WILLING WITNESSES: Guy Saperstein ’69 (center) and his wife, Jeanine, attended a White House ceremony in February, as President Obama ordered an increase in the minimum wage paid by federal contractors.
their donations. More than 50 people signed on within a day and the group—now more than 225 strong—quickly drew intense media coverage while lobbying for tax reform. In 2012, support from Patriotic Millionaires helped pass the American Taxpayer Relief Act. Two years later, Saperstein and his wife, Jeanine, were invited to the White House, where Obama signed an order requiring businesses with new or renewed federal contracts to pay minimum-wage workers $10.10 an hour—a sharp increase from the long-standing $7.25 rate. “I wanted to go because I’ve been a critic of a lot Obama has done,” Saperstein says. “But when he does something well, I want to support that.” His group is now pushing for national minimum wage legislation. It also seeks to eliminate hedge fund managers’ carriedinterest loophole, limit the amount wealthy individuals can accumulate in tax-protected IRAs and other retirement funds, and end tax deductions for mortgage interest on second homes. More than four decades after founding what became the largest plaintiffs’ civil rights law firm in the nation, Saperstein’s fire for justice still burns. “We care about this country,” he says, “and we know most Americans need tax relief a lot more than we do.” —Andrew Cohen
A Front-row View of History
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hile dining at Dean Christopher Edley, Jr.’s house in 2009, Guy Saperstein ’69 shared his distaste for President Obama’s economic policies. “Many of us progressives were angry,” Saperstein recalls. “I went home, contacted a friend who felt the same way, and we sent an idea by email blast to every rich Democratic donor we knew.” Their idea had a catchy name—Patriotic Millionaires—and a clear message: raise taxes on wealthy Americans like them or risk losing
LEADING THE PATRIOTIC MILLIONAIRES: GUY SAPERSTEIN ’69 Included in the National Law Journal’s list of “The 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America” from 1994 to 2000 President of The Sierra Club Foundation from 2004 to 2006 Part owner of Major League Baseball’s Oakland Athletics
His book The Getaway Guide to the John Muir Trail won the Society of American Travel Writers’ Gold Award for Best Guidebook in 2006 Kayaked the Grand Canyon and backpacked the 200-mile Tahoe-to-Yosemite trail
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