I grew up in Europe during the years following World War II in a family of Holocaust survivors. After the war, my father worked for the prosecution at the Nuremberg war crimes military tribunals, after which he began a career with American military intelligence agencies. I was born shortly thereafter at his first assignment in the post-war occupation of Austria.

We lived in Austria and then Germany until my early teens. In the early 1960s, we moved to the Boston area. After completing high school, I relocated to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California. I earned a law degree and a Ph.D. there, launching me on a career in both politics and law.

While still in school, I began working on political campaigns and becoming engaged in public policy debates. Afterward, I worked for several years in organizations advocating for business and political reforms. During the rest of my legal career, I represented public agencies, housing developers, Native American tribes, and community organizations. I had the opportunity to serve as an advisor to state and local governments and participate in environmental and civic organizations. I also taught courses in law, public policy, and urban planning at USC, UCLA, UC Irvine, and UC San Diego.

Over the course of my career, I have frequently written essays on land use, environmental, and political topics, published in the Los Angeles Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, and other newspapers, as well as in professional journals. An extensive sampling of them, with links to the articles, is presented on the Other Writing page.

After an adventurous trip with my daughter, in search of family roots in Eastern Europe, I began writing a series of essays which evolved into the book Becoming American. I hope it contributes to an improved understanding of immigrants and to a more productive public discussion of better immigration policies.

After my wife became disabled by multiple sclerosis and had to rely on a mobility scooter, we faced the challenge of continuing to travel. Our adventures and experiences became the subject of my book On Two Legs and Three Wheels. I hope it inspires aging and disabled readers to keep traveling, while providing all readers with entertaining travel stories.