Statement by Congresswoman Jane Harman

Congresswoman Jane harman - Press Release

IN MEMORY OF SANDY ELSTER

January 30, 2004

Mr. Speaker, I rise to say goodbye to a dear friend and neighbor.

Earlier this week, I received news that local activist and businessman Sandy Elster passed away at his Venice, California home at age 86.

Sandy was a true progressive, who cared intensely about policy. He volunteered for my first congressional campaign and was generous with both his time and ideas. He was unafraid to speak out, whether he agreed or not with my positions. Indeed, I know that many of my views were shaped by the discussions we had during our bike rides and brunches along our coastal bike path.

Sandy was known, in particular, for his environmental activism. In recent years, he was a consultant to the Metropolitan Transit Authority to develop a non-polluting, mass transit system. He drove one of the first electric cars, the EV-1, made by General Motors, and later became an advocate for the hybrid Toyota Prius and persuaded his friends to buy it.

Sandy also led local efforts to protect the California least tern, a small gray and white seabird that was added to the endangered species list in the mid-1970s. After moving to Venice in the early 1970s, he helped cut through red tape to erect a fence around a plot of sand about half the size of a football field to keep dogs, cats and other predators away from tern eggs and chicks. Today, the least tern population is stable and growing because of his stewardship.

I know that one of his proudest accomplishments was seeing then-President Ronald Reagan sign the U.N. Genocide Convention--an agreement whose ratification he spent many years working to secure. But beyond making genocide a crime under international law, he believed it important that our citizens know the horror of genocide, its roots, and the need for vigilance.

During the 1980s, he was instrumental in the campaign that resulted in legislation to require California's public schools to teach about genocide to students in seventh through 12th grade.

It's emblematic of Sandy's active life that the service to his memory was held at the Beverly Hills Tennis Club. He was an avid tennis player and biker, and I found it challenging to keep up with him.

My thoughts are with his spectacular wife and partner of 56 years, Ernestine, and his family. Sandy was very special.