Gardens are located on the...
and San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
which are all located in Santa Clara County.
Lieber held the office of Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
pro Tempore
Pro tempore
Pro tempore , abbreviated pro tem or p.t., is a Latin phrase which best translates to "for the time being" in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a locum tenens in the absence of a superior, such as the President pro tempore of the United States Senate.Legislative...
in the 2007-2008 legislative session. In the November 7, 2006 general election she was re-elected to her third and final term in the assembly, beating her Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
opponent Roger Riffenburgh by 68.8% to 31.2%. In 2008, she was term-limited out of the office.
Personal
Lieber was born in Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
on April 24, 1961. As a youth growing up in the '60s and '70s, she was interested in the antiwar and civil rights movement
Civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
s. In junior high school, she wore glasses over her hair so she would look like Gloria Steinem
Gloria Steinem
Gloria Marie Steinem is an American feminist, journalist, and social and political activist who became nationally recognized as a leader of, and media spokeswoman for, the women's liberation movement in the late 1960s and 1970s...
, the feminist icon and revolutionary journalist.
After graduating high school, Lieber worked restoring Victorian houses and specialized in hanging historical wallpapers http://www.metroactive.com/metro/03.07.07/sally-lieber-0710.html http://www.vote-smart.org/bio.php?can_id=MCA59766. She spent 10 years at this job. As she hung wallpaper, Lieber's interest in politics grew as she listened to NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
and this encouraged Lieber to return to school.
In her late 20s, she began taking night classes at San Francisco City College. During this time, she met her husband David Phillips, a product management director in Mountain View. The two ran into each other at Burning Man
Burning Man
Burning Man is a week-long annual event held in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada, in the United States. The event starts on the Monday before the American Labor Day holiday, and ends on the holiday itself. It takes its name from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy on Saturday evening...
, an art festival held every year in the Nevada desert.
After they married in 1992, Lieber moved to the peninsula and transferred to Foothill College
Foothill College
Foothill College is a community college located in Los Altos Hills, California and is part of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District. It was founded on January 15, 1957 by Founding Superintendent and President Dr. Calvin C. Flint.-History:...
, where she started going to school full-time and became involved in student government. She worked on issues of child care for student parents, campus access for the disabled and student health care.
Political
In the mid-1990s, Lieber transferred to Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
with a political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
major, working with Professor Luis Fraga. When she took his urban politics class, she began to think seriously about running for the Mountain View City Council. The 37-year-old Lieber, still a senior at Stanford, launched her campaign for city government in 1998. Lieber won this election, as the top vote-getter of seven candidates and served as Vice Mayor and Mayor. She also served as the City's representative on the Valley Transportation Authority's Board of Directors and as Chair of the Santa Clara Valley Water District's Water Commission. In 2001 a group of citizens launched an effort to recall her from office but that effort was abandoned when Lieber won the Democratic primary for the 22nd Assembly District, a seat almost guaranteed to the Democratic candidate, by way of an earlier redistricting of voters in the 22nd Assembly District.
Lieber ran for the 22nd Assembly district seat in 2002. She ran against Santa Clara
Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara , founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852, is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. The city is the site of the eighth of 21 California missions, Mission Santa Clara de Asís, and was named after the mission. The Mission and Mission Gardens are located on the...
council member Rod Diridon Jr. who was endorsed by most of the party heavyweights, and fellow Mountain View council member Rosemary Stasek in the democratic primary. She surprised some a political spectators when she won with 44 percent of the vote. Her volunteers walked to 58,000 households during the campaign http://www.metroactive.com/metro/03.07.07/sally-lieber-0710.html.
Lieber won the general election against Sunnyvale Republican Mayor Stan Kawczynski. Kawcynski accused Lieber of voter fraud because Lieber referred to herself on the ballot as a "councilwoman" instead of a "councilmember" and because she referred to her position on the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Board of Directors as a transit director http://www.mv-voice.com/morgue/2002/2002_08_23.sally.html. A lawsuit over the issue was dismissed.
Lieber announced in December 2006 that she would be running for the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors district 5 in 2008 against Liz Kniss
Liz Kniss
Liz Kniss is currently the president of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in San Jose, CA....
http://www.metroactive.com/metro/03.07.07/sally-lieber-0710.html, though she later bowed out of that race.
Leadership positions and committees
During her first term she served as Assistant Speaker pro Tempore. During this term she was the only woman to serve as an officer of the Assembly. She took the oath of office for Speaker pro Tempore on October 24, 2006, becoming the third woman to serve in this role since 1849. She also serves on the Assembly's Committee on Insurance, Committee on Judiciary, Committee on Local Government, Committee on Health and as the Chair of the Assembly's Select Committee on Mobilehomes. She previously served as the Assembly Chair of the legislature's Joint Committee on Ending Poverty in California.Legislative priorities and accomplishments
Sally Lieber's main legislative priorities include: increased educational and economic opportunities for all citizens of California, protection for the environment, improvements to public healthPublic health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
, and increased social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
. Since she's been in office, Lieber's dedication to her citizen constituents far outweighs her allegiance to big corporate players, which is unusual considering her district includes the business hub of the Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
.
Lieber authored legislation to increase the state's minimum wage
Minimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily or monthly remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers. Equivalently, it is the lowest wage at which workers may sell their labour. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in a great many jurisdictions, there are differences of opinion about...
, co-authored a green house gas reduction bill, and joint-author of a bill to legalize gay marriage (though that bill was later vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
). Lieber was one of only a few heterosexual legislators to joint-author Mark Leno
Mark Leno
Mark Leno is an American politician, representing California's 3rd Senate district, which includes parts of San Francisco and Sonoma County, as well as the entirety of Marin County. He was elected in 2008 and is the first openly gay man to serve in the Senate...
's marriage equality bill. She has authored legislation that includes efforts increasing pupil immunizations, creating an independent sentencing commission, and improving the living conditions of inmates in California's overcrowded prisons.
Lieber has authored legislation providing for a death penalty moratorium, advocating for the rights of pregnant inmates in state prison (allowing them to have prenatal vitamins
Prenatal vitamins
Prenatal vitamins are vitamin supplements intended to be taken before and during pregnancy and during postnatal lactation. Although not intended to replace a healthy diet, prenatal vitamins provide women of child bearing age with nutrients recognized by the various health organizations including...
, providing larger clothes as they got larger with pregnancy, anti-shackling during childbirth), fighting for victims of human trafficking and battling toxic-dumping corporations. Most recently, she helped thousands of women by pushing for a mandatory vaccine against the virus that causes cervical cancer
Cervical cancer
Cervical cancer is malignant neoplasm of the cervix uteri or cervical area. One of the most common symptoms is abnormal vaginal bleeding, but in some cases there may be no obvious symptoms until the cancer is in its advanced stages...
aka HPV.
Homelessness experience
In April 2006, Lieber spent several days living as if she were homeless in Santa Clara ValleySanta Clara Valley
The Santa Clara Valley is a valley just south of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California in the United States. Much of Santa Clara County and its county seat, San José, are in the Santa Clara Valley. The valley was originally known as the Valley of Heart’s Delight for its high concentration...
, in an attempt to understand the problems the homeless face, and how the legislature can help them. She begged for money, and collected cans and bottles, in order to buy food on the streets of Mountain View and San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
http://www.metroactive.com/metro/03.07.07/sally-lieber-0710.html. Lieber used the experience to encourage the Governor to keep cold weather shelters open for the homeless.
Spanking bill
Lieber was in the press in January 2007 by announcing she was planning on introducing a bill that will make it illegal in California to spank a child three years-old or younger. She may have been inspired by the law in CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
which prohibits spanking children under the age of 2 years or over the age of 11 years, which was passed in 2004. The proposed bill has since been opposed by some on the basis of the practical aspects of enforcing it, though there are those who support it as well (early polling suggests that it is supported by 23% of Californians). Lieber was not spanked as a child http://www.metroactive.com/metro/03.07.07/sally-lieber-0710.html.
Political leanings
Lieber is a staunch liberal. Lieber has been rated at 100% by the Sierra ClubSierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
California, the California National Organization for Women
National Organization for Women
The National Organization for Women is the largest feminist organization in the United States. It was founded in 1966 and has a membership of 500,000 contributing members. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S...
, California League of Conservation Voters
California League of Conservation Voters
The California League of Conservation Voters is a nonpartisan lobbying and educational organization which focuses on environmental issues affecting California....
, California School Employees Association
California School Employees Association
The California School Employees Association is the largest labor union in the United States. CSEA represents more than 230,000 public employees in California....
, the California Alliance for Retired Americans
Alliance for Retired Americans
The Alliance for Retired Americans is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of retired trade union members affiliated with the AFL-CIO. Its predecessor organization was known as the National Council of Senior Citizens....
, and the California Labor Federation AFL-CIO
AFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
. She has received low ratings from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association
Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association
Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is a political organization that helped sponsor Proposition 13 in California in 1978.It was founded by California Republican Howard Jarvis. The organization has outlived its founder, and continues to operate to the present day under the same name, opposing all...
and the California Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
.
Succession Boxes
External links
- Official Assembly District 22 Website
- Vote-Smart Bio of Sally Lieber
- Sally Lieber Political History
- Recall Sally Lieber Website
- Normand, V. (7-13 March 2007) "Spanks for The Memories" Metro Silicon Valley
- http://www.metroactive.com/metro/03.07.07/sally-lieber-0710.html