Steve Dakota

Steve Dakota grew up in Lakewood, Calif. with his parents John and Bea and his older sibling Judy who, "California dreamin', on such a winter's day," moved from Minnesota to Los Angeles in 1950. His father was a union organizer; his mother was an English teacher, a pianist, and a published poet; and his sister was an actress in high school. Steve is a graduate of California State University (CSU), Sacramento and the U.S. Defense Information School. He studied music at Long Beach City College, CSU Dominguez Hills, and Skip's Music; broadcasting at CSU Long Beach, Cosumnes River College, and Access Sacramento; and acting at American River College, It Factor Studios, Mosaic Acting Studio, and San Francisco Acting Academy. His TV acting debut occurred in the ABC mini-series War and Remembrance. After leaving music in the rear view, serving in the military, working in broadcasting, and pondering the possibility of becoming a filmmaker, Steve pursued the noble calling of public service for the remainder of his career. Most of his time as a soldier, national guardsman, reservist, and civil servant was in public affairs, a military and governmental term for public relations (PR). Quoting Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." At the 26-year mark he departed the PR arena and focused on reducing homelessness among veterans in California. As state homeless veterans advocate, California Department of Veterans Affairs, he collaborated with the nonprofit, nongovernmental, community-based California Association of Veteran Service Agencies. The members included Vietnam Veterans of California, led by Peter Cameron, Swords to Plowshares, led by Michael Blecker, United States Veterans Initiative, led by actor Gregory Peck's son Stephen Peck, New Directions, led by Toni Reinis, and Vietnam Veterans of San Diego, led by Cdr. Al Pavich, USN (Ret.). While serving in this capacity Steve submitted on behalf of his collaborators a legislatively-mandated report, AB 1060 - Negrete, A Study on the Status of Homeless Veterans in California, to Gov. Gray Davis and the California Veterans Board. Steve returned to public affairs two months before Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, 2005. The heartbreaking scenes of death and destruction on CNN motivated him to request as much annual leave (i.e. vacation) from his full-time job as his then-supervisor at the California Department of Consumer Affairs would approve and volunteer as a public information officer for two weeks with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA assigned Steve to hot and humid Texas where thousands of traumatized evacuees from the Gulf Coast sought refuge. After two nights in Houston and a few days in Austin he served the remainder of his tour of duty in San Antonio. At the former Kelly Air Force Base he did some media relations, assisted a couple who lost everything except their car and the clothes on their backs, and, as part of a team, helped reunite a husband and wife separated during the Superdome evacuation and bused to different states. In retrospect, Katrina was his most rewarding assignment. His lasting thought concerning disaster victims or for that matter homeless veterans? As singer/songwriter Phil Ochs sang, "There but for fortune may go you or I." - IMDb Mini Biography By: Robert S. Miles