Ira Ruskin is an American politician from Redwood City, California. A Democrat, he is a former member of the California State Assembly and of Redwood City Council. Ira and his wife Cheryl reside in Redwood City, California. They have no children. In May 2011 Ruskin told friends he has been diagnosed with an incurable brain tumor and withdrawing from the political arena to concentrate on his health.[http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_18158119? He received a B.A. in history from the University of California, Berkeley in 1968 and an M.A. in communications from Stanford University in... 1983. From 1995 to 2004, Ruskin was a member of the Redwood City Council. For three of those years he was the Mayor of Redwood City. In 2004, Ruskin was elected to the California Assembly. He defeated Republican Steve Poizner in the general election. Ruskin had local government experience but initially lacked major campaign funding. The Assembly race heated up when Poizner donated $6 million to his campaign.
more