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Santa Clara County, CA November 2, 2010 Election
Smart Voter Full Biography for Brian Andrew Schmidt

Candidate for
Director; Santa Clara Valley Water District; Division 7

[photo]
This information is provided by the candidate

Brian Schmidt is currently the Santa Clara County Advocate and spokesperson for Committee for Green Foothills, an organization that has worked for nearly 50 years to protect the open spaces and natural resources in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. Many of these environmental issues involve protecting our water, water supplies, and the Bay.

Brian has been involved in Santa Clara County Civic matters for 8 years. His past and ongoing experience managing governmental issues and shaping policy in our area include:

  • Chair and Vice Chair of the Water District's Environmental Advisory Committee
  • Member of the Water District's Performance Audit Committee
  • Chair and Vice-Chair of the County Fish and Game Commission
  • Member of the County Williamson Act Advisory Committee (preserving agriculture)
  • Community Resource Group (monitoring Stanford University's environmental compliance)
  • County Habitat Plan Stakeholder Group (preserving endangered species habitat)
  • Lecturer at Santa Clara University and a guest-lecturer at DeAnza Community College

Brian's past work was at Earthjustice (formerly called Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund) at the Environmental Law Clinic jointly run at Stanford Law School. Brian also worked at the private law firm Shute, Mihaly, & Weinberger LLP representing non-profits and government agencies on environmental issues throughout California. Before law school, Brian's career included starting a business, work at Denali National Park in Alaska, and volunteer health work in Southeast Asia.

Brian has lived in the area since 1996 when he entered Stanford Law School. He graduated as a J.D. "with distinction" in 1999. Brian's undergraduate degree is from Georgetown University, where he graduated in 1989 magna cum laude and as a National Merit Scholar.

Brian has published on water issues for academics, practicing experts, and the general public. Publications include:

  • Controlling Cumulative Impacts from Impervious Surfaces: Analysis and Recommendations for Santa Clara County
  • The Endangered Species Act, Second Edition
  • Protecting Local Wetlands: a Toolbox for Your Community
  • Reconciling Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act with Native American Water Rights (Stanford Environmental Law Journal)

Brian is married and lives in Mountain View. He is an avid rock climber and can often be found climbing or hiking in the open spaces he helps protect on a daily basis. He has one niece and five nephews.

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 24, 2010 21:39
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