Player Biographies: Bob Stern, French Horn

Bob Stern has played French horn with the Palisades Symphony since 1987.  He is a retired public interest lawyer, having worked for Assemblyman Henry Waxman in the California legislature, Jerry Brown in the Secretary of State’s office, as general counsel for the California Fair Political Practices Commission, and as President of the LA-based Center for Governmental Studies.  He was a principal co-author of California’s Political Reform Act, passed by 70% of California voters in 1974 and called one of the twelve most important ballot measures in California history.  Starting in 2016, he has presented a course yearly at UCLA Extension and has taught “Current Events” at Santa Monica Emeritus’ Summer and Winter sessions since 2017. In 2022, he was given California Common Cause’s Democracy Hero award. In 2006, he was presented with the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles’ Education Fund Voter Participation Leadership Award. He was honored by Pomona College as a Distinguished Alumnus of the Year in 2010.  He is currently an appointed Commissioner on the City of Los Angeles’ Ethics Commission.  He is a graduate of Pomona College and Stanford Law School.