After receiving his Juris Doctor degree from UC Hastings College of the Law in 1980,he was appointed an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Orange County. He had a 100% conviction rate prosecuting drug dealers,gang members,white collar criminals,and civil rights cases. He also served as a military prosecutor between 1980 and 1985.[citation needed]
Political career
Santa Ana Poll Guard Controversy
As the Agent on Duty in 1988 for the U.S. Attorney's office on Election Day,Umberg received reports that police officers were preventing Latinos from voting in Santa Ana. Umberg and another attorney responded to the location of the report,and identified a woman dressed in attire that made her appear as a police officer with a sign that said "Non-Citizens Can't Vote". Umberg noted that when he arrived the woman spoke with a Latino couple that came to vote,and after their discussion,they walked away. It is believed the Orange County Republican Party organized the effort to protect one of their incumbents,who went on to win the election by 1,000 votes.[3] Umberg resigned his position from the U.S. Attorney's office the following year to run for the Assembly,citing the incident as his reason for running.
First stint in Assembly
Umberg was first elected to the California State Assembly in 1990,defeating incumbent Republican Curt Pringle,whom he had identified as the beneficiary of the poll guard effort during the campaign.[4] Umberg was re-elected in 1992. While in the Assembly he served as Chairman of the Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee. Instead of seeking a third term in 1994,Umberg ran for Attorney General of California but lost to RepublicanDan Lungren in the general election.[citation needed] Umberg then joined the law firm of Morrison &Foerster LLP in 1995 as a partner. He was the Managing Partner of Morrison &Foerster's Orange County Office from 2003 until 2005.
In 2002,he came in second in the Democratic Party nomination for State Insurance Commissioner to John Garamendi. In 2004,Umberg was re-elected to the Assembly to represent the 69th District. During his third term,Umberg chaired the Elections and Redistriciting Committee. While in the legislature,Umberg authored over 60 measures which became law. These laws include measures dealing with hate crimes,white collar crime,campaign finance reform,high-speed rail transport,and school meal programs.[citation needed]. In 2005,Umberg was the 41st,and decisive,vote on AB 849 to legalize same-sex marriage in California. During the floor debate,Umberg stated,"It's always a dilemma whether to follow or lead. This is one of those times history is looking to us to lead," and that of all the constituents who contacted him on the bill,he had ultimately looked to his three children. "I wanted them to look back and see where I was when we could make a difference,if I stood with those who took a leadership role in terms of tolerance,equity and fairness. And I'll be proud to say I did."[5].
2006 Senate campaign
Umberg sought the seat of retiring State SenatorJoe Dunn (D) in the 2006 elections. Orange CountySupervisor and former Assemblyman Lou Correa jumped in the race in January 2006 as well. Correa received pressure from the local Democratic party for him to stay out,but was pressured by the state Democratic party for him to jump in and stating that he was running in part because of the allegations about Umberg's residency. Aside from other negative articles,[6] Umberg also received criticism that he voted to legalize gay marriage.[7] Umberg attempted to get Correa off the ballot because Correa submitted more than the number of signatures required to qualify for the ballot,but ultimately failed.[8] Umberg also claimed that an alliance between Correa and State Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata to funnel funds to Correa's campaign was illegal.[9] Umberg was defeated by Correa by a 60% to 40% margin,and Correa went on to narrowly win the general election.
Orange County Supervisorial campaign
After Correa won the general election for the state Senate by a 1% margin,Umberg entered the race to replace Correa on the Orange County Board of Supervisors,representing the 1st Supervisorial District. 52% of 1st Supervisorial District voters are also voters in the 69th Assembly District,formerly represented by Umberg. 73% of 1st Supervisorial District voters are also 34th Senate District voters,so Umberg was believed to be the favorite. On 6 February 2007,Umberg received 21.4%,coming in third,far less than he had been expected to poll.[10] The winner was Garden GroveCity councilwomanJanet Nguyen.
State Senate
In 2018,Umberg entered the race for the California's 34th Senatorial District,setting up a rematch against State Senator Janet Nguyen,who had won the seat in 2014 and was seeking reelection. A priority race for the legislature,Umberg received widespread support from officials across Orange and Los Angeles County including U.S. Congressman Adam Schiff and former rival,Lou Correa. Umberg initially trailed on election night by 19 points,but steadily gained in the days following the election to prevail by 3,200 votes in an election where over 260,000 had voted.[11] Nguyen requested a partial recount of precincts in Santa Ana,but this did not change the outcome.[12] The election was the last to be called in California for that cycle. Nguyen never conceded to Umberg.
↑Catherine Gewertz. "U.S. Judges Restore Suit Accusing State GOP of Poll Guard Conspiracy: Appeal: Ruling revives charge that Republican Party tried to intimidate Latinos by posting uniformed monitors in Santa Ana in 1988. Published July 27, 1991, Retrieved December 5, 2025. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-07-27-me-289-story.html
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