Emily grew up in a working class family in a small steel mill town in Pennsylvania. Today, she is the Mayor of Santa Cruz. Along the way Emily has become a parent, an advocate and a small business owner, creating deep roots in the community she loves.
Where Emily grew up, the polluted water used by the steel mill rose in the air and fell on everything - ruining the exterior paint of cars and soiling the laundry that hung out to dry. After a particularly long union strike, the hill opposite Emily's house became green again. It was a lesson learned. A brighter future meant moving beyond the false choice between protecting jobs and protecting the environment. Emily believes the future is in green jobs, green technology and economic growth locally through cultural tourism and she has brought that conviction to her work as Mayor of Santa Cruz.
In 1979, Emily arrived in Santa Cruz with her two young sons to further her education at the University of California Santa Cruz. Emily brought homemade cookies to school to supplement her income so that she could raise her sons and pay for school supplies. She would place the cookies on a table in a basket with a note asking those who wanted one to abide by the honor system. The cookies were a campus favorite and customers only took what they paid for and always left the correct amount. A local businessman asked Emily to make some desserts for his restaurant and the rest, as they say, is history. Emily's Bakery is now an important business for locals, students and those traveling along Mission Street and is celebrating its 25th year.
As Mayor of Santa Cruz, Emily has been a catalyst on global warming and climate change initiatives. The City Council has adopted a Climate Action Declaration, which commits to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2020 and 80% by 2050. Emily led the council to see that Santa Cruz became one of the first cities in California to have a mandatory "green building" program for all new construction. Emily is leading efforts to bring the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Visitor Center to Santa Cruz, which she hopes will generate a sense of personal responsibility for the California coastal ecosystem.
