Andrew Schiffrin Freedom Summer Interview

Mississippi Freedom Summer volunteer, Andrew Schiffrin served in Meridian during the summer of 1964.

Andy has a BA from UCLA and an MCP (Masters of City Planning) from MIT. Andy Schiffrin’s primary employment for over 40 years has been as an analyst working for the elected County Supervisor representing most of the City of Santa Cruz. Although formally retired, he continues to volunteer part-time in that office. One quarter a year, Andy also teaches an upper division Environmental Assessment class in the Environmental Studies Department at UCSC. The class focuses on land use planning in California and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Andy also has been employed part-time since 2006 by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a Reservist in their Community Planning and Capacity Building (CPCB) program assisting communities recover from major disasters. Andy brings significant political experience to his work and emphasizes practical approaches and strategic thinking.

Prior to his work at the County of Santa Cruz, Andy was a Peace Corps volunteer in Nigeria, served at the Boston Model Cities program as the Housing Director, and worked for a short time at the California Coastal Commission, when it first started, as a permit analyst.

For Andy, public service is a major interest. He serves as the alternate for the County Supervisor he works for, on the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, was appointed by the County Board of Supervisors to the County Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, and has been a member of the Santa Cruz City Water Commission for many years. Over the years, Andy has also served on a number of other advisory bodies, including the City of Santa Cruz Planning Commission and Zoning Board. He’s also belonged to a variety of community groups.