Thursday, March 17, 2005
Page 1
Miller Will Not Run for State Bar Board, Backs Fujie And McNicholas After Breakfast Club Endorsements
By a MetNews Staff Writer
Howard Miller, who was unsuccessful in his bid for Breakfast Club endorsement for the State Bar Board of Governors, told the MetNews yesterday he will not run for the board this year.
Miller said he will support John P. McNicholas and Holly J. Fujie, who were endorsed Tuesday at the Breakfast Club’s annual meeting. Attorneys in Los Angeles County will be filling two District 7 seats on the board in balloting that will conclude this summer.
Miller said he probably will run for the board in a future election, but that McNicholas and Fujie are “ěoutstanding candidates” and deserving of support. “I don’t know why anyone would run against them.”
Miller, a partner in the Los Angeles firm of Girardi & Keese, was the Los Angeles Unified School District board’s president from 1977 to 1979 and the school district’s chief operating officer in 1999 and 2000.
He was also an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor in 1974. He taught at USC Law School from 1965 to 1977, and was a full professor during his last eight years there.
Miller’s decision leaves McNicholas, Fujie, and Phillip Feldman as the only declared candidates for the two seats, which are being vacated by Steven Ipsen and David Marcus. Feldman said Tuesday he would run for Ipsen’s seat, but it was unclear which Breakfast Club-backed candidate would run for which seat.
Another potential contender, Deputy District Attorney Frank Tavelman, unsuccessfully sought the Breakfast Club’s endorsement and said after the vote Tuesday that he would support the club’s choices.
Candidates have until April 1 to file candidacy papers with the State Bar. Balloting is conducted by mail during May and June—all active lawyers in Los Angeles County can vote—and the votes are counted in mid-July.
About 60 paid-up Breakfast Club members cast ballots after hearing the five contenders speak at the downtown Omni Los Angeles Hotel. Recruiting candidates for the Board of Governors is the primary function of the club.
Copyright 2005, Metropolitan News Company