About Mark.
My life story is pretty straightforward. I grew up in Burbank and attended Burbank schools, like Thomas Jefferson Elementary School for a year, spent some time at Burbank High, moved to Glendale, and finally graduated from Bellarmine-Jefferson High School. I went on to Glendale College, then California State University at Northridge, the University of Massachusetts, and Loyola University where I got a law degree, because I wanted to do something good for our community and make a living. I’ve always loved teaching and spent over 10 years as an Adjunct Professor of Law and Real Estate at Glendale College and Los Angeles City College.
I’ve raised my own family, Aaron and Alison in Los Angeles County where they attended local public schools. I ran several businesses and a law firm, first in Burbank and later in Glendale, spending almost all my time with working men and women, helping them fight government bureaucracies and compete successfully in a high tech and global economy.
Always a champion of small business and the men and women who own or are employed by these businesses, I was the founder and was the first president of the Burbank Economic Council, committed to helping Burbank respond to the departure of Lockheed and other big employers from the City over the last several years and the consequent loss of jobs and decent livelihoods for thousands. An advocate for “at risk youth” and for expanded mental health services, I have served as director of Burbank’s Bridge-Away Across Drug Rehabilitation Center, Glendale’s Family Service Center and the Verdugo Mental Health Association.
I have handled all manner of cases before Judges and Juries in the Federal and State Courts of California, to include civil rights, employment, real estate and environmental enforcement cases for over 40 years. I am AV “Preeminent” rated by Martindale Hubbell. This Peer Rating represents an elite group of approximately 10 percent of all attorneys in the United States, a designation trusted worldwide by buyers and referrers of legal services.
I joined the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department soon after law school and, even today, I continue to work as a reserve patrol deputy and narcotics detective throughout the County, putting violent criminals and hard core drug dealers behind bars. I was honored to spend ten years with the Sheriff’s Montrose Search and Rescue Team helping to save hundreds of lives in our local mountains.
“9/11” was a life-changing event for me. A reserve Army Officer after graduating from law school, in 2001, I was soon called back to Active Service, thereafter serving almost 12 years full-time in duty stations around the world, including Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan during the height of those conflicts. I retired in 2015 from the Army as a Major General and finally got to come home. I now work as a National Security Consultant, television commentator, lawyer and trust fiduciary.
I’m a member of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Jewish War Veterans, and the founder of the Veterans Mentoring Platoon Project at Glendale College, which helps returning Student Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan to transition to civilian life and pursue productive careers. I serve as Vice-President of the Scouts BSA - Verdugo Council, Treasurer of Glendale Arts, the operator of the iconic Alex Theater, and Director of the Cedar-Sinai CARES Foundation.
Committed to public service, I am the Chairperson of the Glendale Civil Service Commission and former Vice-Chairperson of the Los Angeles County Military and Veterans Affairs Committee.
Words That Define a Judge:
Courage
Temperament
Decisiveness
Respect for all who appear before the Court