A 1993 graduate from the University of California-Davis School of Law, Gary's career in fair housing and consumer rights has included the successful litigation of over a hundred cases on behalf of families and persons regarding their civil rights, housing rights, and consumer rights. Those cases include impact judgments, trial and appellate wins, and comprehensive injunctive relief. As the founding litigation director for the Southern California Housing Rights Center, his work in civil rights cases in federal court included wins in a wide variety of cases involving, for examples, a billionaire real estate mogul (Donald Sterling), large property management companies, rental housing websites, and hate symbols used by a white nationalist property manager. As a deputy city attorney for Santa Monica, Gary researched and drafted three pioneering housing laws, including one of the first laws outlawing discrimination against tenants using housing subsidies such as the Housing Choice Voucher. After defending that law in court, he led national efforts to reverse this type of discrimination through enforcement, litigation (two judgments), and education. He also drafted and enforced ordinances that prohibit evictions of students and teachers during school year and require warning notices before certain evictions. His advisory work included Right to Counsel, Right to Return, affordable housing, and emergency orders during the pandemic. Gary has also published over forty articles and co-authored two manuals on the topics of housing discrimination, civil rights history, fair housing rights, consumer protection, political asylum, unlawful business practices, and right to counsel. He is a frequent speaker on these issues at California and national conferences along with national news broadcasts. Gary’s honors include California Lawyer Magazine’s award as a California Lawyer of the Year, UC-Davis School of Law’s Martin Luther King Jr. Alum Public Service Award, and the 2024 Fair Housing Hero Award at the national conference Fair Housing For Our Future. A 2023 proclamation from Santa Monica City Council states that his "creativity, drive, and leadership helped keep Santa Monica at the forefront of fair housing rights and consumer rights." He is the executive director of the Heartland Center for Jobs and Freedom. Heartland’s hybrid model and mission include a staff with attorneys who represent tenants and workers and then organizers who help those tenants and workers grow their collective power. He also serves on the editorial board of the ABA's Human Rights Magazine and moderates civil rights videos for the ABA series How Things Work: Legal Edition. In 2026, KC Mayor Quinton Lucas appointed him to KC's Housing Trust Fund Board. Gary and his wife Christina live in Kansas City, Missouri.