Michael D. Antonovich

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Michael Dennis Antonovich (born 1939 in Los Angeles, California) is a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors representing the Fifth District, which covers northern Los Angeles County, the Antelope, Santa Clarita, and parts of the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys. Antonovich, of Croatian descent, graduated from John Marshall High School and enlisted in the United States Army Reserve in 1957. Antonovich graduated from California State University, Los Angeles in 1963 with a bachelor's degree, earned a Master's degree in 1966. While an undergraduate at the university, Antonovich joined the Kappa Phi Sigma Fraternity, a lacal fraternity at that time. While in his last year as a Master's Student, Antonovich, as president of the fraternity, lead an effort to have the organization nationalized as chapter of the Sigma Nu Fraternity.

On May 20, 1966, the Kappa Phi Sigma Fraternity became the Eta Phi Chapter 159 of Sigma Nu Fraternity. He is accredited as the chapters' local "Founder". He later became a civics teacher and Republican activist. In 1969, Antonovich was elected to the newly formed Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees. In 1972, he was elected to the California State Assembly and ran for Lieutenant Governor in 1978, and lost to Mike Curb after Curb painted him as too conservative for California.

A Republican, Antonovich is the most conservative member of the Board of Supervisors. He is the last supervisor to defeat a sitting incumbent, beating former television anchor Baxter Ward in 1980 after Ward reneged on a promise to only serve two terms. Antonovich ran for U.S. Senate in 1986 but was defeated in the primary. With the recent adoption of term limits, Antonovich could be the second longest serving supervisor ever in Los Angeles County, after Kenneth Hahn. He is up for reelection in 2008 and can serve until 2016, when he is termed out of office.

In 1998, Antonovich married Christine Hu, an actress from Taiwan. The highly publicized wedding featured readings from Red Buttons and Pat Boone. [1] Hu, 26 years Antonovich's junior, has two children with Antonovich: a son, Michael Jr., born in 1999, and a daughter, Mary Christine, born in 2000.

Recently, Antonovich faced criticism for using taxpayer money to distribute press clippings filled with political columns from Ann Coulter and Bill O'Reilly and articles from the right-wing website NewsMax. ^[1] In addition, Antonovich has been criticized for the naming of the Antelope Valley Courthouse the Michael D. Antonovich Courthouse. [2]