By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO – Two well-known members of the San Diego Jewish community have announced their intentions to run for public office in the 2022 local elections: Barbara Bry and Shana Hazan.
Bry, a former San Diego City Councilwoman and unsuccessful candidate for mayor, has announced that she will seek the San Diego County combined offices of Tax Assessor, Recorder, and County Clerk. The position is now held by Ernie Dronenberg, 78, who is completing his third term. Previously, another member of the Jewish community, Greg Smith, held the position for 25 years.
Hazan, an appointee of Sen. President pro tem Toni Atkins to the First 5 California Commission, announced last July that she is seeking the District B seat on the San Diego Unified School Board now held by Kevin Bieser. She is a fourth-generation San Diegan and the great granddaughter of philanthropists Abe & Anne Ratner, for whom the Ratner Children’s Eye Center at UC San Diego is named. Her grandparents were Stan and Pauline Foster, both of whom served as presidents of the Jewish Federation of San Diego County. Her mother, Marcia Hazan, is a longtime board member of Jewish Family Service.
Bry has a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University and was the principal in two entrepreneurial businesses before she entered public life. One was ProFlowers, which she started with Jared Polis, who currently is the governor of Colorado. An earlier business, in the early years of the Internet, enabled travelers to hook up with the Internet via the telephone in their hotel rooms.
“I will bring the values of accountability, equity and transparency to the county assessor’s office to ensure that everyone pays their fair share of real estate taxes, and that whether you are a big corporation or property owner, you receive excellent customer service and respect,” Bry commented in her announcement.
Among those endorsing Hazan since her July announcement were Atkins, U.S. Rep. Scott Peters (D-San Diego) and former Rep. Susan Davis (D-San Diego), who prior to her 20 years in Congress had served in the State Legislature and on the San Diego School Board.
“As a former member of the San Diego Unified Board of Education, I know how critical this official position of elected service is to our children’s future,” Davis commented. “Shana has the skills and dedication to drive and deliver excellence in our schools.”
*
Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com