Mike Rotkin is a lecturer at the University of California, Santa Cruz, long-term city council member, and the 5 time mayor of Santa Cruz, California.[1]
A former motorcycle mechanic with a Ph.D. in the History of Consciousness, Mike first ran for city council on a protest campaign as a "socialist-feminist" in 1979, taking first place among voters at a time when Santa Cruz was more Republican than Democrat. He taught Marxist theory at UC Santa Cruz for over 40 years, while serving six terms as a city councilman, including five terms as the mayor, longer than anyone in the city's history (the mayoral post of Santa Cruz passes yearly to a councilmember selected by a majority of other councilmembers). During his 20 years in city government, city spending on social services and programs increased from $80,000 ($200,000; 2000US) a year in 1979 to $2 million by 2000. However, in the 2006 election, he was criticized for supporting pragmatic pro-economic development positions.[2][3][4][5]
He served as president of the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) teachers' union.
Anti-war and anti-racism activism
editRotkin protested the Vietnam war, apartheid, and racism, and was arrested for civil disobedience "about a dozen times".[6]
References
edit- ^ "Board of Directors Bio - Mike Rotkin". Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
- ^ McCord, Shanna (2006-01-01). "Rotkin in the middle of key Santa Cruz issues in 2005". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Retrieved 2008-03-27.
- ^ McCord, Shanna (2006-10-04). "Election 2006: Veteran politician Rotkin wants another term on council". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Archived from the original on 2012-02-07. Retrieved 2008-03-27.
- ^ McCord, Shanna (2006-11-08). "Robinson wins most contested seat on S.C. council; Mathews, Rotkin stay on". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Archived from the original on 2012-02-07. Retrieved 2008-03-27.
- ^ Bookwalter, Genevieve (2009-05-05). "Community Studies takes first cuts: UCSC staffers get pink slips in wake of $13 million deficit". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
- ^ Rotkin, Mike (2024-06-30). "Free speech and civil disobedience – let's get the differences straight at UCSC protests". Lookout Santa Cruz. Retrieved 2024-07-01.