Kevin Murray
Principal
The Murray Group
Serving on the Board since 2010
"I became interested in serving at the Weingart Center because homelessness is one the primary issues of our time and I firmly believe that a society should be judged on how we treat those with the least in our society."
Senator Kevin Murray is the Managing Partner in The Murray Group, a legal and consulting firm specializing in Public Policy and Entertainment.
Prior to founding The Murray Group, Murray was Senior Vice President at the William Morris Agency, the world’s largest and most diversified talent agency. Murray re-joined the agency in January 2006 after serving twelve years in the California State Legislature. Murray started with WMA in 1982 in the famous William Morris mailroom and rose to be an agent in the Music Division. Senator Murray left WMA in 1989 to embark on what would become a highly successful legal and political career.
Senator Murray, who retired from the California Senate, in 2006, was first elected in 1994 to the California Legislature representing the 47th Assembly District. After serving two terms, he was elected to the State Senate representing the 26th District covering Los Angeles and Culver City.
As an Assemblymember, Murray served in a number of prominent roles, including the Chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee, Assistant Democratic Floor Leader, Majority Whip, a member of the powerful Rules Committee, as well as a member of the Utilities and Commerce Committee. He was the founding Chair of the Arts and Entertainment Committee. He also served on the California Transportation Commission and the California Film Commission.
In the Senate, Murray served as the Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Transportation Committee, the Elections Committee, the Select Committee on the Entertainment Industry, and the Subcommittee on Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. He has served on the following Senate Committees: Banking, Finance and Insurance; Elections, Reapportionment and Constitutional Amendments; Energy, Utilities and Communications; the Joint Committee on Rules and the Joint Committee on Legislative Budget. Senator Murray also served as Chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus and the California Legislative Black Caucus.
Throughout his career, Murray has been a champion in the areas of solar energy, consumer privacy, urban parks, economic development, civil rights, the Internet, healthcare access, transportation issues, artists’ rights and the entertainment industry. Among other legislative accomplishments Murray authored SB1 the landmark “Million Solar Roofs” bill providing over Three Billion Dollars to expand the use of solar energy in California. Senator Murray was instrumental in crafting Proposition 12 and Proposition 40; two measures approved by voters that provided $4.6 billion for state and local parks programs. The propositions created the Murray/Hayden Urban Parks Program, the Baldwin Hills Conservancy and funded the development and maintenance of new urban parks, youth facilities and athletic fields throughout the state.
Murray was one of the first legislators in the country to identify and address the need to protect consumers on the Internet. Senator Murray has led a forceful effort to stop Internet related crime by crafting a number of first-in-the-nation laws to protect consumers from identity theft, email spam and Internet spyware.
Prior to serving in the legislature Senator Murray operated his own law practice and entertainment management company.
Murray sits on the corporate boards of the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco and Premier Power, and California American Water. In his role as a corporate board member he has served on the audit, compensation, finance, affordable housing, and government relations committees. Murray also sits on the non-profit boards of Rock the Vote, The Los Angeles Urban League, Weingart Center Association and the Beverly Hills Bar Association, and is a member of the California State Bar, The L.A World Affairs Council, and is an associate member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
Murray holds a license to practice law and a real estate brokers license in the State of California.
Senator Murray holds a Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School, a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Loyola Marymount University, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and Accounting from California State University, Northridge. Additionally Murray has studied at the Kennedy School of Government, at Harvard University.
