Senate Leader Atkins Issues Statement on Passing of Greg Knoll: An Authentic, Compassionate Advocate for Those in Need

SACRAMENTO – Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) released the following statement regarding the death of Greg Knoll, longtime Executive Director and Chief Counsel of the Legal Aid Society of San Diego:

“Greg was an authentic and compassionate leader who dedicated his life and life’s work to enhancing equity and equality, and advocating for our most vulnerable members of society. That compassion was what initially drew me to get to know him, as did our shared interest in the Legal Aid Society – an organization I worked for as a college intern in southwest Virginia – and providing equal access to justice for the poor. It was a privilege to have appointed Greg to the State Bar Board of Trustees, as well as the California Healthcare Workforce Policy Commission, and his dynamic commitment to those entities will long be remembered. Greg will be very missed by so many of us in San Diego and beyond – I will be keeping his wife, family, and friends close to my heart.”

For nearly fifty years, Greg Knoll, 75, led the nonprofit Legal Aid Society of San Diego, which serves more than 14,000 low-income San Diego County residents each year. He also established the Center for Health Education and Advocacy, and co-founded the Health Consumer Alliance, organizations that have revolutionized how public health services are provided to low-income individuals and families.