Elihu Harris
Elihu Harris | |
---|---|
California Assembly from the 13th district | |
In office December 4, 1978 – December 3, 1990 | |
Preceded by | John J. Miller[3] |
Succeeded by | Barbara Lee |
Personal details | |
Born | Elihu Mason Harris August 15, 1947 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Shelia Wells-Harris |
Education | California State University, Hayward (BA) University of California, Berkeley (MPP) UC Davis School of Law (JD) |
Elihu Mason Harris (born August 15, 1947[4]) is a retired American politician and college administrator. A member of the Democratic Party, Harris served as the 46th Mayor of Oakland, California from 1991 to 1999;[5] he previously served for 12 years (1978–1990) as a member of the California State Assembly. He was the Chancellor of Peralta Community College District from 2004 to 2010.[6][7][8]
Early life
Born in Los Angeles, Harris moved to Berkeley, California during childhood and graduated from Berkeley High School in 1965.[4]
Harris earned a B.A. in political science from
Career
He has also served as a California Uniform Law Commissioner since 1981.[10]Harris was the Mayor of Oakland from 1991 until 1999.
From 1992 to 1997, Harris co-owned
Harris was the first major party politician to lose a state legislative race to a
His legacy in Oakland includes the naming of the Elihu M. Harris State Office Building after him, which was built in downtown Oakland near the pre-existing Federal Building and City Hall. The three proximate structures form a large triangle of massive government buildings in a larger business redevelopment area.
From 2003 to 2010, Harris was Chancellor of Peralta Community College District. He had been interim chancellor from 2003 until receiving the post on a permanent basis.[17] Following news coverage that raised questions about Harris' leadership, his contract was not renewed by the Board of Trustees when it expired on June 30, 2010.[6]
Harris and his wife also run a Berkeley funeral home that his parents once owned, according to county records listing him as its owner.[13]
FBI investigation
In March 2011, Harris was investigated by the FBI in relation to a no-bid contract awarded to his business partner, Mark A. Lindquist of 1701 Associates, Inc, for $948,796 back when Harris was still Chancellor of Peralta and Lindquist was still President of the district's foundation, serving as a boardmember on its Board of Trustees.[13] There were complaints about Lindquist's work and Harris did not disclose his business relationship with Lindquist until after the contract was awarded. Harris also declared his Piedmont partnership with Lindquist and three other partners in 2008 after Lindquist won the contract. But Harris and Lindquist signed real estate documents in August 2007 when the business bought a Piedmont property from Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Records show the deal had been negotiated for more than a year.[13]
See also
References
- ^ Welcome from Chancellor Allen
- ^ "Announcement from the Chancellor". Archived from the original on 2020-12-16. Retrieved 2020-01-17.
- ^ John J. Miller - Democratic
- ^ a b c d California State Archives. "Inventory of the Elihu Harris Papers". Online Archive of California. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
- ^ "Elihu M. Harris". The Independent Institute. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
- ^ a b Krupnick, Matt. Elihu Harris to leave Peralta district, Contra Costa Times, January 13, 2010. Archived March 30, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Peele, Thomas (July 13, 2010). "Judge will reconsider previous ruling that kept Peralta colleges document secret". San Jose Mercury News. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Felsing, Sam (July 22, 2010). "CoA in Turmoil". Alameda Sun. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
- ^ "CSUEB Department of Political Science Alumni". Archived from the original on 2012-07-08.
- ^ Ron Kelly Medical Act Archived 2006-08-16 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Willie Brown, Mayor Buy Radio Station". Los Angeles Times. 13 November 1992. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
- ^ Evenson, Laura (December 24, 1997). "Disney Radio Station Aims at Young Listeners". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
- ^ a b c d Matier, Phillip and Andrew Ross. Elihu Harris investigated over college contract, San Francisco Chronicle, March 27, 2011.
- ^ Salon.com article on 1999 campaign race Democratic Party and Green Party for California 16th District
- Pew Research. Archivedfrom the original on May 29, 2023.
- ^ New York Times article on Victory by California Assembly Candidate Is First for Greens
- ^ "Peralta picks Elihu Harris as chancellor", San Francisco Business Times, April 30, 2004.