Mitchell Englander (born ca. 1971) is the newest member of the Los Angeles City Council, since July 1, 2011. He represents the northeast and east San Fernando Valley.
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Englander was born about 1971. According to an interview with the Los Angeles Daily News, the boy's parents separated when he was 5 years old, and his mother, Linda, a real-estate agent, "worked two jobs but lost a home to foreclosure." They lived in Canoga Park with an uncle, Michael, whose janitorial firm Englander worked for as a teenager. Englander attended college in Arizona but did not finish because he had to return to California to care for his mother, who died of a brain tumor. In 1994, robbers shot and killed Michael, and the same day Englander's older sister, Natalie, fell into a coma after suffering an asthma attack. She was "rushed to an emergency room where the doors were mistakenly locked." She "awoke with brain damage. Mitch and his wife cared for her for 10 years before she 'died in my arms,' he said."[1]
Englander worked with his uncle, Harvey Englander, a political consultant. Mitchell is a Republican,[1] but was identified as a Democratic political consultant in 1998,[2] He graduated from the Los Angeles Police Academy in 2005 and became an officer in the police reserve. He has served on the boards of directors of the North Valley YMCA, New Horizons, San Fernando Valley Junior Chamber of Commerce, Providence Holy Cross Hospital, West Valley Boys and Girls Club, Winnetka Community Foundation, Devonshire Police Activities League and Valley Region High School No. 4 in Granada Hills.[3]
Mitchell and Jayne Englander have two daughters, Lindsey and Lauren.[1] They live in Granada Hills.[3]
See also List of Los Angeles municipal election returns, 2011.
In 2009, Englander was chief of staff to City Councilman Greig Smith in Los Angeles City Council District 12, in the northeast and east San Fernando Valley, when he began his election campaign to succeed his boss, who announced he would retire.[4] Calling himself "fiscally conservative," Englander said he was encouraged to run by Assembly Member Keith Richman. He said that the city "must have a realistic and sustainable pension system that does not threaten the core functions of local government," and he proposed "cutting the salaries of all department heads unless they meet reasonable performance standards."[3]
Noting that Englander was the "consummate City Hall insider," the Los Angeles Times endorsed him as "the best of several good choices." An editorial noted that Englander's "proximity" to Greig Smith had "clearly brought him advantages in fund-raising," with more than $440,000 already raised, "which is 10 times as much as his closest rival (and more than any other candidate for city office this election)." The Times said that Englander had served as Smith's "proxy" and "now claims to have played the leading role in a number of Smith's accomplishments."[5] The Daily News endorsed him as well, saying that Smith presented "common-sense ideas to reform government, such as cutting general managers' base salaries but awarding bonuses to those who provide excellent service on a tight budget."[6]
Englander was elected in the March 8, 2011, primary by 57.74% of the vote.[7]
| Preceded by Greig Smith |
Los Angeles City Council 12th District 2011– |
Succeeded by — |