BURBANK, Calif. – Eric Conner doesn’t usually go to temple in the middle of the week, but today was as good as any to reflect as impeachment hearings got underway in Washington, lead by Burbank’s representative, Congressman Adam Schiff. 

“In some ways people know him here,” Conner said. “We see him. He’s present.”

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Schiff is a lightning rod on the right, a crusader on the left, but in Burbank he’s a ‘local guy done good.’ A former synagogue member who spoke at the 70th Anniversary Gala for Burbank Temple Emanu El and helped them get the permits to expand their school. 

“I feel like he, very much still is this place,” said Conner, who is on the board and has spoken with Schiff over the past few years, “and that’s great to see because amidst all the sound and fury of what’s going on (in Washington) it’s easy to lose that part."

Schiff has represented Burbank since 2001 and has steadily gained popularity, winning 78 percent of the vote in 2018. 

But while his constituents may love him, President Donald Trump hurls insults at him on Twitter, nicknaming him “Shifty Schiff.”

“Seeing him attack Adam Schiff, personally as a Burbank resident, it does feel like ‘Woah, woah hands off. That’s our guy,’” Conner said.

“I can’t believe we’re ground zero for this thing but it’s so right,” said local activist Marty Perlmutter, who is a big fan of the congressman, snapping photos whenever he’s in town. He compared Schiff to the hero of the congressman’s favorite movie, The Big Lebowski. 

“The Big Lebowski is about somebody utterly and completely unflappable,” Perlmutter said. “The slogan of The Big Lebowski is ‘the dude abides’ and Adam abides. You know, he is solid as a rock.”

The activist is busy lecturing at a conference at the Skirball Cultural Center this week, but set his alarm early to watch the hearings. 

“The future of our country, the future of the world, depends on this,” Perlmutter said. “No small thing, Adam, but the dude abides. He’s going to be alright.”

“He still is very much Burbank’s congressman,” Conner said. “Even though he is getting a level of attention that very few congressmen ever achieve.”

Regardless of what happens in Washington this week, it seems Schiff will be welcomed home in Burbank.