Michael is a veteran of 20 years of legislative and administrative service with the State of California. As a legislative consultant, his specialties included agricultural and environmental policy. In 1975, he was appointed Chief Deputy Secretary of State by Secretary of State March Fong Eu. He is credited with developing and implementing California’s voter-registration-by-mail program and administering the most sophisticated election results reporting system in the country. In 1983, Michael was appointed Chief Deputy State Treasurer by Treasurer Jess Unruh. His tenure coincided with the substantial increase in the powers of that office. He administered the office and represented the Treasurer on 35 financing authorities as well as the governing boards of the Public Employees’ Retirement System and the State Teachers’ Retirement System. While serving as Chief Deputy Treasure, he also negotiated the sale of $8 billion in securities.
Michael was a principal with Rose & Kindel from 1988 through 2009. He frequently lectures on government and politics, and for many years has taught the Politics of Development at the Graduate School of Real Estate Development at the University of Southern California. He is highly regarded for his expertise in public finance and taxation, state and local contract procedures, transportation and water policy and water history. He is a member of the City of Los Angeles Business Tax Advisory Committee as well as the City Commission on Revenue Efficiency.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the University of California, Davis. He is a member of Lakeside Golf Club.