Karin Strasser Kauffman has been working for the last 31 years to improve the quality of
life for the people of Carmel Valley. She worked on Carmel River restoration projects,
established after school programs at Tularcitos, served as president of the school site
council and as a director of Carmel Valley Property Owners Association. While teaching
at Monterey Peninsula College, Karin Strasser Kauffman was recruited for public office.
Karin became our Monterey County Supervisor and served from 1984-1993. She was
first elected on a strong environmental platform and reelected without opposition. She
twice served as Chair of the Board of Supervisors, including the closure of Fort Ord and
the establishment of the Monterey Bay Sanctuary. She oversaw the adoption of the
Carmel Valley Master Plan and established the permanent critical viewshed protection for
the Big Sur coast. Upon leaving office, Strasser Kauffman was appointed by the federal
Department of Commerce to sit on the newly created Monterey Bay National Marine
Sanctuary Council, on which she served as founding chair, representing the public-at-
large for seven years. Since then she has also served on the board of directors of the
Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce and helped to establish the Monterey Youth
Museum (MY Museum). Karin and her late husband, radiologist Dr. Richard Kauffman
have been long time residents along the Carmel River, where they raised their two sons,
many dogs, several cats and great tomatoes.