Brian Kahn

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Contents

• Brian kahn recruiting video
• What makes for a great interview brian kahn tedxhelena
• Awards
• Publications
• Television
• References

Brian Kahn is an American author, journalist, and public radio host. His weekly public affairs program Home Ground is broadcast on 50+ stations/translators in the Rocky Mountain west. On the air since 1996, it has been named Montana's Outstanding Non-Commercial Radio Program Kahn is the winner of the 2009 Montana Governor's Award for the Humanities. A lawyer, he is former president of the California Fish and Game Commission. His book Real Common Sense, "a well-written, well-intentioned reflection on what it means to be a citizen in today's imperfect America," was published in 2011 by Seven Stories Press. 'Rediscovering My Country' was published in 2015 (Social Sciences Editorial, Havana) and presented at the Havana International Book Fair.

Biography

(The following is based on an interview given by Kahn on September 8, 2017.)

Kahn grew up in Sonoma County, California, graduating Sonoma High school in 1965. Valedictorian of his class, he attended University of Oregon Honors College for one year, then transferred to U.C. Berkeley, receiving a B.S. in Political Science in 1969. While at Cal, he became a member of the varsity Boxing Team. Winner of the Milton Cuhna Award, he was undefeated in the 1969 CCBC regular season, and took second in the CCBC 1969 Championships.

In the summer/fall of 1969 Kahn worked as a ranch-hand in southwest Montana. After taking the LSAT in spring, 1970, he was accepted by Harvard and Boalt (U.C. Berkeley) law schools. With the ringside death of long-time coach Ed Nemir (1932 Olympic wrestling Silver Medalist, and Pacific Coast League boxing champion) U.C.'s boxing program was in jeopardy. Kahn chose Boalt over Harvard to be able to work with former teammates to try to save the program. From 1970-71 he served as Assistant Coach; from '73-75 as Head coach. During his tenure, Cal Boxing regained institutional and financial stability. In 1974 the team won the CCBC Team Championship.

In an article advocating the continuation of Cal Boxing, Kahn wrote, "I've learned more of importance from boxing than from anything else I've studied at Cal." ("What's in That Punch?", 1969.)

Sonoma County (California) Board of Supervisors

In January, 1976, Kahn was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to a vacant seat on the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, and became a candidate for election to a full term. During the ten months prior to the November election, two Supervisors were recalled in June, leaving him as the sole advocate for community-centered land use planning. The issue generated intense controversy. Kahn caused additional controversy during the summer budget hearings, when he criticized the county sheriff's public verbal attack on the parents of a raped child, and Kahn called for a Grand Jury investigation into the sheriff's handling of the case.

In November, Brian Kahn was elected to a full term by the largest vote majority in the county's history. In a sharp reversal of the June recall, a pro-planning majority was elected to the Board.

In 1978, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors passed a landmark, community-centered land-use plan with restrictive rural zoning to protect agricultural and forest lands. The plaan remains in place in 2017.

In 1978, Governor Brown appointed Kahn to serve on the California Board of Corrections. A year later, he was asked to author a report on criminal gangs operating from California prisons. "California State Prison Gangs" was published in 1980.

Brian Kahn was a candidate for United Stated Congress, 1st Congressional District, in 1980. He placed second in the June, four-way Democratic primary.

California Fish and Game Commission

In 1982, Governor Brown appointed Kahn to the California Fish and Game Commission, a constitutionally-established body charged with establishing policies to govern the activities of the state Department of Fish and Game. To his amazement, the Commission had adopted no such written policies. Despite resistance from Departmental leaders, he convinced his fellow Commissioners of the need for such policies on a wide range of issues, which were subsequently adopted.

Initially dismissive of the Commission devoting significant time to conservation of the severely endangered California condor ("Why are we spending time on a vulture?"), Kahn was confronted by Marcia Wilson Hobbs, Director of Development of Los Angeles Zoo. "You don't know a damn thing about condors," she said. "Do you have the guts to learn?". Kahn agreed to a day in the field with Noel Snyder, lead condor biologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. It was reveletory for him, both in terms of the magnificence of the bird, and that Snyder, as "staff", was prohibited by FWS policy from speaking directly with a Commissioner. Kahn became the Commission's leading advocate for pro-active condor conservation which culminated in the Commission demanding, after a winter in which 3 of the 4 wild breeding pairs were lost, that the Fish and Wildlife Service capture all the remaining 17 birds into protective custody at Los Angeles Zoo and San Diego Animal Park. This was done, and the resultant captive breeding program has enabled more than 200 condors to be released back into the wild in several states. Condor pairs are now breeding in the wild.

In 1986, Kahn learned that the Department of Natural Resources of the administration of Governor George Deukmajian was claiming the authority to alter the contents of Environmental Impact Statements submitted by the Department of Fish and Game. Kahn believed that was illegal under the California Constitution, which was structured to insure Departmental adherence to Commission policies. He took the issue to his fellow Commissioners, a majority of whom were Republicans. They unanimously agreed to his proposal to seek a legal opinion from the state Attorney General. The opinion confirmed that Natural Resources had exceeded its authority.

It is traditional that when a Commissioner's term expires, he or she continues to serve until a replacement is appointed. On the evening of the day his term expired, Kahn received a telephone call from Governor Deukmajian's office, informing him that the Governor wanted him to know his tenure had expired.

Documentary Films

Leaving the Board of Supervisors in 1981, Kahn considered pursuing a law practice, and became 'of counsel' to the prominent Santa Rosa firm, Clement, Fitzpatrick & Kenworthy. But his real interests lay elsewhere. Though the position was unsalaried, he devoted a major portion of his time to F&G Commission work. Then an idea struck him--to produce wildlife conservation films which focused not only on wildlife, but on the people who worked to protect them.

His first film, "Return of the Desert Bighorn" was completed in 1983. To raise funds for its production, Kahn established the Artemis Wildlife Foundation. Attorney Clay Clement and Don Albini, noted artisanal winemaker joined Kahn on the initial board.

In 1984, Huey Johnson, Governor Brown's former Secretary of Natural Resources, suggested to Brian that he produce a film about Johnson's work to conserve Sandhills crane habitat in California's Central Valley. When Kahn indicated he might be interested if Johnson would raise the production funds, Johnson demurred.

"Red Dawn", a national TV special, had recently aired. It depicted an invasion of the U.S.A. by Soviet forces whose campaign mirrored a Nazi occupation. During this same period, the Reagan Administration was promoting "Star Wars", and high-level officials engaged in public discussions of a potential US nuclear first strike.

Having lived in Moscow as a 13 year-old for 6 months while his father worked on a book, Brian had fond memories of Soviet people, and was appalled by the renewed Cold War environment. For some time he had been mulling over potential ways to convey to Americans the humanity of everyday Russian people.

He said to Johnson, "Are there any cranes in Russia?"

"Many. I serve on the Board of the Internationl Crane Foundation and its director, George Archibald, is working with the Russians to try to save the Siberian crane from extinction."

"How did you become interested in cranes", asked Kahn.

"It was the damnedest thing. I was walking around in Hiroshima and came into a square. In its middle was a statue of a girl holding up an origami crane--the kind they make from paper. I walked over to it. It was dedicated to a small child who was irradiated by the Hiroshima atomic bomb. At age 11, she contracted leukemia. Knowing the legend that a child who folds a thousand origami cranes will lead a long and happy life, she began to make them. She finished 964, which were placed in her coffin." He looked at Kahn. "I was standing at the epicenter of the bomb blast."

Sitting there, Brian saw a film--Archibald, his Soviet counterparts struggling to save the endangered symbol of life while their governments were poised to destroy the world.

It took 2 1/2 years and several near-miracles to produce "A Thousand Cranes". Post-production was done by BBC's Natural History Unit. Narrated by Joanne Woodward, it won multiple international awards, including a CINE-Golden Eagle, American Film Festival Blue Ribbon, Salerno International Festival President's Award. The film was aired on national American (TBS), Soviet and Japanese television and had special screenings at the Smithsonian and the United Nations.

In 1997, in recognition of his work to save the California condor from extinction and for "A Thousand Cranes", Kahn was named a recipient of the Chevron Conservation Award.

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