Community Activism
Laird has been active in the Santa Cruz community, serving as Vice Chair of the City Charter Review Committee, a founder of the Santa Cruz Community Credit Union, and a board member of the Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce. He has been active on a variety of community boards.
He has been active with the lesbian and gay community, as a columnist for the Lavender Reader, a commentator on "Closet Free Radio", a founding member of the International Network of Gay and Lesbian Officials—and was an original board member of BAYMEC, the gay and lesbian political action committee for San Mateo, Santa Clara, Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties. In the Assembly, he served as chair of the California Legislative LGBT Caucus.
He also has served on the Santa Cruz Community Foundation's Advisory Committee for the Lesbian and Gay Grants Partnership. Laird lives on the westside of Santa Cruz with his partner John Flores. He is fluent in Spanish.
Read more about this topic: John Laird (American Politician)
Famous quotes containing the word community:
“Stories of law violations are weighed on a different set of scales in the Black mind than in the white. Petty crimes embarrass the community and many people wistfully wonder why Negroes don’t rob more banks, embezzle more funds and employ graft in the unions.... This ... appeals particularly to one who is unable to compete legally with his fellow citizens.”
—Maya Angelou (b. 1928)