Laura Richardson | |
---|---|
Member of the California Senate from the 35th district | |
Assumed office December 2, 2024 | |
Preceded by | Steven Bradford |
Member of the U.S.HouseofRepresentatives from California's 37th district | |
In office August 21,2007 –January 3,2013 | |
Preceded by | Juanita Millender-McDonald |
Succeeded by | Janice Hahn (Redistricting) |
Member of the California State Assembly from the 55th district | |
In office December 4,2006 –September 4,2007 | |
Preceded by | Jenny Oropeza |
Succeeded by | Warren Furutani |
Personal details | |
Born | Los Angeles,California,U.S. | April 14,1962
Political party | Democratic |
Education | University of California,Los Angeles (BA) University of Southern California (MBA) |
Laura Richardson (born April 14,1962) is an American politician who has served as a member of the California State Senate from the 35th district since 2024. A member of the Democratic Party,she previously served as the U.S. representative for California's 37th congressional district from 2007 to 2013.
She previously represented the 55th district in the California State Assembly for the 2007 term until she was elected to the House of Representatives for California's 37th congressional district in a special election on August 21,2007,to fill the vacancy resulting from the death of Juanita Millender-McDonald. She was reelected to represent that district in 2008 and 2010. Following the decennial reorganization of Congressional districts in 2012,most of Richardson's territory became the 44th District. She ran against fellow Democratic Congresswoman Janice Hahn in the 2012 Congressional elections cycle. On November 6,2012,she was defeated in her bid for re-election by Representative Hahn by a landslide 20 percentage points. [1]
Richardson was born in Los Angeles and lives in Long Beach. She was raised by a single mother after her parents divorced when she was two. Her father was a member of the Teamsters. [2] Her father was black and her mother was white. Richardson has said that racism against their mixed-race family was "what got me since the age of about six of wanting to be a public servant." [3]
Richardson was previously married to Long Beach Police Chief Anthony Batts. During the marriage,she took the name Laura Richardson-Batts. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of California,Los Angeles in 1984. In 1987,she joined Xerox Corporation,where she worked for 14 years. In 1996,Richardson received her MBA from the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business. [4]
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources .(December 2016) |
Richardson served on the Long Beach City Council from 2000 to 2006. In 2004,Richardson won a second term outright on the first ballot. As a councilwoman,she made statements that her priorities included neighborhood improvement,public safety,attracting jobs and businesses to the cities’central corridors,job training programs for adults,after-school programs for youth and expanding senior programs.
Richardson established the Sixth District Master Plan,a strategic guideline for development in the area. Other significant accomplishments during her council tenure include securing the first funding for alley maintenance by the city of Long Beach,initiating the planning process for a Senior Transportation Program in the Central Area of Long Beach.
While serving on the city council,Richardson joined the staff of Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante and served as his Southern California director for five years.
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources .(November 2023) |
Richardson served as the assistant speaker pro tempore in the Assembly. Richardson was the first African-American and South Bay representative to achieve this position. Additionally,Richardson was appointed to serve on the Budget,Human Services,Utilities &Commerce,Government Organization,and Joint Legislative Budget committees. She was chair of the Select Committee on Proposition 209-Equal Opportunity.
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources .(November 2023) |
This section's factual accuracy may be compromised due to out-of-date information.(March 2013) |
In 2003,Richardson said she believed weapons inspections in Iraq should have continued,and that she did not favor an invasion. She was asked by anti-war groups to support a Long Beach City Council resolution declaring the city's opposition to the Iraq War. She did not support this resolution,but co-sponsored a resolution declaring support for local members of the National Guard. Once hostilities began,she stated that it was important to support the troops. She argued that once Saddam Hussein was caught and executed,American troops should have come home. She supports a withdrawal plan beginning in six months,according to her mailers,which often contain pictures of former president George W. Bush with a slash mark through his image,indicating her opposition to Bush's policies. She pledged to oppose any new spending for war in Iraq.
Richardson supported AB 900 to create 40,000 more prison beds in California at the cost of $7.4 billion.
Richardson has faced some harsh scrutiny for not co-sponsoring Rep. Henry Waxman's global warming legislation. As a result,Greenpeace has mounted a public awareness campaign about her position. [5]
Richardson does not support building a border fence. She does support some path to citizenship for certain illegal immigrants.
Laura Richardson endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries,although her district voted for 54.2% to 43.5% in favor of Barack Obama. [6]
Richardson voted in favor of a controversial update to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act on June 20,2008. As part of the bill,telecommunications companies that have allegedly acted illegally in allowing the Bush Administration to spy on customers will be protected from prosecution. The administration's surveillance of U.S. citizens and residents is part of the NSA warrantless surveillance controversy.
In the run up to the 2008 election,Richardson came under fire for sending out an anti-LGBTQ mailer against a lesbian candidate in 1996 during her run for the 54th Assembly District,accusing her opponent of being,"committed to a radical gay rights agenda. [7] Despite the controversy,Richardson defeated State Senator Jenny Oropeza and 9 other Democrats in the June 26 primary election to win her party's nomination,the real contest in this heavily Democratic district. On August 21,Richardson won more than 65% of the vote in a four-way race against the nominees of the Republican Party,Green Party,and Libertarian Party. She easily won a full term in 2008,and was reelected in 2010,in both cases against only nominal Republican opposition
Redistricting for the 2012 elections significantly altered California's congressional map. Richardson had previously represented portions of inland Los Angeles and inland Long Beach,all of Carson,Compton and Signal Hill,as well as parts of other municipalities. However,her old district was split almost in half,with the bulk of her territory becoming the 44th District. While Richardson's home in Long Beach was drawn into the new 47th District,she moved her residence into the 44th district because its demographics were more similar to the old 37th;like the 44th,it is majority black and Latino. Fellow Democrat Janice Hahn,who had previously represented the neighboring 36th District,had her home drawn into the 44th as well. The California Democratic Party endorsed Hahn for the seat. [8] In the all-party primary,Hahn defeated Richardson with 60 percent of the vote to Richardson's 39 percent—which was all the more remarkable since,on paper,the district's demographics were more favorable to Richardson.
On November 6,2012,Hahn easily beat Richardson by 20 percentage points. [1]
Richardson was accused of receiving preferential treatment by a bank when it rescinded an erroneous foreclosure of her house,but was cleared of wrongdoing by the House Ethics Committee, [9] in accordance with the recommendations of the Office of Congressional Ethics. [10] Upon the death of Juanita Millender-McDonald,her predecessor in the 37th Congressional District,Richardson seems to have put all of her funds into winning the resulting special election,and as a result stopped paying her mortgages. Following the special election,she made agreements with Washington Mutual to catch up payments on her 3 properties,but the bank violated this agreement with regard to the Sacramento property when it foreclosed on the house. The bank then rescinded the foreclosure,causing the controversy.
After her election to the California Assembly,Richardson purchased a home in Sacramento with no money down [11] and a subprime mortgage. According to county records,Richardson received a default notice and Notice of Trustee's Sale in late 2007. In December 2007,Richardson was behind in payments by more than $18,000. [12] According to the couple that sold the home to Richardson,Richardson was not maintaining the home. Sharon Helmar has stated:"The neighbors are extremely unhappy with her. She didn't mow the lawn or take out the garbage while she was there. We lived there for a long time,30 years,and we had to hide our heads whenever we came back to the neighborhood." [13]
The real estate broker who bought Richardson's Sacramento house at the foreclosure sale accused her of receiving preferential treatment because her lender had issued a notice to rescind the sale. James York,owner of Red Rock Mortgage,said he would file a lawsuit against Richardson and her lender,Washington Mutual,but settled out of court with the terms not disclosed. Richardson had not been making payments on the property for nearly a year,and had also gone into default on her two other houses in Long Beach and San Pedro. Richardson,D-Long Beach,has said that the auction should never have been held,because she had worked out a loan modification agreement with her lender beforehand and had begun making payments. [14]
The House Ethics Committee,following the recommendations of the Ethics Office,found no wrongdoing other than by Richardson's Mortgage Broker,who was referred to the Justice Department for mortgage fraud,which was widespread at the time the mortgage was made. Mistaken foreclosures despite paid-up recovery agreements,such as the one that happened to Richardson,were also becoming rampant during this period. [15] [16] [17]
Richardson also initially did not disclose a loan from a strip club owner when on the City Council,public records show. [18]
Richardson was speaker of the House pro tempore during the November 29,2010 lame-duck session of Congress. She initially refused to recognize,then relented to allow committee ranking member Steve Buyer to talk despite the failure of the committee chairman to appear. She was seen discussing with the House parliamentarian and aides how to handle the failure of the committee chairman to appear to present his bill under rules and procedures that minorities in both parties have often denounced when out of power in the House,as Boyer did when recognized in this instance. [19]
On November 3,2011,the Los Angeles Times reported that Richardson would face an ethics inquiry related to possible illegal use of staffers.
On November 4,2011,Richardson claimed that the House Ethics Committee,composed of five members from the Democratic Party and five members from Republican Party,singled her out for investigation because she is African-American. The Ethics Committee leaders did announce that the vote to establish a four-member investigative subcommittee was unanimous. [20]
On August 1,2012,the House Ethics Committee issued its report about accusations of improper use of staff. It found that Richardson had broken federal law,violated House rules and obstructed the Committee's own investigation. She was found guilty on seven counts of violating House rules by improperly pressuring her staff to campaign for her,destroying evidence and tampering with witness testimony. Richardson was ordered to pay a fine of $10,000 within four months and promised to require staffers who work on her campaign to sign a waiver stating that they haven't been pressured to do so. [21] The committee also called on the full House to reprimand Richardson. [22]
The following day,the full House duly voted to accept the Committee report and reprimand Richardson. [23] [24]
Susan Ellen "Zoe" Lofgren is an American politician and lawyer serving as a U.S. representative from California. A member of the Democratic Party,Lofgren is in her 15th term in Congress,having been first elected in 1994. Lofgren has long served on the House Judiciary Committee,and chaired the House Administration Committee in the 116th and 117th Congresses.
Diane Edith Watson is a former American politician who served as US Representative for California's 33rd congressional district,serving from 2003 until 2011,after first being elected in the 32nd District in a 2001 special election. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is located entirely in Los Angeles County and includes much of Central Los Angeles,as well as such wealthy neighborhoods as Los Feliz.
Maxine Moore Waters is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for California's 43rd congressional district since 1991. The district,numbered as the 29th district from 1991 to 1993 and as the 35th district from 1993 to 2013,includes much of southern Los Angeles,as well as portions of Gardena,Inglewood and Torrance.
Juanita Millender-McDonald was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1996 until her death in 2007,representing California's 37th congressional district,which includes most of South Central Los Angeles and the city of Long Beach,California. She was a member of the Democratic Party.
Graciela "Grace" Napolitano is an American Democratic Party politician who has represented California's San Gabriel Valley and other parts of Los Angeles County in the United States House of Representatives since 1999. Her district is currently numbered California's 31st district. She previously served in the California State Assembly and the Norwalk City Council. At the age of 88,Napolitano is the oldest sitting member in the House of Representatives.
Linda Teresa Sánchez is an American politician and former labor lawyer serving as the U.S. representative for California's 38th congressional district since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party,she was first elected to Congress in 2002 in California's 39th congressional district. Sánchez serves on the Ways and Means Committee;she was the ranking member on the House Ethics Committee until 2017. In the 114th Congress,she chaired the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Joseph Natalio Baca Sr. is an American Democratic politician who served as the U.S. representative for southwestern San Bernardino County from 1999 to 2013.
Ralph Bradley Miller is an American attorney,congressman and former U.S. Representative for North Carolina's 13th congressional district,serving from 2003 to 2013. District 13 included all of Caswell and Person counties,and parts of Alamance,Granville,Guilford,Rockingham and Wake counties. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Marian Elaine "Mimi" Walters is an American businesswoman and politician. A member of the Republican Party,she served from 2015 to 2019 as the U.S. representative for California's 45th congressional district.
Janice Kay Hahn is an American politician serving as a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from the 4th district since 2016. A member of the Democratic Party,she was a U.S. Representative from California from 2011 to 2016,elected in the 36th congressional district until 2013 and later in the 44th congressional district. She was previously a member of the Los Angeles City Council,representing the 15th district from 2001 to 2011. From 1997 to 1999,she served as an elected representative on the Los Angeles Charter Reform Commission.
Judy May Chu is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for California's 28th congressional district. A member of the Democratic Party,she has held a seat in Congress since 2009,representing California's 32nd congressional district until redistricting. Chu is the first Chinese American woman elected to Congress.
Karen Ruth Bass is an American politician,social worker and former physician assistant who has served as the 43rd mayor of Los Angeles since 2022. A member of the Democratic Party,Bass previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2022 and in the California State Assembly from 2004 to 2010,serving as speaker during her final Assembly term.
Alan Stuart Lowenthal is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for California's 47th congressional district from 2013 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party,he served as the California state assemblyman for the 54th district from 1998 to 2004 and California state senator from the 27th district from 2004 to 2012. In both posts,Lowenthal represented the city of Long Beach and its surrounding suburbs. On December 16,2021,Lowenthal announced that he would not seek reelection to Congress.
Julia Andrews Brownley is an American businesswoman and politician who has been the United States representative for California's 26th congressional district since 2013. A Democrat,she served in the California State Assembly from 2006 to 2012. Before her political career,she worked in marketing and sales.
Michelle Eunjoo Steel is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for California's 45th congressional district since 2023,previously representing the 48th congressional district from 2021 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party,she concurrently served as a member of House Minority Whip Steve Scalise's Whip Team for the 117th Congress. Steel ran for re-election to a third term in 2024,but she was defeated in the general election by Democratic challenger Derek Tran.
California's 37th congressional district special election,2007 was held on August 21,2007,to replace the seat of Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald,who died of cancer on April 22,2007. California State Assemblymember Laura Richardson received the plurality of votes in an open primary election on June 26. Since no candidate won a majority of votes in that contest,the special election was held on August 21,in which Richardson was the winner.
A 2011 special election filled the vacancy in California's 36th congressional district after the resignation of incumbent Jane Harman on February 28,2011;Harman vacated her seat in the U.S. House of Representatives to become head of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in California were held on November 6,2012,with a primary election on June 5,2012. Voters elected the 53 U.S. representatives from the state,one from each of the state's 53 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices,including a quadrennial presidential election and a U.S. Senate election.
Nanette Díaz Barragán is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for California's 44th congressional district since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party,she was a Hermosa Beach City councilmember from 2013 to 2015.
Gilbert Ray Cisneros Jr. is an American government official,philanthropist,and politician who served as Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness in the Biden administration. As a member of the Democratic Party,he served as the U.S. representative for California's 39th congressional district from 2019 to 2021.