Mr. Brindel has been the director of the Shelter Project of the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, Inc. since 1983. He has been responsible for advocacy, research, policy recommendations, and various programs that serve homeless and shelterless people in Santa Cruz county including Housing For Medical Emergencies, a Rental Assistance Program, a voice mail for homeless people, and The Shelter Hotline.
Mr. Brindel was ordained as an Interfaith Minister in February of 1997 at the Interfaith Seminary in Santa Cruz, Ca. He is a member of the Association of Interfaith Ministers.
Recent Media Productions:
Mr. Brindel has produced and directed documentary and educational films: Many of his videos have been seen on Community Television of Santa Cruz County
He was host of a television series called, "The War On Poverty in the 21st Century" on AT&T Cable 25 Mondays and Thursdays at 7 PM, brought to you by Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, Inc. and Community Television of Santa Cruz County. The series began February 4, 2002 and produce one episode per month for 12 months. The series is now in re-runs.
The Santa Cruz County Sentinel: 2000 A day at a small town newspaper. 13 minutes
The Davenport Oral History Project (1998-2000) A weekly public access program featuring conversations with "Old Timers" of the central California coast. Produced by and filmed at The Davenport Resouce Service Center of the Community Action Board. Mr. Brindel produced the first 10 in the series at which point it was "picked-up" by Community TV and continues to this day.
The Interfaith Seminary Masters Series (1998-1999) A weekly public access program featuring Spiritual leaders from many faith wisdom traditions. Filmed at the Interfaith Seminary in Santa Cruz, CA..
Santa Cruz'in On The Beach (May 1996) Produced for Ecology Action of Santa Cruz this video highlights the Annual Coastal Clean-up in Santa Cruz.
Why I am Homeless (June 1995) Features 8 men who talk about why they are homeless. Seen on Community Television in June and July.
Sitting in Santa Cruz:
The Anti Panhandler Ordinances (May 1994) which was featured on the
Nineties Channel. Documents the demonstrations following implementation of anti
sitting and panhandling ordinances in Santa Cruz, CA.
Radio Experience: Mr. Brindel was a talk show host of Something Better, a two hour,
weekly program with a call in and interview format on KSCO AM 1080. Over one
hundred people were profiled including Studs Terkle, Frank Wilkinson, Page
Smith, Wilbur Zelinski, Reanne Isler, David Lowe and many others.
Other Experience:
A Graduate of Northwestern University School of Speech (B.S.: Radio, TV and Film- 1968) in Evanston Ill. where he received the coveted TV Production Internship at WGN-TV Channel 9, in Chicago. While at WGN-TV he was an assistant director as well as a substitute director for AM programming and played Golly the Gorilla on Bozo's Circus.
Mr. Brindel worked for Martin Luther King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference, in Selma and Montgomery Alabama as a radio reporter in the public Relations division covering the 1965 March.
Mr. Brindel has also worked throwing mail at the post office, taught in the
Chicago Public School system, sold encyclopedias, driven a taxi in Chicago, been
a factory line worker in a defense plant, a bell hop at a hotel, a lifeguard,
and a gas station attendant.
Current Positions:
Affordable Housing Advocates
Progressive Housing Advocates
Santa Cruz County Consortium of Care Working Group
Board member of the Santa Cruz County HIV Consortium which is responsible for administration of Ryan White funding serving people with Aids and who are HIV positive.
Former Positions:
City Of Santa Cruz Housing Advisory Committee January - June 2003
Commissioner, Housing Authority of Santa Cruz County - 2002
United States Grand Jury for the Northern District of California in San Jose from January 2000 - June 2001 and Foreperson from June 2000 - June 2001.
Founding member of the Board of directors of the statewide Housing California, also a Non-Profit Corporation. 1985-2000
The Santa Cruz City Homeless Issues Task Force, 1999-2000
Housing Safety Committee for the City of Watsonville, 1999-2000
Founding member of the Board of directors of Community Television of Santa Cruz County, the local Non-Profit Corp. responsible for administration of Public Access Television on TCI Cable TV broadcasting on channels 24, 25 and 26 .
Board member to the local Emergency Food and Shelter Board of Santa Cruz
County.
Honors and Commendations:
"Certificate of Appreciation" from City of Santa Cruz for service on Housing Advisory Committee, June 2003
"2000 Lifetime Achievement Award", Santa Cruz Action Network.
"Local Hero" For work on behalf of homeless and shelterless people in Santa Cruz County presented by the Community Assessment Project of the United Way. (1996)
"Another Third Sector Award" For bringing the term Third Sector to the Public Lexicon in Santa Cruz County presented by The Human Care Alliance of Santa Cruz County. (Sept 1994)
"1994 Third Sector Award" for Outstanding Contributions to The Third Sector (Non-Profit, Tax-exempt service organizations) presented by The Human Care Alliance of Santa Cruz County. (May 1994)
"Best Demonstration Project", for Housing for Medical Emergency Program, presented by the California/Nevada Community Action Association. (April 1994)
"Best Media Coverage", presented by the California/Nevada Community Action
Association. (April 1994)
Mr. Brindel has lived in Santa Cruz county since 1973. He owns a home in Live Oak where he lives next door to his son Noah Bonham-Brindel, 30, who is a martial artist, a student, and ordained Interfaith Minister. Mr. Brindel is a member of the Santa Cruz Host Lions Club since 1990.