[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 164 (Wednesday, December 19, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1972]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE SERVICE OF CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLYMAN ANTHONY J. PORTANTINO

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 19, 2012

  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Anthony Portantino for 
his six years of service in the California State Assembly. A graduate 
of Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania, Assemblyman Portantino 
started out with a successful career in the entertainment industry. He 
produced and co-wrote a multitude of film and TV productions, including 
independent historical films highlighting racial issues in American 
history.
  Mr. Portantino was then elected to the La Canada Flintridge City 
Council in 1999 with over 70 percent of the vote. As a member of the 
City Council/School District Joint Use Committee, he played a pivotal 
role in procuring funding and services for local public schools. Mr. 
Portantino continued to serve as a member of the Council for nearly 
eight years and served two terms as its Mayor in 2001 and in 2005. He 
resigned in 2006 upon his election to the California State Assembly.
  During his years in the California legislature, Assemblyman 
Portantino served the 44th District with great distinction, championing 
tougher regulations on firearms and successfully passing 38 bills into 
law.
  He presided as Chair of the Assembly's Committee on Higher Education 
and was a member of the Transportation, Government Organization and 
Public Safety Standing Committees. He also served as a member of the 
Assembly Select Committees on the Preservation of California's 
Entertainment Industry, Foster Care, and Community Colleges. 
Assemblyman Portantino has been recognized by his community for his 
extraordinary efforts on behalf of the Gold Line and for his exemplary 
service as a state legislator.
  As a strong advocate for transparency and accountability in state 
finances, and a champion of health care issues, Assemblyman Portantino 
will be missed in the Assembly and by his constituents, but I know he 
will continue to represent the needs of his community in any endeavor 
he chooses to pursue hereafter. I join my colleagues in thanking him 
for his service and wish the Assemblyman, his wife Ellen, and their 
children Sofia and Isabella, the best in this new chapter of their 
lives.

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