Preceded by Ellen Tauscher Preceded by Harry Low | Preceded by Cruz Bustamante Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Name John Garamendi | |
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Governor Gray Davis
Arnold Schwarzenegger Role United States Representative Office Representative (D-CA 3rd District) since 2013 Previous office Representative (CA 10th District) 2009–2013 Spouse Patricia Garamendi (m. 1965) Children Christina Garamendi, Ashley Garamendi Education Harvard Business School (1970), University of California, Berkeley (1966) Similar People Jeff Denham, Ami Bera, Ellen Tauscher, Jim Costa, Janice Hahn Profiles | ||
Succeeded by Mona Pasquil (Acting) | ||
A leader we can be proud of congressman john garamendi
John Raymond Garamendi (born January 24, 1945) is an American rancher, businessman, politician and member of the Democratic Party who has represented areas of Northern California between San Francisco and Sacramento, including the cities of Fairfield and Suisun City, in the United States House of Representatives since November 2009. Garamendi was previously the California Insurance Commissioner from 1991 to 1995 and 2003 to 2007, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Interior from 1995 to 1998 and the 46th Lieutenant Governor of California from 2007 until his election to Congress.
Contents
- A leader we can be proud of congressman john garamendi
- Us congressman john garamendi
- Early life and education
- State Assembly
- State Senate
- 1982 gubernatorial election
- 1986 Controller election
- 1990 election
- Tenure
- 1994 gubernatorial election
- 19952003
- 2002 election
- 2003 gubernatorial election
- 2006 election
- Elections
- Committee assignments
- Caucus memberships
- Electoral history
- Personal life
- References
Garamendi was born in Camp Blanding, Florida and raised in Mokelumne Hill, California. He earned a B.A. in business from the University of California, Berkeley and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, then served in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia from 1966 to 1968. He was elected to the California State Assembly in 1974, serving a single term before being elected to the California State Senate in 1976, where he served for four terms until 1990. During this time he had a spell as Majority Leader and ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nominations for Governor of California in 1982 and for California State Controller in 1986.
In 1990, he was elected as the first California Insurance Commissioner, serving from 1991 to 1995. Rather than seek re-election, he ran for governor in the 1994 election, losing in the Democratic primary. He left public office and served as President Bill Clinton's Deputy Secretary of the Interior from 1995 to 1998, then worked for the Peace Corps again. He was elected insurance commissioner again in 2002 and briefly ran for governor again in the 2003 recall, before dropping out to support Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante. In 2006, he was elected lieutenant governor to succeed the term-limited Bustamante.
Garamendi had planned to run for governor for a fourth time in 2010 but after Democratic U.S. Representative Ellen Tauscher of California's 10th congressional district resigned to become Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, Garamendi won a November 2009 special election to succeed her. He was re-elected in 2010 and, after redistricting, for the California's 3rd congressional district in 2012 and 2014.
Us congressman john garamendi
Early life and education
Garamendi was raised in Mokelumne Hill, California, the son of Mary Jane (née McSorley) and Raymond V. Garamendi. His paternal grandparents were Basque immigrants from Spain and his mother was of half Irish and half Italian ancestry. Garamendi received a B.A. in business from the University of California, Berkeley, where he was both a football player and wrestler, and a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School. He served in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia from 1966 to 1968. Garamendi is an Eagle Scout. Garamendi is also a member of Sigma Chi, as a brother of the Alpha Beta Chapter at Berkeley.
State Assembly
In 1974, Garamendi decided to run for California's 7th State Assembly district. Six-term Republican incumbent William T. Bagley did not run for re-election, instead running for California State Controller and losing in the general election to Democratic State Assemblyman Kenneth Cory. In the election to succeed Bagley, Garamendi faced Republican State Assemblyman Douglas F. Carter. Carter had won a special election in the 12th Assembly district in July 1973 to succeed Repyblican Robert T. Monagan, who had resigned to become United States Assistant Secretary of Transportation. In the general election, Garamendi defeated Carter in a landslide, by 60,380 votes (64.08%) to 33,842 (35.92%) as the Democrats won a supermajority in the California State Assembly for the first time since the 1800s.
State Senate
In 1976, he decided to retire after one term to run in California's 13th State Senate district. He defeated Republican Bob Whitten 53%-47%. He won re-election in 1980 (60%), 1984 (69%), and 1988 (69%).
While in the California Senate, he served as Majority Leader. His sponsored legislation reformed health care, welfare, and the state tax code. He also protected Lake Tahoe and Mono Lake. He was Chairman of the Joint Committee on Science and Technology, the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee.
1982 gubernatorial election
He ran for Governor of California for the first time in 1982. In the Democratic primary, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley defeated him 61%-25%.
1986 Controller election
In the 1986 Democratic primary for California State Controller, Garamendi lost to Assemblyman Gray Davis, 50%-38%.
1990 election
He ran for California Insurance Commissioner for the first time in 1990. He won the Democratic primary with a plurality of 36% of the vote. His closest challenger was radio talk show host Bill Press, who got 28% of the vote. In the general election, he defeated Republican Wes Bannister 52%-38%.
Tenure
His early years in the office 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. In addition to this had a number of other accomplishments. He successfully implemented Proposition 103, reforming the auto and homeowner insurance industry. Under his leadership, the department protected homeowners from the Oakland Hills Fire by forcing insurance companies to fully pay for rebuilding. His department earned a reputation as the best consumer protection agency in the nation.
Garimendi seized "Executive Life," against the advice of counsel. He then sold the companies assets and junk bond portfolio, resulting in thousands of investors losing $4 billion dollars.
1994 gubernatorial election
Garamendi ran for California governor a second time in 1994. In the Democratic primary, State Treasurer Kathleen Brown defeated him 48%-33%.
1995–2003
After his tenure as insurance commissioner, 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. He resigned in 1998 and led groups of Peace Corps volunteers that helped negotiate peace in the Eritrean–Ethiopian War and Congo Civil War from 1998 to 2000. He then spent time in the private sector.
2002 election
He ran for California insurance commissioner for a second time in 2002. He won the Democratic primary with 39% of the vote. In the general election, he defeated Republican Gary Mendoza 46%-42%.
Tenure
He created a Home Owners Bill of Rights. This helped create laws that reduced workers compensation costs 58% and reduced premiums by over $500 million. He re-established an anti-fraud task force. He also developed a report analyzing California’s health care system with 43 recommended improvements.
2003 gubernatorial election
On August 7, 2003 Garamendi announced his candidacy for governor a third time in the gubernatorial recall election, but dropped out two days later to endorse Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante.
2006 election
On July 16, 2004, Garamendi announced his candidacy to run for Lieutenant Governor of California, the first and only time he would run for this position. Incumbent Cruz Bustamante was term-limited and decided to run to replace Garamendi as insurance commissioner. Garamendi's endorsers included former Vice President Al Gore, 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 U.S. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, and former U.S. Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt. Garamendi won the Democratic primary by defeating state senators Jackie Speier and Liz Figueroa 43%-40%-18%. In the general election, he defeated Republican State Senator Tom McClintock 49%-45%.
Tenure
As Lieutenant Governor of California, Garamendi was the de jure President of the State Senate, regent of the University California, Trustee of the California State University System, member of the California State Lands Commission, Chairman of the California Commission for Economic Development, and acting governor.
Elections
2009
Despite living outside of California's 10th congressional district, Garamendi announced his intention to run for the 2009 special election in the 10th district, where Democratic U.S. Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher had vacated her seat. There was some confusion about the location of Garamendi's residence. Garamendi said: "My front yard is in the district, our bedroom is not." Garamendi continued to fuel speculation about the location of his residence when he made similar comments to The New York Times 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.
In the September election, no candidate reached the 50% threshold to avoid a run-off election. Garamendi ranked first among Democrats with 26% of the vote, defeating State Senator Mark DeSaulnier (18%) and Assemblymember Joan Buchanan (12%). In the November run-off special election, Garamendi defeated Republican nominee David Harmer 53%-43%. 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.
2010
Garamendi won re-election to his first full term defeating Republican nominee Gary Clift 59%-38%.
2012
After redistricting, Garamendi filed papers in March 2012 to run in the newly redrawn California's 3rd congressional district.
The old 10th Congressional District represented by Garamendi made up just 23% of the new 3rd district. While the old 10th Congressional District traditionally favored Democrats, the new 3rd District is now considered swing district by some. Garamendi defeated Republican Kim Vann 54.2%-45.8%.
2014
Garamendi was re-elected.
Tenure
Defense' John Garmendi actively opposed a GOP-backed construction of a missile defense site on the East Coast, saying it was fiscally irresponsible to be "spending up to $5 billion in the next three years on a missile defense system that doesn't work."
Garamendi is also part of a bipartisan group that wants to challenge "a new law that allows the indefinite detention without trial of suspected terrorists." He also voted against extending the Patriot Act.
Syrian refugees Garamendi voted on Nov. 19, 2015, for HR 4038, legislation that would effectively halt the resettlement of refugees from Syria and Iraq to the United States.
Committee assignments
Caucus memberships
Electoral history
United States House of Representatives elections, 2010
Personal life
Garamendi is married to Patricia W. "Patti" Garamendi, who has worked as agriculture specialist for the California Exposition and State Fair and as deputy secretary of California's Business, Transportation and Housing Agency. In 1993, she was appointed by President Clinton to serve as associate director of the Peace Corps and in 1998 as deputy administrator in the Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service. They live in Walnut Grove and have six children and nine grandchildren.