Background – Steven (Steve) C. Markoff

Mr. Markoff is a native of Los Angeles, California. A graduate of Los Angeles City College in 1964 with an

Born in 1943

Associate of Arts degree. His affiliations include: the precious metals and numismatic business for 50 years (1954-2005); Chairman and CEO of A-Mark Financial Corporation, a Santa Monica-based financial services company he founded in 1965 (originally named A-Mark Coin Company), that purchased the U.S. Wilkison Gold Pattern Collection and Redfield Silver Dollar hoard; co-founder of the Association of Media Accuracy with Maury Weiner in 1985, with the intention to disseminate nonpartisan and accurate information to the media and influential leaders; the A-Mark Foundation, a private foundation he founded in 1997 became the parent of free searchable databases and other nonpartisan information covering interesting and important social issues and history, such as sites on George W. Bush, Barack Obama, the Official Anti-Jewish Acts Project, and Special Investigations Involving US Presidents Since 1973. In 2016, the Foundation founded the website, AboutTrump.org. In 2004, Markoff helped found A-Mark Entertainment a company he co-chairs; and that year he also founded ProCon.org, a 501(c)(3) public charity promoting critical thinking that as of 12-31-2019, had been, or is being used by over 10,000 schools in over 90 countries. [ProCon.org was merged into Encyclopædia Britannica on 5-29-2020]. In 2018, Markoff founded SexEd.net, a website giving straightforward, sourced information about sex and sexually related issues. In 2020, Markoff launched SecondAmendment.org, a website that has many of the pieces of the puzzle that make up our individual rights to arms. Markoff’s first published book, The Case Against George W. Bush, became available November 2020. Markoff was interviewed by Ralph Nader on the Ralph Nader Radio Hour about his book “where he dispassionately lays out the three major war crimes the former president committed by invading Iraq.” HANDBOOK – The First 100 Years Of The ACLU: A Compendium Of Advocacy Before The United States Supreme Court, Markoff’s second book, became available January 2023. It received a Los Angeles Book Festival runner up award in the Wildcard Category in April 2024; Misfire: The Supreme Court, The Second Amendment, Our Right to Bear Arms, Markoff’s third book, became available May 14, 2024.

1. Community/Public Service:

  • Conceived (Jan. 2011) and financed the three Richard A. Clarke National Scholarly Monograph Contests of 2011, 2012 and 2013.
  • Gave a talk (10/27/04) “Let’s Talk About Lying,” at Woodbury University (Burbank, CA).
  • Gave a talk (3/24/04) “How to handle your attorney without losing your sleep, your mind and your bank account,” at Woodbury University (Burbank, CA).
  • Founder and Chairman (from 2004 to 2020), ProCon.org, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public benefit corporation (founded on July 12, 2004) [Read a personal statement from Steve Markoff on the origins and background of ProCon.org]. ProCon.org was merged into Encyclopædia Britannica on 5-29-2020.
  • Member of the Board of Directors of the nonprofit ACLU Foundation of Southern California from 1979 to 2021.
  • Member of the Washington, D.C.-based Federal Task Force on Judicial Selection (which issued its report “Judicial Selection” in the Fall of 1999).
  • Member of the Board of Directors of the UCLA Management Education Associates from 1986 to 1992.
  • Conducted two seminars of “An Entrepreneur’s View” at The Gorbachev Foundation (Moscow, Russia) – The International Foundation for Socio-Economic and Political Studies in Oct. 1992.
  • Member of the Board of Directors of the non-profit UCLA Graduate School of Management, Board of Visitors, 1986.
  • Co-founded the Association of Media Accuracy with Maury Weiner in October of 1985, with the intention to disseminate nonpartisan and accurate information to the media and influential leaders.
  • Member of the Board of Directors of the nonprofit Hollywood Community Hospital from 1982 to 1984 (when it was sold to a for-profit group).

 

2. Public Service Educational Websites:

  • Sunrise123.org – Online in 2023 with the mission of “Supplying Unbiased and Sourced Data and Facts on Social and Political Issues” and new issues include book banning.
  • SexEd.net – Online in 2018, a website giving straightforward, sourced information about sex and sexually related issues.
  • Bodfish.org – Online July 2013, this site gives local information on Bodfish, California, a town of 2,000 and the surrounding area.
  • Celtic Mirrors.org – Founded July 2009, this site promotes the understanding of Celtic (Iron Age) mirrors (said to be made between 300 B.C. to A.D.) with pictures and related information about the 28 known mirrors.
  • ProCon.org – A 501(c)(3) public charity created July 2004, whose mission was to promote critical thinking, education and informed citizenship, setting forth pro and con arguments and related information about important controversial issues. Procon.org was acquired by Encyclopaedia Britannica in May of 2020.
  • US Presidents
  • Science & Health
    • Vaccine Mandates and Exemptions A brief history of some of the vaccine mandates and exemptions in US states, public schools, and the military since the founding of the nation.
    • Brains of Conservatives vs. Liberals 36 peer-reviewed neuroscience studies show that liberals and conservatives process the same data differently.
    • OceanInfo.org (Archived) Links to third-party sites covering global and regional scientific information on our oceans. Last updated June 30, 2019.
    • Plastics, Pollution and Solutions (Archived) Plastic pollution is a problem that affects the entire world, polluting both land and water. See information on recycling issues as well as organizations and technologies dedicated to solving pollution.
  • Politics & Public Policy
    • Benghazi Attack Investigations (Archived) A cover up by the Left, the Right’s red herring, or…? Government investigations led to ten reports, and responding to the investigations reportedly cost the State Department $14 million.
    • How the ACA (Obamacare) Was Negotiated (Archived) Facts about the 427-day process of passing the Affordable Care Act, final vote tallies, “if you like your doctor” statements, and 19 taxes, revenue enhancements, penalties, and fees.
    • US Embargo on Cuba (Archived) A searchable database, in timeline format, containing over 600 sourced quotes about Cuba and the US embargo of Cuba from government officials, journalists, authors and others.
    • Who Funds the NRA? (Archived) A look at who funds The National Rifle Association (NRA.
  • Voting & Elections
    • 2020Election.org (new site in progress) A website looking at the question of whether the 2020 general election was free and fair by examining several foundations based in facts and data. Site in progress.
    • Electoral College History: Five Losers That Won the Presidency Explaining how the Electoral College functions, five times a candidate won despite losing the popular vote, and alternative methods for choosing the president.
    • Nader, Florida, and the 2000 Election (Archived) This report based primarily on math investigates whether third party candidate Ralph Nader or a confusing ballot design in Florida led to George W. Bush winning the 2000 presidential election.
  • Military
    • Afghanistan War: US Deaths and Costs The Afghanistan War led to the deaths of 2,456 US military members and 3,923 US Department of Defense contractors and civilians from 2001 to 2021, and cost an estimated $2.261 trillion.
    • September 11 and related events (9/11) A searchable database of over 7,800 sourced quotes related to the 9/11 attacks: oil, George W. Bush, Saddam Hussein, al Qaeda, invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, torture, and much more. Online Nov. 2009
  • Discrimination
    • Official Anti-Jewish Acts A searchable database of over 2,500 Official Anti-Jewish Acts from 10/18/315 to 10/31/1969, including more than 2,000 non-Nazi Acts and hundreds of Nazi-era Acts from 1933 to 1945. This Project began in 2011, and ended its first phase on September 30, 2020.
    • Racism, the National Anthem, and the NFL Protests by athletes in the NFL and other sports raised the question: Is the National Anthem a proper symbol of America or a symbol of its racist past?
  • Homelessness
    • Tiny Home Villages to Combat Homelessness A report on the construction and operating costs of tiny home villages built to decrease homelessness in Los Angeles. See how the average cost of $42,344 per bed compares to alternative solutions.
  • Environment
    • OceanInfo.org (Archived) Links to third-party sites covering global and regional scientific information on our oceans.
    • Plastics, Pollution and Solutions (Archived) Plastic pollution is a problem that affects the entire world, polluting both land and water. See information on recycling issues as well as organizations and technologies dedicated to solving pollution.

 

3. Published Works:

 

 

4. Books Being Published:

    • In the works is a three-volume, 8 1/2″ X 11″ hardcover set (after typesetting around 1,800 pages) of over 1,190 cases and related facts and information. The three-volumes will contain all the case summaries mentioned in the Handbook, including the Foreword by Erwin Chemerinsky, Ira Glasser’s explicit draft one-pager on what the ACLU does, data on how each Supreme Court Justice voted on each case, and the Win / Loss record (the batting average) at the Supreme Court for all those years by decade and type of vote (i.e. 9-0; 8-1; 7-2; etc.)

 

5. Plays / Film

  • From 2002 to 2010, Steve has twelve producer movie credits:
    • 2010 Beatdown (executive producer); directed by Mike Gunther
    • 2009 The Pool Boys (producer); directed by J.B. Rogers (as James B. Rogers)
    • 2009 Nine Miles Down (producer); directed by Anthony Waller
    • 2009 Next Day Air (executive producer); directed by Benny Boom
    • 2009 Night Train (producer); directed by Brian King
    • 2008 Autopsy (producer); directed by Adam Gierasch
    • 2008 Camille (producer); directed by Gregory Mackenzie
    • 2007 Timber Falls (producer); directed by Tony Giglio
    • 2006 Alpha Dog (executive producer); directed by Nick Cassavetes
    • 2005 Asylum (executive producer); directed by David Mackenzie
    • 2003 Stander (executive producer); directed by Bronwen Hughes
    • 2002 No Good Deed (executive producer); directed by Bob Rafelson
  • 2018: Executive Producer of The Marriage Zone, by Jeff Gould, and winner of Best Writer of an Original Play at the 2018 Valley Theater Awards. “Discoveries are made, secrets are revealed and the result is a hilarious and poignant look at the life of a marriage.” Co-produced with Bruce P. McNall.

 

6. Other Disparate Events

  • 2023: American Numismatic Association 60-year membership pin awarded July, 31, 2023
  • 2022: First Free-verse, “I Wish”
  • 2019: Traveled to the Geographic North Pole (90o North) on a Russian nuclear ice breaker, and received a Polar Plunge Certificate after a plunge into the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean. Click here for a video.
  • 2013: Inducted in the PNG Coin Dealers hall of fame.
  • 2008: As Deputy Commissioner of civil marriage, married his uncle Don Price to Wilkie Pretorious on July 19, 2008.
  • 2005: Played first round of golf (18 holes) on Mar. 13, 2005 (with Bruce McNall, Mike Marvin and Marv Dauer), and shot 135. Shot 113 (with a friendly scorekeeper), on Mar. 20, 2005. The other players that day were Bruce McNall, Marty McSorley and Marv Dauer.
  • 2004: Attempted driving a Lakester 200 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. The car caught fire after my first 137 mph run.
  • 2000: As Deputy Commissioner of civil marriage, married son Chris to Joanna Palica on Nov. 25, 2000.
  • 1996, Dec.: Completed a six-hour training course in automatic weapons on Dec. 21, 1996.
  • 1995: Flew first and last air combat aerial dog fights, pulling 4 1/2 G’s, browned out (lost color vision for a minute), and had a lighter barf bag than my opponent when we landed.
  • 1994: Sent a video copy of “Sex, Drugs and Democracy“, a Jonathan Blank film, to all 535 members of Congress.
  • 1992: On May 12, 1992, in Washington, D.C., addressed the Advisory Committee on CFTC/State Cooperation on the question of lending on precious metals.
  • 1991: Bitten by Grizzly bear in St. Petersburg, Russia, and lived.
  • 1986: Took a Beginner’s Lesson in flying a helicopter.
  • 1986: Attended a class on Falconing. My class notes.
  • 1985: Took Diving Accident Management for Emergency Physicians course. Reviewed many diving accident cases.
  • 1983: Made solo hang glide from 100′ hill on Apr. 24, 1983.
  • 1979: Arbitraged the 1979 United and American Airlines 50% Off Coupons.
  • 1978: Made it into the 1978 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records for purchasing the unique U.S. 1907 Double Eagle pattern from the Dr. Wilkison Collection for about $900,000.
  • 1977: Joined the Sports Car Club of America in 1977, and began racing Formula Fords.
  • 1976: Made it into the 1977 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records for the Jan. 1976 $7.4M purchase of the Redfield Silver Dollar collection – 407,000 U.S. silver dollars weighing 11 tons. It was written up in two Coin World publication articles: “Redfield: The Man Behind the Hoard” and “Redfield coins realize $7.3 million”
  • 1975: Made acrobatic flight with Pilot Bob Sparks. Did a Hammerhead, Cuban 8, and Tailspin.
  • 1971: Received SCUBA Certification on July 22, 1971 from County of Los Angeles – Certification #013612.
  • 1970: Honorably Discharged from the US Army on June 5, 1970.
  • 1966: Made solo parachute jump from 2,800 feet on July 31, 1966.

 

7. Hobbies: