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I have had several milestones, and numerous accomplishments
as your mayor and councilmember. I can say with certainty that I am older, and hopefully wiser too! Given the time demands
of three jobs at once(city council, representing and advocating for tenants, and the business of running a solo law practice),
I closed my private practice in October 2007. I now have a new job with a statewide non-profit disability rights organization.
It is listed on my resume below.
In the past four years I was twice chosen as Public Servant of the Year in our local
News and Review poll. I was also selected as the Big Brothers Big Sisters 2005 Big Citizen. The foregoing reflects my commitment
to community service.
I'm still learning, still building consensus and still problem solving, to help us collectively
continue to nurture, protect, and enhance our community for the greater good.
My updated 2004 synopsis and resume follows:
I am fifty-five(55) years old, divorced single parent with a
23 year old daughter and a 37 year old son. My sense of family with my daughter's mom and our children, and my role as a father,
are probably my own most important personal defining characteristics.
My sense of family spills over into my appreciation
for Chico, and the feeling of community, of a greater family, that makes Chico my special home. Appreciation for all that
is "Chico" is one of the reasons I am running for City Council.
I came to Chico fresh out of law school in 1978, through
the VISTA program.(That's "Volunteers in Service To America", for those who are too young to remember, or have forgotten.)
I was a legal aid lawyer for approximately twenty years before opening my private practice in 1996. The focus of my work has
always been helping those in need, the disadvantaged, those without a voice. One of my most personally satisfying awards was
receiving the State Bar of California President's Pro Bono Service Award in 1998.
To give people a "voice", to be an
effective advocate, one has to be a good listener. My strength and qualifications as a City Council Member come from being
a fair and effective advocate who listens. I seek and find consensus and compromise in my work for my clients. I will continue
to do so for all of Chico as one of its new Council Members.
While a legal services lawyer I was a union shop steward
for two terms, and was a lead negotiator for two collective bargaining agreements. As my legal services career evolved, I
also served as an office managing attorney. Presently I am on the Board of Directors of C.A.R.D., and am on the Board of the
Chico Community Shelter Partnership. I was previously on the Board of Catalyst, Women's Advocates. I have been running my
own solo law practice for seven years now. My employment and management background, and my volunteer work, give me a breadth
of experience and vision that well qualifies me to serve the entire community on our next City Council.
I have been
a mentor through both the Parent Education Network, and through Chico High School. When my daughter was in the local public
schools, I was a PTA parent site representative at both Chico Junior High and Chico High School.
I have played on
a coed slow pitch softball team for the last twenty years, I'm an ardent supporter of the Blue Room theater, I'm a regular
at Rooks games, and look forward to baseball coming back to Chico.
I live, work, and play in Chico. Being on its
Council will be a personal and professional next step for me.
EXPERIENCE:
November 2007 to present
Office
of Clients Rights Advocacy/Disability Rights California
Serving as Clients' Rights Advocate for people with developmental
disabilities.
January 1996 to October 2007
LAW OFFICE OF ANDREW T. HOLCOMBE
Self employed in general
civil practice, with emphasis on eviction defense.
January 1986 to December 1995
LEGAL SERVICES OF NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA
BUTTE REGIONAL OFFICE, CHICO, CA
Staff Attorney: General civil practice with emphasis on landlord-tenant
and housing discrimination issues.
March 1983 to December 1985
LEGAL AID FOUNDATION OF SANTA BARBARA COUNTY
Staff
Attorney: General civil caseload, with emphasis on housing issues, family law, and administrative law.
December 1978
to March 1983
LEGAL SERVICES OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA BUTTE REGIONAL OFFICE, CHICO, CA
VISTA Attorney and Staff Attorney:
Work involved full range of civil cases, with emphasis on housing law. Also worked with the Chico Housing Improvement
Program to develop low-income housing availability in Butte County.
Fall 1977
URIBE, SOREM & MACNEIL SAN DIEGO,
CA
Business Planning Internship Clerked for attorney specializing in business and corporate matters.
Fall 1976
METROPOLITAN
AREA ADVISORY CENTER NATIONAL CITY, CA
Legal Intern: Interviewed clients, handled cases and made court appearances through
free legal clinic.
EDUCATION
November 1978: MEMBER OF CALIFORNIA BAR
May 1978: JURIS DOCTOR DEGREE
1975-1978:
UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO SCHOOL OF LAW, SAN DIEGO
Summer 1977: UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO-OXFORD PROGRAM
Summer 1976: UNIVERSITY
OF SAN DIEGO-PARIS PROGRAM
1971-1975: TULANE UNIVERSITY, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA B.A., French and History
1973-1974:
ECOLE DES ETUDES ECONOMIQUES SORBONNE (University of Paris)
HONORS: Graduated Cum Laude
French Government Award
University
Scholars Program
OTHER PROFESSIONAL TRAINING AND AWARDS
September 1998: STATE BAR OF CALIFORNIA
President's Pro
Bono Service Award
October 1995: MEDIATION CENTER OF THE NORTH VALLEY Mediation Training
October to December 1994: EL
CENTRO DE ESTUDIOS DE ESPAŅOL APOP WUJ Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
August 1998 to present: CHICO
COMMUNITY SHELTER PARTNERSHIP
Board of Directors
November 1998 to present: CHICO AREA RECREATION DISTRICT
Board of Directors
September 1998 to September 2001: CHICO HIGH SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL Parent Representative
1997
to present: COMMUNITY HOUSING IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM
Community Board Member
January 1998 to June 1999: PARENT EDUCATION
NETWORK
Volunteer Mentor Program
1991-1995: CATALYST, WOMEN'S ADVOCATES Board of Directors; Secretary
BAR ACTIVITY
January
1998 to September 2001:
MEMBER OF STATE BAR OF CALIFORNIA IOLTA TRUST FUND COMMISSION
1992-1997: MEMBER OF STATE BAR
OF CALIFORNIA PRO BONO INVOLVEMENT SUBCOMMITTEE OF LEGAL SERVICES SECTION
1988-1995: PRO BONO COORDINATOR FOR BUTTE REGIONAL
OFFICE OF LEGAL SERVICES OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
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