Jane Harman: “the seaside community of El Segundo in my congressional district, rich in so many ways, is a great deal poorer following…”

“the seaside community of El Segundo in my congressional district, rich in so many ways, is a great deal poorer following the death on Saturday of its longtime Mayor and State assembly representative Mike Gordon. Those of us who knew Mike well and the countless others whose lives he touched are devastated by his unexpected and untimely passing. In the course of my public career, few people have had a more profound impact on me and the policies I pursue than Mike Gordon. He was a natural politician, drawn to people, and driven to solve their problems, no matter how big or small. Mike Gordon was a big thinker, one who could see around corners, anticipating the needs of his community and forging, in a strong but sensitive way, its future. He was a mayor, an assembly member, a baseball coach, community activist, party leader, good husband, father, and friend. And when he succumbed to brain cancer in the early morning hours of June 25, he was just 47 years old. When Mike received his dire diagnosis 3 months ago, the broader world of California politics was just opening to him. Years of consensus building and goodwill and enormous potential were cut cruelly short. I grieve for his family: his devoted wife, Denise; and four children; Ryan, Erika, Amanda, and Gordy; and for our larger loss.…”