Mike Roos is Founder and Chief Consultant of Mike Roos and Company, a public affairs management company founded in 1999. Mike Roos and Company specializes in government relations, corporate issues management, media relations and ballot measure campaigns.

Previously, Mike Roos served as President and CEO of LEARN, a coalition of civic leaders and representatives of Los Angeles’ diverse education, ethnic, business, labor, academic, religious and social advocacy constituencies organized in 1991, to implement systemic reform and restructuring within the Los Angeles Unified School District.

A political strategist and legislative leader in California for over 14 years, he served as a member of the California State Assembly from 1977 to 1991. In his second legislative term, he was chosen by his caucus as Majority Floor Leader. He served in that position for six years until he was elected by the 80-member body as Speaker Pro Tempore of the State Assembly.

Some of Mr. Roos’ major legislative achievements include the Roberti-Roos Weapons Control Act of 1989 – landmark legislation banning assault weapons, and the Mello Roos Community Facilities Act of 1982, which provided local government with an innovative, alternate method of financing basic and much needed public facilities.

The first and strictest laws to date protecting the confidentiality of HIV test results were authored by Mr. Roos in 1985, as well as the law creating the pioneer Alternative Test Sites Program, which established centers where individuals could receive free, anonymous testing for the AIDS antibody.

He also authored legislation prohibiting sex discrimination in California educational institutions and was instrumental in enacting a model curriculum for K-12 students to explore the issues of human rights, genocide and the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

Prior to his election to the State Assembly, he was Chief Deputy to Los Angeles City Councilmember, Marvin Braude, and served as Executive Director of the Coro Foundation, a leadership training program for future leaders in government and public affairs.

In 1976, Mr. Roos served as a member of the State Finance Committee for the Carter presidential campaign. President Carter named Mike Roos to the position of State Director of his 1980 presidential campaign in California. In 1988, he was the California Co-chair for U.S. Senator Paul Simon’s presidential campaign.

Mr. Roos recently served as Chairman of the Fraternity of Friends of the Music Center. He served on the Queenscare Board of Directors, a non-profit Healthcare Foundation, and is Co-Chair of the Los Angeles Children’s Museum. Mr. Roos was appointed by Mayor James Hahn to serve as President of the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Commission and as a member of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission. He was President of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission in 1998. In 2003, he was elected to the Board of Directors for the Southern California Golf Association Foundation.

In 1997, Mike was asked by Actor/Director/Producer, Rob Reiner to serve as the Campaign Director for California Children and Families Initiative, an initiative originated by Reiner. In 1998, this initiative successfully moved on to become a ballot proposition known as Prop 10, State and County Early Childhood Development Programs. Prop 10 became law on January 1, 1999. He was also the Chair of Prop 34 which passed in 2000, and Prop 46 that passed in 2002.

Because of his substantial experience and insight, Mr. Roos is often asked by civic and education organizations to speak on education reform, and his experience and knowledge of the legislative process in California politics.

Born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1945, Mr. Roos attended Christian Brothers High School and Tulane University in New Orleans, where he earned a grant-in-aid for baseball. In 2005, he was inducted into the Tulane Athletic Hall of Fame. After receiving a political science degree in 1967, he moved west to accept a National Institute of Child Health Fellowship at the University of Southern California, and graduated in 1970 with a master’s degree in public administration.

Mr. Roos resides in Los Angeles and has four daughters, Shelby, Melissa, Caroline and Catherine.

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