A Hawaii Five-O birthday celebration
A Hawaii Five-O birthday celebration
U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff was joined by close to 300 friends and supporters as he celebrated his 50th birthday Hawaiian-style at The Castaway Luau Grounds this past Thursday. Accompanied by his wife, Eve, and children, Alexa and Elijah, the five-term congressman joined Hawaiian dancers Andrea “Ku’uipo” Savopolos and Kealii Chang in welcoming guests, posing for photos and performing a traditional Hawaiian dance.
Among those who enjoyed the evening of Hawaiian-themed food and entertainment, and then joined in for a rousing chorus of “Happy Birthday to Adam,” were Burbank Vice Mayor Jess Talamantes and his wife, Sandy, Councilman Dave Golonski, Glendale City Councilman Frank Quintero, Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge, E. C. Krupp, who serves as the director of the Griffith Observatory, Glendale College Board of Trustee Members Tony Tartaglia and Anita Gabriellian, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell, and Burbank Park, Recreation and Community Services Board Member Todd Layfer.
Born in Framingham, Mass., a half-century ago, Schiff received a political science degree from Stanford University and a law degree from Harvard University. Prior to his election to Congress he worked as an assistant prosecutor in the Los Angeles branch of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and was a member of the California State Senate. Sent to Washington in 2001 by those he represents in Pasadena, South Pasadena, Glendale and Burbank, Schiff currently sits on the House Appropriations Committee and the Judiciary Committee. He also holds positions on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Select Intelligence Oversight Panel.
Other special guests at Thursday’s celebration, that was coordinated by Patricia Horton, included NBC-4’s Dr. Bruce Hensel, former-Burbank Leader Editor Paul Hubler, who once served as Schiff’s chief of staff and is now the director of government and community relations for the Alameda Corridor-East Construction Authority, and Schiff’s staff members Mary Hovagimian, Yvonne Hsu, Terry Valdez, William Syms, Margarita Gutierrez, Teresa Lamb Simpson, Elizabeth Vuna, Ann Peifer and Kathleen Miles.
Among the others who donned fashions that represented the Hawaiian motif and came to impart their best wishes to Schiff were Dawn Lindsay, Ray Peifer, Dean and Lori Hartwell, Rich O’Toole, David and Vangie Gutkind, Stan Friedman, John Tanner, Alex and Joyce Baghdassarian, Mark Foster, Harry Knapp, John Gunn, Steve Goorvitch, Susan Hunt, Ricky Choi, Pearl Fu, Odom and Kate Stamps, Bill Crowfoot, Steve Nissen, Maya Zutler, Scott Svonkin, Phil Cohen, David Fertig, Alicia Gallagher, Tom Inman, Harry and Sally Baldwin, Lee Wochner, Michael Cacciotti, Gene Campbell, Martin and Jane Chetron, John Drayman, Tom and Elizabeth Eilers, Bob and Diane Gin, Dave and Sherry Grannis, Renatta Cooper, Robin Amundsen and Shelly Burell.