John Garamendi

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John Garamendi
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 10th district
Incumbent
Assumed office  November 5, 2009
Preceded by	Ellen Tauscher
46th Lieutenant Governor of California
In office January 8, 2007 – November 5, 2009
Governor	Arnold Schwarzenegger
Preceded by	Cruz Bustamante
Succeeded by	Abel Maldonado
1st and 5th California Insurance Commissioner
In office January 6, 2003 – January 8, 2007
Governor	Gray Davis Arnold Schwarzenegger
Preceded by	Harry W. Low
Succeeded by	Steve Poizner
In office January 7, 1991 – January 2, 1995
Governor	Pete Wilson
Preceded by	new position
Succeeded by	Chuck Quackenbush
United States Deputy Secretary of the Interior
In office 1995–1998
President	Bill Clinton
Member of the California State Senate from the 5th district
In office 1984–1991
Preceded by	Milton Marks
Succeeded by	Patrick Johnston
Member of the California State Senate from the 13th district
In office 1976–1984
Preceded by	Clare Berryhill
Succeeded by	Al Alquist
Member of the California State Assembly from the 7th district
In office 1974–1976
Preceded by	William T. Bagley
Succeeded by	Norman S. Waters
Born	January 24, 1945 (1945-01-24) (age 65) Camp Blanding, Florida
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Patricia W. Garamendi
Residence	Walnut Grove, California
Alma mater	University of California, Berkeley (B.A.) Harvard Business School (M.B.A.)

John Raymond Garamendi (born January 24, 1945) is a United States politician who has been a member of the United States House of Representatives since November 2009, representing California's 10th congressional district. A Democrat, Garamendi was the California State Insurance Commissioner from 1991 to 1995, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Interior from 1995 to 1998, and the California State Insurance Commissioner again from 2003 to 2007. He then served as the 46th Lieutenant Governor of California from January 8, 2007 until he was elected to Congress in November 2009.^[1]

Garamendi was temporarily a candidate for Governor of California in the 2010 election after announcing his candidacy on July 31, 2008.^[2] However, he suspended his candidacy on April 29, 2009, to run for Congress in the 10th congressional district.^[3] This seat was vacated by Ellen Tauscher, who resigned to become Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security.^[4] Garamendi won the Democratic Party nomination in the primary election for the seat on September 1 and then won the special election on November 3, 2009.

[edit] Early years

Raised in Mokelumne Hill, California of Basque,^[5] Italian and Irish^[5] descent, Garamendi received a Bachelor's degree in business from the University of California, Berkeley, where he was both a football player and wrestler, and a Master of Business Administration from the Harvard Business School.^{[citation needed]} He served in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia from 1966 to 1968.^[6] Garamendi is an Eagle Scout. Garamendi is also a member of Sigma Chi, as a brother of the Alpha Beta Chapter at Berkeley.^[7]

[edit] Political career

Garamendi won election to the California State Assembly in 1974, representing most of Sacramento County as well as all or part of seven other counties to the east and south, and to the State Senate in 1976. He ran unsuccessfully in the 1982 Democratic gubernatorial primary, where he was defeated by Tom Bradley, and in the 1986 Democratic primary for California State Controller, when he lost to Gray Davis; but in 1990 he was successful in his campaign to become California's first Commissioner of Insurance, an office that brought him much controversy due to the state seizure of Executive Life Insurance Company, a bankruptcy that was coincidental with the creation of the state Department of Insurance.

Instead of seeking re-election to the Insurance Commissioner's office in 1994, Garamendi ran for Governor of California but lost the Democratic primary to State Treasurer Kathleen Brown, who in turn lost the general election by incumbent Republican Governor Pete Wilson.^[8]

Shortly thereafter, President Bill Clinton appointed Garamendi to serve as Deputy Secretary of the Interior, the second-highest post in the U.S. Department of the Interior.

After four years in the private sector, Garamendi won election to a second term as Insurance Commissioner. Seven months into his term as Insurance Commissioner, on August 7, 2003, Garamendi announced his candidacy for Governor in the gubernatorial recall election but dropped out two days later in favor of Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante.

Halfway through his term as Insurance Commissioner, on July 16, 2004, Garamendi announced his candidacy for the 2006 race to replace the term-limited Bustamante as Lieutenant Governor. Bustamante ran to replace Garamendi as Insurance Commissioner.

Former Vice President Al Gore had endorsed Garamendi for Lt. Governor. Garamendi was also endorsed by the Sierra Club, the California Teachers Association, the California League of Conservation Voters, the Peace Officers Research Association of California, the California Professional Firefighters Association, former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, to name a few.

In the June 6, 2006, Democratic primary, Garamendi defeated state senators Liz Figueroa and Jackie Speier, receiving 43% of the vote. The margin of votes between Garamendi and Speier was very tight during much of the election night, with each receiving about 40% of the vote, but in later returns Garamendi pulled ahead. In November 2006 he faced Republican Tom McClintock and several candidates from smaller political parties in the general election. California elects governors and lieutenant governors separately; state treasurer Phil Angelides was the Democratic nominee for Governor, but Garamendi could not, in any formal sense, be called Angelides' running mate. Garamendi was elected Lieutenant Governor with 49% of the vote to 45% for Tom McClintock.

Despite living outside of Congressional District 10, Garamendi announced his intention to run for the open congressional seat vacated by Ellen Tauscher on April 22, 2009. There was some confusion about the location of Garamendi's residence, as he told both the New York Times and San Francisco Chronicle that a portion of his property was, in fact, in the district. "My front yard is in the district, our bedroom is not" – SF Chronicle April, 2009. Garamendi continued to fuel speculation about the location of his residence when he made similar comments to the NYT in July, stating the same thing. The Sacramento Board of Elections later confirmed that no portion of Garamendi’s property lies within Congressional District 10.

Garamendi won with 52% of the vote (a 10% lead over the next candidate)^[9] . (His predecessor. Tauscher, had won more than 3/4 of the vote in 2002,^[10] and nearly 2/3 of the vote in 2004 ^[11], 2006 ^[12], and 2008 ^[13], following favorable redistricting)

After winning the special election on November 3, Garamendi was sworn in as a member of the US House of Representatives on November 5, 2009.^[14]

[edit] Congressional committee assignments

• Committee on Science and Technology
  • Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Environment
• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Aviation
  • Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
  • Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment

Source: H.Res. 921

[edit] Electoral history

[edit] Family

Garamendi is married and has six children. Daughter Ashley, a former student at the University of California Davis, was involved in a car accident when she flipped her SUV in West Sacramento on her way home for the Winter Break Holiday in 2006. She was charged with operating a motor vehicle with drunk driving. She was 20 at the time.^[15]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• United States House of Representatives website
• Campaign website

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
• On the Issues — John Garamendi issue positions and quotes

v • d • e Lieutenant Governors of California McDougall • Broderick* • Purdy • R. Anderson • Walkup • Downey • Quinn* • de la Guerra* • Chellis • Machin • Holden • Pacheco • Irwin* • Johnson • Mansfield • Daggett • Waterman • White* • Reddick • Millard • Jeter • Neff • A. Anderson • Porter • Wallace • Eshleman • Stephens • Young • Fitts • Carnahan • Merriam • Hatfield • Patterson • Houser • Knight • Powers • G. Anderson • Finch • Reinecke • Harmer • Dymally • Curb • McCarthy • Davis • Bustamante • Garamendi • Maldonado * denotes Acting

v • d • e Insurance Commissioners of California Garamendi • Quackenbush • Kelso • Low • Garamendi • Poizner