Brooks Firestone
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A. Brooks Firestone is currently the Santa Barbara County, California Third District Supervisor.
The son of Leonard Firestone and Polly Curtis, he graduated from Columbia University in 1961, then began working at the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, which had been founded by his grandfather, Harvey Firestone. Brooks Firestone moved to the Santa Ynez Valley in 1972 where he ran in partnership the first winery on California's Central Coast, founded by his father in 1972 - a region now known worldwide for its wine industry.
He represented the 35th District in the California State Assembly for two terms (1994-1998). He currently operates the San Antonio Ranch, Firestone Vineyard LLC, Prosperity Wines, and other businesses.
His son Adam Firestone runs the Firestone Walker Brewing Company; another son, Andrew Firestone appeared on ABC's television show, The Bachelor.
In the 2004 supervisor election, Brooks Firestone defeated candidates John Buttny (a lifelong civil servant and former Weather Underground activist), Slick Gardner (a local rancher and convicted animal rights violator) and Steve Pappas (a local entrepreneur and image consultant) for the district seat. As Supervisor, Firestone has been criticised for his controversial plans to get rid of the county's Oak Tree Protection ordinance, a historic 1998 compromise between agriculture and environmental interests.
