Mike Rotkin
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Mike Rotkin (September 17, 1945 – June 18, 2025) was a lecturer at the University of California, Santa Cruz, long-term city council member, and a five-time mayor of Santa Cruz, California: 1981–1982, 1985–1986, 1995–1996, 2004–2005, and 2009–2010.[1]
A former motorcycle mechanic with a Ph.D. in the History of Consciousness, Rotkin first ran for city council on a protest campaign as a "socialist-feminist" in 1979, taking first place among voters at a time when Santa Cruz was more Republican than Democrat. He taught Marxist theory at UC Santa Cruz for over 40 years, while serving six terms as a city councilman, including five terms as the mayor, longer than anyone in the city's history (the mayoral post of Santa Cruz passes yearly to a councilmember selected by a majority of other councilmembers). During his 20 years in city government, city spending on social services and programs increased from $80,000 ($200,000; 2000US) a year in 1979 to $2 million by 2000. However, in the 2006 election, he was criticized for supporting pragmatic pro-economic development positions.[2][3][4][5]
He served as president of the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) teachers' union.
Anti-war and anti-racism activism
Rotkin protested the Vietnam War, Apartheid, and racism, and was arrested for civil disobedience "about a dozen times".[6]
Death
Rotkin died at the age of 79 in Santa Cruz, California, on June 18, 2025.[7]
References
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- ↑ Beloved community member, former Santa Cruz Mayor Mike Rotkin dies at 79
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