8 minute read
Conversation
Marc Levine
The 40-year-old San Rafael resident and California Assembly member has lived an enviable political life.
BY JIM WOOD • PHOTOS BY TIM PORTER
IN THE 1939 film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, a naïve young man is sent to the nation’s capital, where scheming politicians hope to take advantage of him. If Marin has a sequel to that movie, its title would be Mr. Levine Goes to Sacramento.
But don’t let California Assemblyman Marc Levine’s looks fool you. If he appears young, it’s because he is. He’s only 40, but naïveté does not appear to be part of his makeup. In fact, the opposite may be the case. In his first two-year term in Sacramento, the San Rafael Democrat authored 23 bills that passed both houses of the state Legislature and were signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown.
The fact that Marc Levine is even in the California State Assembly — representing more than 450,000 residents of Marin and southern Sonoma counties — is in itself movie-worthy material. The former software product manager moved to Marin with his family just 10 years ago and quickly rose through the political ranks with positions in his local neighborhood association and later on San Rafael’s city council, where he eventually became vice mayor. Finally he, without the endorsement of the state Democratic Party, ran to represent California’s 10th District in the state assembly in 2012. He won despite being outspent six to one, then was returned to that same seat in 2014 with 75 percent of the votes.
Levine currently lives in San Rafael’s Sun Valley neighborhood with his wife, Wendy, and their two kids, Wyatt, 8, and Meredith, 6.
Let’s start with the usual question of those relatively new to governmental affairs: Do you
have a political hero or mentor? You know, I’ve been interested in politics for years, so it would be easy to say someone like Abe Lincoln from a historical perspective or Hillary Clinton more recently. But more locally, my answer is Bill Bagley, who represented Marin in the state assembly in the 1960s and early ’70s. I’ve spoken with him several times and read his autobiography, along with several historical accounts of that era. He is an incredible model. Even though he was a Republican, he was available to everyone, was forward thinking on social issues for that time and was someone the voters of Marin would very easily support today — if he was a Democrat. I think he really had a sense of how to best represent our community, rather than do what the special interests told him to do. And I think that’s what is sometimes lacking in politics today.
In 2012, what went through your mind prior to your running for the California State
Assembly? When I first started looking seriously at running for the state assembly, we were all told to get in line and support my opponent — and that was early in my political career; I was still in my 30s. But I thought, this is not the way to show leadership, to just support the person I was told to support, the person Sacramento was moving into the
district to represent it. I thought it was more important to stand for something, and to distinguish myself with the pragmatic position from which I make decisions. It was important for me to run despite the fact my opponent had the special interest and political blessings from Sacramento. And this, despite the fact I could have had a safe and secure role on the San Rafael city council and continue to develop as a local elected official and have it known that I, like others, take my cues from Sacramento. Instead, I think I did the right thing by giving voters a choice. I also invoked
While it would have been easier to have my path paved in gold, I would never trade it for what I have experienced. You own a business. You face some crucial financial decisions. We help you make them. You live your dream.
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the wrath of the interests that didn’t want someone new, fresh and independent up in Sacramento. That was not fun; in fact it was searingly painful. But while it would have been easier to have my path paved in gold, I would never trade it for what I have experienced.
Dealing with the here and now, what do you consider to be the greatest challenges currently
facing the State of California? There is no doubt about it, funding higher education and K–12 is our most critical challenge. Our children deserve the finest-quality education.California’s future depends on it. We have underfunded
our universities and made them unaffordable for many middle-class families. Reinvesting in institutions of higher learning is a high priority. Funding higher education at the appropriate level will require prioritizing this investment in our future. I believe we have the leadership in the state capital to do that.
What are other statewide challenges? The drought has to be high on the list of challenges we face. A reliable water supply is critical. This November, voters passed a water bond. The Legislature has also allocated money for drought programs and passed historic legislation to manage groundwater. But there is much more to be done. For example, we also have to reduce water demand through conservation and increased use of recycled water. And importantly, we must prepare for the next recession. We need to continue paying down California’s wall of debt. We have to control spending in order to continue funding for education and other vital public services. Passing Proposition 2 (the rainy day fund) is a very good start.
What are your legislative goals for 2015?
I plan to pursue legislation to address California’s most pressing issues as well as those of special concern to North Bay communities. Sea level rise, environmental
protection, a healthy economy, access to higher education, our decaying highways, our public pension system, protections for seniors, mental health and suicide prevention and health care are all issues I am looking at for 2015. It is definitely a full plate. My first bill in 2015 will name the Robin Williams Tunnel. We also need to protect long-standing climate change policies to reduce greenhouse gases by moving people out of their cars into cycling and walking. That’s why I am authoring legislation to make sure that there is no pedestrian toll on the Golden Gate Bridge.
What are your personal goals for the New
Year? It has always been important to Wendy and me to achieve a healthy balance between private and public life. Representing the North Bay in Sacramento takes much of my time and energy. However, my family will
always come first. In the coming year I hope to spend more time with my wonderful wife and children. This year Wendy and I will celebrate our 11th anniversary. We will probably celebrate that event with our extended family. Like many Marin families, we passionately love Tahoe. In 2015, I hope to have more time for skiing the mountains and being around the lake with my children. I also plan to attend more home games of the World Series champion San Francisco Giants and our hometown San Rafael Pacifics. m
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