Commissioner

In January 2009, Brian Maienschein was selected as the first Commissioner of Home Again. The program was created by over 100 community volunteers and was endorsed by the San Diego City Council and 16 other cities within the County to address the needs of the chronically homeless.

Brian was elected to the San Diego City Council in November 2000 with 63% of the vote, the most ever received by a non-incumbent, and was re-elected without opposition in 2004 to represent the San Diego City Council's Fifth District. In the course of both elections, he received the highest number of votes ever cast for a City Council candidate.

During his tenure, Brian preserved over 11,000 acres in the San Pasqual Valley from development. He secured the opening of State Route 56 and made numerous infrastructure improvements throughout his district. He is most well known for his outstanding response to two wildfires that swept through his district, the Cedar Fire in 2003 and the Witch Creek Fire in 2007. Brian and his staff walked the burned-out neighborhood streets themselves to create a list of the homes that had been destroyed and got this news out to his constituents before they were allowed to return. In the fire's aftermath, he set up a one-stop shop for disaster victims to lead the rebuilding efforts. The plan he created is now viewed as a national model for disaster response.

Prior to his election, Brian served as Executive Director of Youth Court, an innovative program that has forged a partnership between law enforcement, schools, and community groups to get first-time juvenile offenders back on track. For his work with the program, Brian received the District Attorney's Crime Victims Rights Award. As a Councilmember, he expanded the program throughout San Diego. Thousands of San Diego students have now been through the program. In addition, Brian is currently teaching a course on Election Law at the University of San Diego Law School.

In recognition of his hard work on behalf of our community, Brian received the 2003 Legislator of the Year Award by the American Planning Association and was awarded the Soroptimist Environment Award. He was named by San Diego Magazine as one of the Top 50 People to Watch in San Diego, and was also awarded the Top 40 under 40 Leadership Award by San Diego Metropolitan Magazine.

A graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara and California Western School of Law, Brian's proudest accomplishments are his two daughters, Taylin and Brenna.