Steve Glazer sits in front of his laptop computer digesting the days' news as the raspy voice of gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown emanates from an office loft perched above the handful of paid and volunteer staff on the floor below. Glazer, now in his second term on Orinda's City Council, is at work at his "day job" as the campaign manager for Brown, who currently serves as the California Attorney General and is running for his third term as Governor of the golden state.
The campaign headquarters are housed in a converted warehouse a few blocks from Jack London Square in a gentrified section of Oakland that Glazer is quick to point out was rejuvenated during Brown's term as Mayor of the city. The office environs, with exposed brick walls and carpet remnants covering the cement floors, bookcases creating de facto rooms, and framed photos and paintings of Brown's past political lives decorating the walls, seem perfectly aligned with the sometimes rebellious political icon who rejected the trimmings of the governor's post in his earlier terms. And Glazer, who has lived in Orinda's Sleepy Hollow and country club neighborhoods for 14 years and occasionally arrives at Council meetings sporting a Northface jacket and baseball cap, fits right in.
In January, Glazer was named as the campaign manager for Brown's then-exploratory bid for the governor's seat. With Brown officially throwing his hat into the governor's race in early March, Glazer's ongoing role as one of Brown's top strategists was sealed. Glazer, who manages his own public relations, media, and political consulting firm, has put his diverse practice directing ballot measures, polling, and election campaigns on hold until the State's gubernatorial election is over in November.
Glazer first worked for Brown in 1978 when he was in charge of the campaign activities at 20 colleges for Brown's re-election as Governor. Then in 1982, Glazer served as deputy campaign manager for Brown's unsuccessful bid for the United States Senate. From there Glazer branched out to work for several other prominent elected officials serving as the press secretary for both Assemblyman Gray Davis and California State Senate Pro Tem David Roberti and spokesperson for the first female Chief Justice of California, Rose Bird.
Raised in the Sacramento-area by parents he describes as civic-minded volunteers but not overtly political, a teenage Glazer hopped the bus to the state capital to volunteer at the Democratic-party headquarters. He carried the family volunteer ethic into adulthood and has served in many civic leadership roles in Orinda including City Council member and Mayor; and lead organizer on school parcel tax and infrastructure bond measures.
Glazer acknowledges the challenge of balancing his new position in the Brown campaign with his City Council commitments which he says comes down to elongating the day - he is up earlier and to bed later. Glazer typically rises by 5 a.m. to spend a few hours reviewing the news from around the state and beyond. By 8:30 a.m. he has made his way to Oakland where he continually focuses on television and radio reports advising Brown as needed with the rest of the day spent overseeing staff, both onsite and in the virtual world, who are responsible for an array of campaign needs.
The primary issue in the governor's race is, "Who can best manage our dysfunctional state government and make it more responsive to the people's interests," says Glazer. "It all comes down to matching government to what people want," he adds, noting the parallel between governing at the local and state levels. "Obviously the scale is much different, but the broad concept is the same."
Glazer's comments quickly turn to local issues. He is very pleased with the progress Orinda has made with planning reform, but he anticipates that the recommendations for downtown revitalization will spark some debate. "We have made a lot of good changes, but that will be a spirited discussion." He is less optimistic about the City's financial situation, which he believes will present significant budget constraints again this year.
As Glazer returns his attention to the tasks at hand at the Brown campaign headquarters, he listens intently and interjects occasionally in a discussion with Brown and a young staffer. It's still early in the campaign cycle, and although some of the desks in the vast headquarter space are empty, Glazer says his team is growing daily. His older daughter will join him as an intern for the campaign this summer. When asked what attracted him to his new high-profile post, Glazer shakes his head and responds quietly, "It's always about trying to create a greater good." He adds, "I have been very lucky. For over 20 years I have worked independently and been able to pick and choose projects that I am passionate about."