[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 56 (Friday, April 15, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E758]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  IN RECOGNITION OF MICHAEL P. MURPHY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JACKIE SPEIER-

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 15, 2011

  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the retirement of Mike 
Murphy, the San Mateo County Counsel.
  I had the great privilege to work with Mike when I was a member of 
the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. He is an exceptional public 
servant, legal expert, human being and a dear friend.
  Mike was born in Yokohama, Japan on November 17, 1948 as the son of a 
military family. He went to Pacific Grove High School from where he 
graduated in 1966. He then attended the U.S. Military Academy at West 
Point and graduated in 1970. He later served on the Military Academy 
Advisory Committee.
  Mike laid the ground work for his legal career at Boalt Hall School 
of Law at UC Berkeley. He graduated in May of 1978 and just six months 
later was admitted to the California Bar.
  In May of 1982, Mike started serving in the office of the San Mateo 
County District Attorney. In 1987, the civil division of the office 
became the San Mateo County Counsel where Mike continued to serve. He 
was appointed one of two Chief Deputies in 1998 and Assistant County 
Counsel in 2006. In 2007, he became Counsel until his retirement on 
March 18, 2011.
  Mike served as the principal land use attorney for 22 years, a 
pressure cooker of a job that he made appear effortless. Among his 
highest achievements were the defense of the County's Local Coastal 
Program and Measure A, a coastal protection initiative and the defense 
of Measure T, authorizing the Devil's Slide tunnel bypass. During his 
entire career, Mike worked as a legal advisor on the San Bruno Mountain 
Habitat Conservation Plan, a landmark environmental document that he 
demonstrated his legal skill in drafting.
  In 1988, Mike and San Mateo County celebrated a true David vs. 
Goliath victory. The Port of Oakland was about to dump 7 million tons 
of dredged spoils into the ocean off the San Mateo coast. The Half Moon 
Bay Fishermen's Marketing Association filed a lawsuit to stop the 
dumping but lost in federal court. Mike and his colleague Stephen Toben 
studied the case and filed a suit for injunctive and declaratory 
relief. It was their legal expertise and perseverance that resulted in 
a victory in front of the California State Court of Appeals.
  While I was in the California Senate in 2003, Mike defended my 
financial privacy legislation and faced strong opposition from 
multinational conglomerates. Again, his outstanding legal acumen 
succeeded in protecting the rights of San Mateo County residents.
  Mike has also been serving on the Military Academy Advisory Committee 
for the 12th Congressional District for many years, helping select the 
next generation of America's officers.
  Mike is the loving husband of Gayle Murphy, his wife of 28 years, and 
the proud parent of their two daughters Erin and Shannon.
  In his well deserved retirement, Mike will undoubtedly enjoy the 
additional time he will have to read and attend San Francisco Giants 
games.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask this body to rise with me to honor an 
extraordinary man, Mike Murphy, for his dedication to public service 
and justice in San Mateo County.

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