January 2, 2008
Guest: Assembly Member
Anthony Portantino,
California's 44th Assembly District
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Part One (30 min. 10 sec.) | Part Two (28 min. 49 sec.)
Barry talks with the assembly member about education, job training, the economy, and other issues of importance to the district, state, and nation -- including umbilical cord blood banking, a life-and-death issue championed by the assembly member.
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California Assembly Member Anthony Portantino
Assembly member Anthony Portantino was elected to serve the 44th Assembly District in November, 2006. The district encompasses Altadena, Duarte, La Canada Flintridge, Pasadena, South Pasadena, and Temple City. It also includes portions of Arcadia; Monrovia; Mayflower Village; and the Northeast Los Angeles neighborhoods of Glassell Park, Hermon, Highland Park, Mount Washington, and Eagle Rock.
The youngest of four children, Assembly Member Portantino was born in Long Branch, New Jersey. Following his father's untimely death, he was raised by his mother, Barbara, whom he says has had the greatest influence on his life. Her tremendous spirit and warm Italian heart inspired him, and her determined struggle to send her kids to college changed the course of his life.
Assembly Member Portantino came to California to pursue a career in the entertainment industry and spent many years working in film and television production. He worked as an art director for the NBC show "Unsolved Mysteries," line-produced "El Regalo de Paquito" for Telemundo, and worked on many other independent and industrial film productions.
Assembly Member Portantino served nearly eight years on the La Canada Flintridge City Council and two terms as its mayor. He has served as president of the League of California Cities Mayor's and Councilmember's Department and the Executive Board of the California Contract Cities Association. He is also a past member of the Pasadena City College Bond Oversight Committee. While serving as vice chair of the Santa Monica Mountains Advisory Committee, Assembly Member Portantino was very active in preserving open space in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
Assembly Member Portantino attended public schools and graduated from Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania. It was at Albright where he met is future wife, Ellen. Ellen, a successful businessperson, and Anthony have two daughters, Sofia and Bella Rose. Both girls attend public school and are active in Girl Scouts.
Anthony currently serves as the chair of the Assembly's Committee on Higher Education and is a member of the Transportation, Government Organization, and Public Safety Standing Committees. He is also a member of the Assembly Select Committees on the Preservation of the California's Entertainment Industry, Foster Care, and Community Colleges.