Mardi Wormhoudt (née Rolfs) (October 1, 1937 – October 21, 2009) was a politician and social worker.
Personal
She was born in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...
to Daniel and Mary Jane Rolfs. When she was four the family moved to Chicago and then later,
Paso Robles, California
Paso Robles ( ), officially El Paso de Robles (Spanish for "The Pass of Oaks"), is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Salinas River approximately north of San Luis Obispo, the city is known for its hot ...
. Some time later they moved to San Francisco. She graduated from
California State University, Los Angeles in June 1967. Wormhoudt was a social worker in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. She married Ken Wormhoudt who she met in San Francisco. She was the mother of three boys Zachary, Jonathan, Jacob and a daughter Lisa. Ken, her husband died in 1997. They lived in
Santa Cruz, California.
Death
She died on October 21, 2009, aged 72.
Professional
She sat on the Santa Cruz City Council from 1981 - 1990. She was elected Mayor on three occasions. One term included the time after the 1989
Loma Prieta earthquake
The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake occurred on California's Central Coast on October 17 at local time. The shock was centered in The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park in Santa Cruz County, approximately northeast of Santa Cruz on a section of t ...
which was a very trying time. She was first elected to the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors in 1994. She was the Third District county supervisor for 12 years. In 2006, she made a public announcement that she intended to retire.
Neal Coonerty ran for the position and was voted in.
Medical marijuana
On April 23, 2003 she and very sick patients were part of a protest held on the steps of the Santa Cruz County Courthouse to announce the filing of a suit against the federal government on behalf of patients who need medical marijuana. This was in response to the federal government's raiding a local medical marijuana collective. This was the first time such a suit had been launched.
[Drug Policy Allianc]
Santa Cruz City and County Join Sick and Dying AIDS, Cancer Patients in Groundbreaking Lawsuit Against Federal Government for Brutal Medical Marijuana Raid
/ref>
References
External links
Mardi Wormhoudt at Key Wiki
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wormhoudt, Mardi
1937 births
2009 deaths
Politicians from Milwaukee
University of California, Los Angeles alumni
California city council members
Mayors of Santa Cruz, California
County supervisors in California
20th-century American politicians
Women city councillors in California
20th-century American women politicians
21st-century American women
Women mayors of places in California