San Diego Metropolitan - 40 Under 40

First-term Fifth District San Diego City Councilman Brian Maienschein is “working hard,” he says, to improve the infrastructure of the city’s neighborhoods, a goal he set during his campaign in the November 2000 election. His wife, Janna, he jokes, has her own goal now: a little Maienschein.

After three years of marriage and a race that saw Maienschein elected with the highest percentage (63) ever for a nonincumbent in a district election, Janna is ready to start a family. And, Maienschein says, so are the prospective grandparents.

Maienschein is sure he will savor parenthood, just as he is enjoying immersion in city government. And he has plenty of experience with youth, including being executive director of Youth Court, an innovative program that brings together law enforcement, schools and community groups to head first-time juvenile offenders in a positive direction. His commitment earned him the 1999 Crime Victims Rights Award presented by District Attorney Paul Pfingst.

Maienschein’s other youth-centered activities have included the Poway Unified School District’s Safety and Wellness Committee; the San Diego County Bar Association’s Children at Risk Committee; and the Rancho Bernardo High School Foundation.

“I am enjoying this job,” Maienschein says of the council. “I think the new city council — (seven of nine members are in their first term) — is moving forward and handling some tough issues.” At 31, he is one of the city’s youngest councilmen. “I think people saw in me someone who was hard-working and up front.” His North County district includes Carmel Mountain Ranch, where he lives.

A graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara and California Western Law School, Maienschein, now 32, was an attorney who specializing in small businesses and high-tech companies until his election. “It’s an honor,” he says of the 40 Under Forty designation, “to be selected.”