Ira Ruskin
| Ira Ruskin | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the California State Assembly from the 21st district |
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In office December 6, 2004 – November 30, 2010 |
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| Preceded by | Joe Simitian |
| Succeeded by | Rich Gordon |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 12, 1943 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | July 3, 2014 (aged 70) Redwood City, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Cheryl Ruskin |
| Residence | Redwood City |
| Alma mater |
University of California, Berkeley Stanford University |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Religion | Judaism |
Ira Ruskin (November 12, 1943 – July 3, 2014) was an American politician from Redwood City, California. A Democrat, he is a former member of the California State Assembly and of Redwood City Council. He and his wife Cheryl (a licensed landscape designer) resided in Redwood City, California; the couple had no children.
He received a B.A. in history from the University of California, Berkeley in 1968 and an M.A. in communications (with an emphasis on filmmaking) from Stanford University in 1983.
From 1995 to 2004, Ruskin was a member of the Redwood City Council. From 1999 to 2001, he also served as Mayor of Redwood City. In 2004, Ruskin was elected to the California Assembly. He defeated Republican Steve Poizner in the general election. Ruskin had local government experience but initially lacked major campaign funding. The Assembly race heated up when Poizner donated $6 million to his own campaign. Ruskin began fundraising from California's public employee unions and ultimately won the race.
In November 2006 Ruskin was re-elected to the California State Assembly by a wide margin of 75,388 votes, 67.4% to his challenger Virginia Chang Kiraly's 36,628 votes, (32.6%). He was re-elected to his third Assembly term in 2008. Term limits in California prevented Ruskin from running for re-election in 2010. Ruskin plans to run for a State Senate seat in 2012.
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