Steve Soboroff
Encyclopedia
Steve Soboroff is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Weingart Foundation (www.weingartfnd.org) and past Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Playa Vista. In Sept of 2011 he was appointed by the California Science Center (a world class museum in Los Angeles) to be the Senior Advisor to the museum in its project with NASA to bring, and permanently exhibit, the Space Shuttle Endeavour to the CSC.
Mr. Soboroff is the Chairperson of the Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles Loyola University. He is also a Senior Fellow and member of the Advisory Board at UCLA's School of Public Affairs http://www.spa.ucla.edu/seniorfellows/main2.cfm?d=xr&f=sfdisplay.cfm&s=seniorfellows&id=160, a member of the Board of Councillors at the USC School of Planning and Public Policy and served as Senior Advisor to Los Angeles
Mayor Richard Riordan
. In 2009, he was the Commencement Speaker at USC (School of Policy, Planning, and Development).
From 1995-2000 he was President of the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Commission and ran unsuccessfully for Mayor
of Los Angeles
in 2001
with Riordan's endorsement.
The Committee of 18, which he leads, was formally authorized to advise the Maccabiah Games
on naming rights, sponsorships and television rights. This led to the 2009 Maccabiah Games being televised to over 120 million homes worldwide. The Committee of 18 has expanded its efforts for the 2013 Maccabiah Games. Steve was inducted into the (Southern California) Jewish Sports Hall of Fame on January 30, 2010.
Soboroff is a moderate Republican
, his family is Jewish, and he resides in Pacific Palisades, California with his wife Patti and their five children Jacob, Miles, Molly, Hannah, and Leah. His collection of typewriters that were previously owned by famous people (ie: John Lennon, Ernest Hemingway, George Bernard Shaw, etc) has received national acclaim.
Soboroff's City Hall career was highlighted in the Simon & Schuster
book by Taegan D. Goddard http://politicalwire.com/ and Christopher Riback, YOU WON - NOW WHAT? How Americans Can Make Democracy Work From City Hall to the White House (1998).
While working as the chairman of the City's Harbor Commission, then as Senior Advisor to the Mayor, Soboroff helped spearhead the Alameda Corridor
project and the Staples Center
arena (Los Angeles Times "Six Who Made it Happen"). As Chairman of the Citizen's Oversight Committee for the $2.4 billion Proposition BB LAUSD School bond, Soboroff, advised by the environmental group TreePeople
, oversaw a "greening" project that replaced thousands of acres of asphalt with grass and trees in Los Angeles public schools.
, and received Riordan's endorsement. In the primary, Soboroff received the most votes among Republicans, Jews, Westsiders and residents of the San Fernando Valley. He finished third overall, coming within 3% of eventual winner James K. Hahn. Hahn and former California State Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa
advanced to the runoff.
In 2005, many of the traffic-fighting proposals Soboroff introduced during his 2001 campaign, as well as his plan to break up the Los Angeles Unified School District
(LAUSD), were reintroduced by other candidates in that year's mayoral contest. Later in 2005, newly-elected Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
, with whom Soboroff competed for the Mayor's job in 2001, implemented Soboroff's proposal to ban all road construction during rush hour
. Villaraigosa's 2005 and 2009 campaign manager, Ace Smith, played the same role for Soboroff in 2001.
.
In the 1990s, Soboroff was honored in Los Angeles as Harvard Business School
's "Business Statesman of the Year." He mentors students annually from UCLA and the University of Southern California
, and has lectured on topics from real estate
to electoral politics
at Stanford University
, UC Berkeley
, Loyola Marymount University
and the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University
, Ohio
. The Shopping Center Game seminar, offered at UCLA and UCBerkeley between 1975 and 2000, was created by Soboroff and attended by over 12,000 enrollees during that 25-year period.
Playa Vista is located on 1087 acres (4.4 km²) between Marina del Rey, Westchester
and Playa del Rey; the property is located just below the 150 acre (0.607029 km²), bluff-top Loyola Marymount University
campus. The new community provides housing, commercial office space, neighborhood shopping, parks and habitat protection. The project's developers say Playa Vista is committed to sustainable development
. Playa Vista has been recognized by the White House
as one of five P.A.T.H. (Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing
) communities in the United States.
Soboroff oversaw all aspects of the project near the ocean on Los Angeles’ Westside, which was formerly Howard Hughes private airport. He retains his ownership position in Playa Vista and will be involved until completion. Playa Vista was described by the Los Angeles Times
as “L.A.’s Urban Model”.
According to the Los Angeles Times, "[o]ver the last decade, government agencies and courts have ruled repeatedly in Playa Vista's favor [...] Engineers, builders and consultants for the project have joined the city of Los Angeles in saying the safety measures are the most elaborate the city has ever required [...]
On March 29, 2011 the Steve Soboroff Court Park in Playa Vista was dedicated with an alley-oop from Steve Soboroff to Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers.
to be the Vice Chairman of the Los Angeles Dodgers
baseball team. His responsibilities were said to include leading the efforts to improve the fan experience and strengthening the team's ties to the community. One day later, Major League Baseball seized control of the Dodgers from McCourt. Soboroff was one of McCourt's most vocal defenders, making several statements to the media on his behalf. He resigned his position on June 25, 2011, citing the "unanticipated action by the commissioner of Major League Baseball..." as preventing him from doing the job he was hired for.
• [Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard] Riordan, who encouraged Soboroff to run for mayor as his successor, was unstinting in his praise. "Steve Soboroff challenges Eli Broad for the title of greatest Angeleno," Riordan said, comparing Soboroff to the philanthropist. "Both of them have done fantastic things for our city." Riordan credited Soboroff with getting the $2-billion Alameda Corridor built, making Staples Center a reality and beautifying Venice. While negotiating with railroads to share the corridor, Soboroff came to know billionaire Philip Anschutz, the largest shareholder in Union Pacific Railroad. Soboroff urged Anschutz to build a sports and entertainment arena downtown that became Staples Center. In spite of all of Soboroff's business accomplishments, Riordan quipped, "He's a lousy golfer and has no taste for good wine." Vincent, Roger. "Steve Soboroff moving on from Playa Vista; He played a lead role in getting the project built" Los Angeles Times
. 21 April, 2010
Mr. Soboroff is the Chairperson of the Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles Loyola University. He is also a Senior Fellow and member of the Advisory Board at UCLA's School of Public Affairs http://www.spa.ucla.edu/seniorfellows/main2.cfm?d=xr&f=sfdisplay.cfm&s=seniorfellows&id=160, a member of the Board of Councillors at the USC School of Planning and Public Policy and served as Senior Advisor to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
Mayor Richard Riordan
Richard Riordan
Richard J. Riordan is a Republican politician from California, U.S.A. who served as the California Secretary for Education from 2003–2005 and as the 39th Mayor of Los Angeles, California from 1993–2001...
. In 2009, he was the Commencement Speaker at USC (School of Policy, Planning, and Development).
From 1995-2000 he was President of the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Commission and ran unsuccessfully for Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 2001
Los Angeles mayoral election, 2001
In 2001, Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan was prevented from running for a third term because of term limits. In the election to replace him, Riordan endorsed his Senior Advisor and Parks Commissioner, the Republican businessman Steve Soboroff.-Primary Election:...
with Riordan's endorsement.
The Committee of 18, which he leads, was formally authorized to advise the Maccabiah Games
Maccabiah Games
The Maccabiah is an international Jewish athletic event similar to the Olympics held in Israel every four years under the auspices of the Maccabi Federation, affiliated with the Maccabi World Union. The Maccabiah Games is the third largest international sports competition in the world...
on naming rights, sponsorships and television rights. This led to the 2009 Maccabiah Games being televised to over 120 million homes worldwide. The Committee of 18 has expanded its efforts for the 2013 Maccabiah Games. Steve was inducted into the (Southern California) Jewish Sports Hall of Fame on January 30, 2010.
Soboroff is a moderate Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, his family is Jewish, and he resides in Pacific Palisades, California with his wife Patti and their five children Jacob, Miles, Molly, Hannah, and Leah. His collection of typewriters that were previously owned by famous people (ie: John Lennon, Ernest Hemingway, George Bernard Shaw, etc) has received national acclaim.
Public life
Soboroff was President, then Chairman Emeritus of Big Brothers of Greater Los Angeles and has been involved with the program for over four decades. Roger Goodell, current Commissioner of the NFL, worked with Soboroff to bring fatherless boys, from the Big Brothers waiting lists, to the Super Bowl. Following the merger with Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles, Soboroff became a board member emeritus of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles. As a college student, Soboroff volunteered for Big Brothers and became part of one of the first interracial matches in the program's history. On October 17, 2009 the Mayor of the City of Los Angeles dedicated the "Soboroff Sports Field" at EXPO Center, the site of the 1932 Olympic Games which was transformed into the largest community center in the City of Los Angeles (managed by the Department of Recreation and Parks).Soboroff's City Hall career was highlighted in the Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
book by Taegan D. Goddard http://politicalwire.com/ and Christopher Riback, YOU WON - NOW WHAT? How Americans Can Make Democracy Work From City Hall to the White House (1998).
While working as the chairman of the City's Harbor Commission, then as Senior Advisor to the Mayor, Soboroff helped spearhead the Alameda Corridor
Alameda Corridor
The Alameda Corridor is a 20 mile freight rail "expressway" owned by the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority , connecting the national rail system near downtown Los Angeles, California to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, running parallel to Alameda Street...
project and the Staples Center
Staples Center
Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. Opening on October 17, 1999, it is one of the major sporting facilities in the Greater Los Angeles...
arena (Los Angeles Times "Six Who Made it Happen"). As Chairman of the Citizen's Oversight Committee for the $2.4 billion Proposition BB LAUSD School bond, Soboroff, advised by the environmental group TreePeople
TreePeople
TreePeople is a California based nonprofit environmental advocacy group. TreePeople focuses on promoting the creation of sustainable urban ecosystems through education and the planting and care of trees. TreePeople has been serving the Los Angeles area for over three decades...
, oversaw a "greening" project that replaced thousands of acres of asphalt with grass and trees in Los Angeles public schools.
2001 Race for Mayor
Soboroff entered the 2001 mayoral primary electionLos Angeles mayoral election, 2001
In 2001, Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan was prevented from running for a third term because of term limits. In the election to replace him, Riordan endorsed his Senior Advisor and Parks Commissioner, the Republican businessman Steve Soboroff.-Primary Election:...
, and received Riordan's endorsement. In the primary, Soboroff received the most votes among Republicans, Jews, Westsiders and residents of the San Fernando Valley. He finished third overall, coming within 3% of eventual winner James K. Hahn. Hahn and former California State Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa
Antonio Villaraigosa
Antonio Ramón Villaraigosa , born Antonio Ramón Villar, Jr., is the 41st and current Mayor of Los Angeles, California, the third Mexican American to have ever held office in the city of Los Angeles and the first in over 130 years. He is also the current president of the United States Conference of...
advanced to the runoff.
In 2005, many of the traffic-fighting proposals Soboroff introduced during his 2001 campaign, as well as his plan to break up the Los Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District is the largest public school system in California. It is the 2nd largest public school district in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population...
(LAUSD), were reintroduced by other candidates in that year's mayoral contest. Later in 2005, newly-elected Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
Antonio Villaraigosa
Antonio Ramón Villaraigosa , born Antonio Ramón Villar, Jr., is the 41st and current Mayor of Los Angeles, California, the third Mexican American to have ever held office in the city of Los Angeles and the first in over 130 years. He is also the current president of the United States Conference of...
, with whom Soboroff competed for the Mayor's job in 2001, implemented Soboroff's proposal to ban all road construction during rush hour
Rush hour
A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening, the times during when the most people commute...
. Villaraigosa's 2005 and 2009 campaign manager, Ace Smith, played the same role for Soboroff in 2001.
Education
Soboroff holds Bachelor and Masters Degrees from the Dept. of Finance, Insurance and Real Estate at the University of ArizonaUniversity of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
.
In the 1990s, Soboroff was honored in Los Angeles as Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
's "Business Statesman of the Year." He mentors students annually from UCLA and the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, and has lectured on topics from real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
to electoral politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, UC Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University is a comprehensive co-educational private Roman Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions located in Los Angeles, California, United States...
and the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University
Cleveland State University
Cleveland State University is a public university located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. It was established in 1964 when the state of Ohio assumed control of Fenn College, and it absorbed the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 1969...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. The Shopping Center Game seminar, offered at UCLA and UCBerkeley between 1975 and 2000, was created by Soboroff and attended by over 12,000 enrollees during that 25-year period.
Playa Vista
In October 2001, six months after finishing out of contention in the Los Angeles mayoral race, Soboroff joined Playa Vista as the company's President.Playa Vista is located on 1087 acres (4.4 km²) between Marina del Rey, Westchester
Westchester, Los Angeles, California
Westchester is a suburban neighborhood in western Los Angeles, California, United States. It is home to Los Angeles International Airport , Loyola Marymount University , and Otis College of Art and Design.-Geography:...
and Playa del Rey; the property is located just below the 150 acre (0.607029 km²), bluff-top Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University is a comprehensive co-educational private Roman Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions located in Los Angeles, California, United States...
campus. The new community provides housing, commercial office space, neighborhood shopping, parks and habitat protection. The project's developers say Playa Vista is committed to sustainable development
Sustainable development
Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
. Playa Vista has been recognized by the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
as one of five P.A.T.H. (Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing
Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing
Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing is a "public/private sector initiative." The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development is responsible for its management. Its activities are coordinated by HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research...
) communities in the United States.
Soboroff oversaw all aspects of the project near the ocean on Los Angeles’ Westside, which was formerly Howard Hughes private airport. He retains his ownership position in Playa Vista and will be involved until completion. Playa Vista was described by the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
as “L.A.’s Urban Model”.
According to the Los Angeles Times, "[o]ver the last decade, government agencies and courts have ruled repeatedly in Playa Vista's favor [...] Engineers, builders and consultants for the project have joined the city of Los Angeles in saying the safety measures are the most elaborate the city has ever required [...]
On March 29, 2011 the Steve Soboroff Court Park in Playa Vista was dedicated with an alley-oop from Steve Soboroff to Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Los Angeles Dodgers
On April 19, 2011, Soboroff was hired by Frank McCourtFrank McCourt (executive)
Frank McCourt is the owner and chairman of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Dodger Stadium in Chavez Ravine. In , he purchased a controlling interest of the Dodgers from Fox Entertainment Group, owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation...
to be the Vice Chairman of the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
baseball team. His responsibilities were said to include leading the efforts to improve the fan experience and strengthening the team's ties to the community. One day later, Major League Baseball seized control of the Dodgers from McCourt. Soboroff was one of McCourt's most vocal defenders, making several statements to the media on his behalf. He resigned his position on June 25, 2011, citing the "unanticipated action by the commissioner of Major League Baseball..." as preventing him from doing the job he was hired for.
Quotes about Steve Soboroff
• "Steve Soboroff's handprints are all over the most important civic projects in town." Robin Abcarian, Los Angeles Times 13 December, 1998.• [Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard] Riordan, who encouraged Soboroff to run for mayor as his successor, was unstinting in his praise. "Steve Soboroff challenges Eli Broad for the title of greatest Angeleno," Riordan said, comparing Soboroff to the philanthropist. "Both of them have done fantastic things for our city." Riordan credited Soboroff with getting the $2-billion Alameda Corridor built, making Staples Center a reality and beautifying Venice. While negotiating with railroads to share the corridor, Soboroff came to know billionaire Philip Anschutz, the largest shareholder in Union Pacific Railroad. Soboroff urged Anschutz to build a sports and entertainment arena downtown that became Staples Center. In spite of all of Soboroff's business accomplishments, Riordan quipped, "He's a lousy golfer and has no taste for good wine." Vincent, Roger. "Steve Soboroff moving on from Playa Vista; He played a lead role in getting the project built" Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
. 21 April, 2010
Works cited
- Los Angeles Times. Staples Center : "Six Who Made It Happen". (articles.latimes.com/1999/oct/10/magazine)
- Vincent, Roger. "Steve Soboroff moving on from Playa Vista; He played a lead role in getting the project built" Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
. 21 April, 2010