Abel Maldonado
From Ballotpedia
| Abel Maldonado | |
 | |
| California State Senate District 15 | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office December 2004 | |
| Current term ends 2012 | |
| Political party | Republican |
| Profession | Farmer |
| Website | Senate website |
Contents |
Abel Maldonado is a Republican member of the California Senate. On November 23, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Maldonado to the position of California Lieutenant Governor, replacing John Garamendi. The California State Legislature is required to weigh in on this appointment within 90 days.[1]
Maldonado represents California Senate District 15, which spans San Luis Obispo County, most of Monterey County, eastern Santa Cruz County, parts of northwestern Santa Barbara County, and parts of southwestern Santa Clara County.
Lt. Governor nomination
Schwarzenegger announced that he was appointing Maldonado to the position of California Lieutenant Governor on November 23 when he was taping an episode of the Jay Leno Show. Schwarzenegger said of Maldonado, "He's a terrific, loyal man that has worked very hard in public service. But he's also into bipartisanship and post-partisanship, so he can cross the aisle. He makes decisions based on what's best for the people rather than what's best for the party. He has helped us many times pass a budget, which was very important. And he comes from an immigrant family. They came from Mexico to the United States, started with a little farm, and now they have, like, 600 acres, hundreds of people working there. So he's a great choice, I think."[2]
Republican state senators Samuel Aanestad and Jeff Denham, and Democratic state senator Dean Florez are announced candidates for the Lieutenant Governor of California seat in the 2010 elections.[3]
2009 budget negotiations
In February 2009, Maldonado negotiated with Senate Democrats to place several constitutional amendments on the California ballot in exchange for his vote on a budget package that included about $16 billion in tax increases.
Propositions Maldonado negotiated for included:
Maldonado's vote on the budget gave Senate Democrats the 27th vote they needed to reach the 2/3rds threshold for passing a budget.[6]
Political experience
Prior to his election to the state senate, Maldonado was:
- A member of the California State Assembly from 1998-2004.
- Mayor, City of Santa Maria, 1996-1998
- Member, Santa Maria City Council, 1994-1996.
Committees
Maldonado is a member of:
He is a vice-chair of:
"Sacramento Six"
Maldonado explains vote on 2009 budget |
A committee indicated that it might pursue a recall campaign against Maldonado because of his vote on the budget. The same threat was made against other Republicans in the "Sacramento Six", but none of the recall campaigns came to anything. (Most of the recall energy was directed against Anthony Adams.)[8]
In response to his critics, including Steve Poizner, Maldonado said, "Since the budget was passed, you have gone around the state criticizing it and the role six Republicans played in its passage. Your recent statements condemning Propositions 1A-1F are very frustrating. During the budget debate, which lasted over 100 days, I heard from thousands of Californians who took the time to give me their input on the state budget. But I never heard from you."[9]
Background and family
Maldonado grew up on a produce farm. After graduating from Santa Maria High School, and majoring in crop science at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo, he returned to the family business, where he helped grow the farm from a half acre of strawberries into a farm with 6,000 acres under cultivation that employs about 250 people.
He is married to Laura Maldonado and together they have four children.
See also
External links
- Vote Smart profile of Maldonado
- Maldonado's senate profile
- Campaign contributions: 1998 (Assembly), 2000 (Assembly), 2002 (Assembly), 2004 (Senate), 2006 (Senate), 2006 (Controller) and 2008 (Senate)
References
- ↑ Sacramento Bee, "Schwarzenegger picks Maldonado for lieutenant governor", November 23, 2009
- ↑ San Francisco Chronicle, "Governor names Maldonado", November 23, 2009
- ↑ Sacramento Bee, "Schwarzenegger picks Maldonado for lieutenant governor", November 23, 2009
- ↑ Sacramento Bee, "Maldonado's price for budget vote: 3 constitutional amendments", February 19, 2009
- ↑ Ballot Access News, "California’s New Lieutenant Governor", November 23, 2009
- ↑ Inside Bay Area, "At last, a budget deal"
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "'Sacramento Six' face conservative backlash", March 22, 2009
- ↑ Recall Maldonado
- ↑ San Francisco Chronicle, "Maldonado rebukes Poizner on budget", April 1, 2009
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