About Us

Bern is the leading advocate for improving city revenues by increasing our tax base.
He has led several major efforts to improve and increase Palo Alto's retail sales and
worked to increase public awareness of the importance of business revenues.

Bern has been acknowledged as a state expert in electricity issues.

Bern has also actively promoted affordable housing in suitable locations, while
recognizing the need for neighborhood compatibility. He advocated successfully
for a 49-unit home for low-income seniors in his own neighborhood in Downtown
North. He has worked to preserve the integrity of residential neighborhoods and
to place limitations on second stories in cohesive one-story Eichler neighborhoods.

Business Experience
Bern has more than twenty years of management experience with Silicon Valley technology
firms. This work began when he assumed management responsibilities at a local silicon
wafer manufacturer. Since then, he has gained experience in manufacturing, engineering,
finance, marketing, personnel issues and program management.

In the past decade as a management consultant, Bern has focused on international trade,
supporting the export of high-value Silicon Valley products to Japan.

Earlier in his career, Bern worked for the United States Environmental Protection Agency. He
served initially in the heavily industrialized Midwest, where he helped to establish air pollution
controls that were among the nation’s strongest. Later, working in Washington D.C., Bern
analyzed the economics of water pollution control technologies.

City council responsibilities
As a member of the City Council, Bern has assumed a leadership role in the full
range of areas that benefit the Palo Alto community. His responsibilities
while on the Council include service in the following capacities:

•        Mayor, 2004
•        Vice Mayor, 2003
•        Chair, Finance Committee, 2001
•             Member, Finance Committee, 2003, 2006
•        Chair, Policy & Services Committee, 2000
•             Member, Policy & Services Committee, 2000, 2002, 2005
•        Chair, Audit Committee, 2002
•        Chair, Council-Appointed Officials (CAO) Committee, 2002
•             Member, CAO Committee, 2000-2001, 2005
•        Chair, Mayor’s Retail Attraction Committee, 2005
•        Chair, Mayor’s Retail Retention Committee, 2004
•        Chair, Stanford University Liaison Committee, 2003, 2005
•             Member, Stanford University Liaison Committee, 2001-2005
•        Member, Economic Base Ad Hoc Committee, 2002-2003

Northern California Power Agency
•        Chairman, 2003, 2004, 2005
•        Vice Chair, 2001, 2002
•        Chair, NCPA Finance Committee, 2000 - 2006
•        Commissioner, 2000-2006

Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency
•        Chairman, 2004, 2005, 2006
•        Vice Chair, 2003
•        Policy Committee, 2003-2006
•        Contract Committee 2003-2006
•        Board member, 2003-2006

Other city and regional roles
•        Liaison, Utilities Advisory Commission, 2000 - 2006
•        Liaison, Lytton Gardens, 2003-2006
•        Co-Chair, Youth Community Services 2006 Campaign
•        Liaison, Friends of the Junior Museum and Zoo, 2003, 2005
•        Delegate, Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce, 2002-2003
•        Board Member, Midpeninsula Community Media Center, Inc. (formerly SVCC), 2000-2001
•        Liaison, Palo Alto Community Child Care, 2002
•        Liaison, Palo Alto Housing Corporation, 2001 , Alternate 2000
•        Alternate, Santa Clara Valley Water District Commission, 2000-01
•        Member, Telecommunications Advisory Board, 2000-2001
•        Alternate, Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) - Policy Advisory Committee, 2001
•        Advisory Board, Palo Alto Foundation for Education

Personal
Being the third oldest in a family of ten children, Bern recognized early-on the fundamental
importance of consensus-building. He spent a portion of his high school years in Germany.
Bern has been married to Cheryl Lathrop for 28 years. Since 1978, Bern and Cheryl have lived
in a 1903 house just north of Palo Alto’s vibrant downtown. The home, listed on the City’s
historic inventory, was severely dilapidated when purchased. Bern completed much of the
renovation work himself, gaining significant experience in the sensitive reuse of historic
structures.
Bern holds an M.B.A. from Stanford University (1975) and a B.S. in Engineering from the
University of Missouri (1970).