Nineteen years ago, Steve Glazer was shot in the neck by a high-powered pellet rifle while driving with his family. The .17-caliber projectile just missed his carotid artery and lodged next to his spine. The perpetrator was caught but never charged with a crime because pellet guns were classified as toys in the criminal code.
After recovering from his injury, Steve worked as a private citizen with then-Senator Tom Torlakson to author legislation establishing penalties for pellet-gun attacks. This incident sparked a career in public service that would take Steve from the Orinda City Council and the job of Mayor and then on to the California State University Board of Trustees and eventually the state Senate, where he represents nearly 1 million Californians.
Steve's focus has never wavered from improving public services, local schools and infrastructure while ensuring government fiscal accountability. In the Senate he has been a pragmatic progressive, working to make California a model for providing compassionate and fiscally sustainable public services. He has been a watchdog over state employment, contracting and pension practices, state spending and tax policy. He is currently a member of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee.
Steve’s public policy efforts now span three decades and include landmark achievements in the areas of conservation, public safety, affordable housing, and fiscal reform.
- Missing Children: As an Assembly aide in the 1980s, Steve created the program that placed pictures of missing children on milk cartons, grocery bags, and billboards -- an initiative credited with finding more than one dozen children.
- Affordable Housing: Steve organized campaigns that provided billions of dollars for homeless shelters and affordable housing, as well as residences for abused women and foster children.
- Open Space Preservation: Working on open space preservation measures, Steve helped permanently protect thousands of acres of California land from development.
- Advisor to Governor Brown: Steve served as an advisor to Governor Brown, helping him successfully tackle California’s difficult budgetary and fiscal challenges.
- Education Advocate: Steve is a passionate advocate for quality public education, and his two daughters are graduates of the public schools. He serves on the Senate Education Committee and as chair of the Select Committee on Student Success, where he has been the Senate's leading advocate for making higher education accessible and effective for every Californian.
- Accountability: As a Senator, Steve has been a champion for fiscal responsibility, arguing for balanced budgets, lower taxes on the middle class and the working poor, and systems to measure the effectiveness of government programs to ensure that the services we provide are doing the job for those who need them most.
Steve Glazer has received numerous awards and recognition for his volunteerism and professional endeavors. He served as California State University Trustee, Mayor of Orinda and state Senator. Steve also founded a successful small business, advising environmental, business, and nonprofit organizations.
Steve is married to Melba Muscarolas, a retired AT&T executive. They have two daughters. Steve earned a bachelor’s degree from San Diego State University where he served as Student Body President.
Steve was born and raised in Sacramento, California to Carol and Morton Glazer in 1957. He has an older sister Lynne and a younger brother Gordon.
He attended local public schools graduating from Crocker Elementary, California Junior High and C.K. McClatchy High School.
Steve served on the student council in middle school and participated in numerous school activities, eventually being elected Student Body President. In 1970, at the age of thirteen, Steve was the top collector of books and magazines (810 total) for soldiers serving in Vietnam. His success was captured in a Sacramento Bee photo highlighting the accomplishments of the youths sitting on top of the many thousands of donated books.
“The war was controversial but we were so appreciative of the soldiers who were in harm's way. The book drive really motivated me to help and I was glad to spend my weeknights and weekends going door-to-door asking for donations. Being the school’s top collector was not really that important but I was appreciative of all the neighbors who helped make my effort a success. Plus I learned how much fun it was being involved in something important and making a difference.”
Steve was involved in scouting and rose to the rank of Law Explorer Scout. This is an early picture of Steve as a Cub Scout.
Charitable activities were common in the Glazer household. His father Mort served on the Board of Goodwill Industries, eventually becoming Board President.
“My Mom and Dad engaged in civic activities in the community and in religious school almost every weekend. They set a great example for all of us. Service was important and fulfilling.”
Steve was an accomplished junior tennis player, eventually ranking in the top five for players under 18 in the region. He was selected to the Sacramento team, which participated in the National Team Tennis Championships.
Steve attended San Diego State University and graduated with a Bachelors of Arts degree in 1979.
In 1987, he married Melba Muscarolas, a first generation Cuban American, in a ceremony in Yosemite National Park. Lifelong environmentalists, they spent many outings in the glorious Yosemite Valley. They have two daughters, Ariel and Alex.
Steve’s father served in World War II and while fighting in Europe, sustained shrapnel injuries to his leg. Today Mort Glazer's service is commemorated on a plaque at the Lafayette Veterans Memorial Center. “My dad’s Purple Heart Medal is a constant reminder to me of the dangers placed upon our service men and women every day as they protect our freedoms and liberties. When Americans don’t vote, they disrespect the sacrifices of our forefathers and mothers who gave up so much to give us that right.”
