Elihu Mason Harris is a former U.S. Democratic Party politician and college administrator. He served as mayor of Oakland, California from 1991 to until 1999. He served for 12 years (1978 through 1991) as a member of the California State Assembly before his election as Oakland mayor. He is currently the Chancellor of Peralta Community College District.
Harris received a Master of Public Policy from University of California, Berkeley in 1969 and law degree from University of California, Davis School of Law in 1972.
He was the Mayor of Oakland from 1991 until 1999. He has also served as a California Uniform Law Commissioner since 1981.[1]
Harris co-owns Vallejo, California radio station KDIA along with former California Assembly Speaker Willie Brown. In 1992, the late Oakland journalist Chauncey Bailey returned to the Bay Area to work with Harris and Brown as public affairs director and newscaster on KDIA. Bailey later became the editor of the Oakland Post and Bailey was murdered on the streets of downtown Oakland.[2]
Harris was the first major party politician to lose a state legislative race to a Green Party candidate, when he lost a race for California State Assembly to Audie Bock in 1999.[3] In the 1999 election, Harris, an African-American, sent targeted mailers to households in selected precincts, mostly African American, urging voters to vote for him and receive a fried chicken meal if they presented a voting stub at selected supermarkets. There was voter backlash because of the perception of vote buying and had a subtext of racism.[4] In his losing effort Harris outspent Bock better then 16 to 1 ($550,000 to $33,000).[5]
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.
Since 2004, Harris has been Chancellor of Peralta Community College District. He had been interim chancellor from 2003 until receiving the post on a permanent basis.[6] An October 2, 2009 editorial[7] in the Contra Costa Times cites apparent conflicts-of-interest and corrupt practices during his six year term as Chancellor.
| Preceded by Lionel Wilson |
Mayor of Oakland, California 1991—1999 |
Succeeded by Jerry Brown |
References
- ^ Ron Kelly Medical Act
- ^ Josh Richman and Douglas Fischer (2007-08-03). "Bailey's career in news spanned globe for decades". Oakland Tribune. http://www.oaklandtribune.com.
- ^ Salon.com article on 1999 campaign race Democratic Party and Green Party for California 16th District
- ^ State Line.org
- ^ 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.
- ^ Elihu Harris needs to go as Peralta Community College District chief, Contra Costa Times, October 2, 2009
External links
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