Debbie Cook
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Deborah Cook | |
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Mayor of Huntington Beach, California
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 2007 |
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| Born | January 22, 1954 Corpus Christi, Texas |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | John Fisher |
| Profession | Politician, Lawyer |
Debbie Cook is the mayor of Huntington Beach, California, and Democratic candidate for California's 46th congressional district. Cook was elected to the Huntington Beach City Council in 2000 and re-elected in 2004.
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[edit] Biography and Summary
Deborah (Debbie) Cook is an attorney, environmental activist and politician in Huntington Beach, California. Cook has been a resident of Orange County for more than 40 years. She is married to John Fisher, has one son and a grandson. She has gained recent media attention after her February 2, 2008 announcement that she will run as a democrat for California's 46th congressional district against incumbent Republican Dana Rohrabacher.
Cook is currently serving on the Southern California Association of Governments Regional Council, SCAG Energy and Environment Committee (Chair), San Diego Association of Governments Borders Committee, Orange County Parks Commission (Chair), and Pacific Cable Television Authority.
Her experience has also included positions on the California Desalination Task Force, Orange County Sanitation District, President of the Orange County Division of the League of California Cities, League of California Cities Administrative Policy Committee (Chair) and Environmental Quality Policy Committee. While serving on the Orange County Sanitation District Cook was instrumental in increasing sewage treatment levels in Orange County and abandoning a bid for a waiver from the Federal Clean Water Act.
Cook serves on the board of directors for the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas (ASPO-USA) and Post Carbon Institute. She is actively involved in educating the public and policy makers about the risks and vulnerabilities from the inevitable peaking of global oil production and the resultant challenges for local government and its citizens.
Debbie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Earth Science from Cal State Long Beach, a Jurisdoctorate from Western State College of Law, and a license to practice law in California. She is also a graduate of the Kennedy School of Government National Preparedness Leadership Initiative, Great Valley Leadership Initiative, and Leadership Southern California.
Prior to her election she served on the Bolsa Chica Land Trust legal team that set precedent in protecting coastal habitat. She also made history in Huntington Beach in 1990 by successfully qualifying a Charter Amendment that protects public beach and parkland from sale, lease, or commercialization without voter approval.
[edit] Early life
Cook was born on January 22, 1954 in Corpus Christi, Texas where her father was stationed with the United States Navy. Her father served in both World War II and the Korean War. Debbie was baptized into the Episcopal Church by her grandfather, an Episcopal Minister, who also baptized her four brothers. Upon her father’s retirement from the Navy the family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio.
In 1966 Cook and her family moved to California where Debbie attended Corona del Mar High School in Newport Beach, California. During High School Debbie was a runner-up in the Miss Newport Beach contest, earned a student pilot’s license, completed an Outward Bound course and successfully climbed Mount Whitney.
[edit] College, Marriage and Family
Cook attended California State University, Long Beach where she studied Earth Science. Cook also has a J.D from Western State University College of Law. Debbie worked part-time during college and excelled on both the Women’s Volleyball and Swim Teams. Cook met her husband, John Fisher, in a co-ed Volleyball class during 1975 and they were married shortly later.
Debbie and John settled in Westminster, California and welcomed their son Jody was born. While raising her son Debbie coached and taught volleyball in Huntington Beach, as well as serving as Parent Teacher Association President for Vista View School in Fountain Valley.
In 1978 Debbie and John purchased a small office-equipment business which they ran for fourteen years. During those years Cook obtained a patent for the business’s shelving system.
[edit] Leadership
In 1989, Debbie began a quest to save Huntington Beach’s natural resources from development. Ignoring many of their constituents, the Huntington Beach City Council and Mayor proposed turning one-quarter of Huntington Beach Central Park into an 18-hole golf course and building a large retail development on the beach at the Huntington Beach pier.
A group of outraged Huntington Beach citizens spoke out against the proposals at a City Council meeting, and afterwards formed Save Our Parks and Beaches. Meeting in Cook’s living room, the group began a grassroots effort to place a measure on the ballot that would protect beaches and parklands from development. The group gathered 18,000 signatures in six months and placed Measure C on the ballot. Despite a significant opposition campaign funded by out-of-town interests, Measure C passed by a three-to-one margin.
During the campaign, politicians, in a cynical attempt to bypass the will of Huntington Beach residents, tried to fast-track the beachfront development, approving it and sending it to the California Coastal Commission for approval.
Facing long odds, and stepping up to battle the entrenched interests of developers and unresponsive politicians, Debbie filed a lawsuit against the Coastal Commission. The lawsuit was settled, saving the beaches and parks from development.
At 37, urged on by her husband and by her desire to continue to make a difference in her community, Debbie went to law school, earning a degree from Western State University and joining the California bar in 1994.
Debbie then served as attorney for the Bolsa Chica Land Trust, and was instrumental in the efforts that saved the Bolsa Chica wetlands--and coastal wetlands throughout California--from development.
In 1996, the California Coastal Commission approved a plan to construct thousands of houses in the Bolsa Chica wetlands. The Bolsa Chica Land Trust sued the Coastal Commission in an effort to protect the 1,700 acres (6.9 km²) of wetlands, at the time the largest unprotected wetlands south of San Francisco.
The suit challenged the commission’s approval of the construction of housing on coastal wetlands. The suit was successful at both at the local and appellate court level and resulted in a published opinion that protects coastal wetlands throughout California.
[edit] City Council and Mayor
Debbie was elected to the Huntington Beach City Council in 2000, and was reelected overwhelmingly in 2004. She currently serves as Huntington Beach’s Mayor. On the Council, Debbie is credited for her common sense, her commitment to fiscal responsibility and her willingness to go across party lines to find bipartisan solutions for Huntington Beach. Cook speaks of her continued active support for clean beaches, safe drinking water, parks, open space and the extraordinary habitat of Huntington Beach wetlands.
She helped lead the fight to prevent the Orange County Sanitation District from massive dumping of partially treated wastewater into the ocean, and educated her constituents on the environmental and fiscal folly of a proposed ocean desalination project. In 2007, she co-sponsored the proposal that led Huntington Beach to become one of only seven cities in Orange County to join the U.S. Mayor’s Agreement on Global Warming.
Debbie is an internationally respected leader in the energy field, educating the public and policy makers about the risks and vulnerabilities from the inevitable peaking of global oil production and the resultant challenges for local government and its citizens. Debbie serves on the board of directors of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas (ASPO-USA) and Post Carbon Institute. She has spoken about local government solutions to the energy gap across the U.S. and at the ASPO conference in Cork, Ireland.
Debbie is a regional leader and is serving on the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Regional Council. As Chair of the SCAG Energy and Environment Committee, she guided energy and transportation policies for all of Southern California that take into account the future scarcity of oil and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
She also has served as President of the Orange County Division of the League of California Cities, Chair of the League of California Cities Administrative Policy Committee and Chair of the Orange County Parks Commission.
[edit] 2008 Campaign for Congress
On February 2, 2008 Debbie Cook announced her Democratic candidacy for California's 46th congressional district against incumbent Republican Dana Rohrabacher. "Our nation faces big problems: a growing energy gap, a struggling economy, global warming, the escalating costs of health care, and the war in Iraq .” Mayor Cook said. “We need new people with new passion and new ideas who have experience working across party lines to get results." Cook faces an uphill battle within a district with heavy Republican Party voter registration, although she does have a high-degree of name-recognition and popularity in Huntington Beach, California. Additionally some publications have noted frustration with Rohrabacher's ability and willingness to bring resources back to his district. [1] Cook defeated Huntington Beach business owner Dan Kalmick in the June 3, 2008 primary for the Democratic nomination. [2] The Treasurer of the California Republican Party filed suit against Cook and the Orange County Registrar regarding Cook's ballot designation. [3] The suit has been seen as frivolous and politically motivated. It was dismissed by the California Court of Appeals. [4]
[edit] References
- ^ Wielenga, Dave. "DANA KILLER", The District Weekly, February 27, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-03-07.
- ^ Bunis, Dena. "Mayor, lawyer win in two Democratic congressional primaries", The Orange County Register, June 3, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
- ^ Caesar, Chris. "Ballot Suit Draws Criticism", The Daily Pilot, March 26, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-03-27.
- ^ Official 10-page written document compilationPDF (39.0 KB) Published Fourth Appelate District, Division 3, Opinion. Sills with Rylaarsdam and Ikola Concurring
[edit] External links
- City of Huntington Beach City Council Biographies[1]
- The Liberal OC Blog of Cook Congressional Declaration Feb 2, 2008[2]
- Daily Pilot Cook Declares Feb 4, 2008[3]
- OC Voice Interview with Debbie Cook (Peak Oil)[4]
- SCAG Energy Summit: Debbie Cook [5]
- Huntington Beach Downtown[6]
- Debbie Cook for Congress[7]
- Congress candidate sued for using "Mayor" on ballot.
