An attorney who does not believe in government, a homeowner who does not believe in private property, I search for questions, not answers. I am not "woke," but still a dreamer, trying to make the dreams of a better society come true. My favorite quote is from Ricardo Flores Magon, the anarchist from Oaxaca who started the Mexican Revolution from exile in Los Angeles:

Solidarity is the consciousness of the common interest, and the actions which follow from that consciousness.

(The picture on my profile is of Magon, not me, although there is a striking resemblance.)

Ever since I was “organized” by Dolores Huerta to work for Cesar Chavez and the United Farmworkers, I have been involved in the labor movement. Not only Cesar, but his mentor, Fred Ross Sr., tried to teach me organizing skills, to no avail. My skill is in arguing, so that is what I ended up doing for a living. After receiving my B.A. in Community Studies at UC Santa Cruz (and a few other adventures) I went on to receive a J.D. from the UC Berkeley (formerly Boalt) Law School in 1982.

I began my legal career in the border town of El Centro, CA, defending persons from deportation at the detention center. I then worked in the Migrant Unit of California Rural Legal Assistance, representing migrant farmworkers in labor, education and housing issues. All this was during the hostile administration of Ronald Reagan.

Returning to my home town of Los Angeles, I have worked representing unions, workers and union benefit funds. This has included cases of discrimination, sexual harassment, civil rights and free speech. I try to follow my legal heroes in developing a long-term strategy for systemic change, including politics, activism, legislation and litigation, rather than just reacting to individual wrongs. In the book I rewrote and added to, A History of California Labor Legislation: Revised and Updated Centennial Edition (Queen Calafia Publishing 2012), I explored the paradox I called the Un-Holy Trinity of Labor, Race and Immigration.

These are questions I often return to here on Medium. The racism, xenophobia and individual isolation of our society make no sense from a Vulcan, logical point of view. Why can't we realize our natural solidarity? I cashed in all the Karma to marry the Girl of my Dream, my own Queen Calafia. She is an artist (who did the above illustration) who brings beauty to the world, while I survive on strife.

Live Long and Prosper!