Darrell Issa
From Ballotpedia
| Recall |
|---|
|
| Historical recalls |
| Recall news |
| Recall laws |
Darrell E. Issa (pronounced Eye-suh) (born November 1, 1953) is the former CEO of a consumer electronics company. Since 2001, he has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the 49th District of California.[1]. His district consists of portions of southern Riverside County and northern San Diego County.
Aside from his service in Congress, Issa is also known for being a major contributor to the 2003 recall election of then-Governor Gray Davis. In October 2007, Issa announced that he was supporting the Presidential Electoral Reform Act, a ballot measure that would change how California selects its representatives to the presidential electoral college.
Biography
Darrell Issa's mother is of Bohemian German descent and his father is of Lebanese Christian descent. Issa was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He grew up in a Jewish neighborhood and worked for a rabbi. Issa enlisted in the United States Army during his senior year of high school, where he served as a bomb disposal technician.
He attended Kent State University Stark in North Canton, Ohio and Siena Heights College in Adrian, Michigan, on an ROTC scholarship, earning a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1976. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a US Army Officer, serving as a tank platoon leader and a computer research and development specialist, among other command roles. He left the Regular Army in 1980 with the rank of captain. He later moved to Vista, California, a suburb of San Diego, where he now lives.
Issa made his fortune through his company, Directed Electronics Incorporated, that is most famous for its flagship product, the "Viper" car alarm. It bears one notable siren that is a recording of Issa's voice, "Warning, you are too close, this vehicle protected by Viper." As of 2004, Directed Electronics was North America's largest aftermarket automotive electronics manufacturer. Issa divested all personal interest in Directed Electronics after being elected to public office, but is one of the richest members of the House.
Issa is married to Kathy and has a son, William.
Gubernatorial recall
Issa came to national prominence when he contributed over $1.6 million to help fund a signature-gathering drive for the petition to recall Gray Davis. At the time he made the contribution, it was widely believed that Issa intended to place himself on the ballot to replace Davis. However, with only two days before the filing deadline, Issa announced that he would not run. Issa later said that his mission had been accomplished since Davis was recalled and he wanted to continue representing his district in Congress and work towards Middle East peace.
For the recall election, Issa endorsed Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, at one point in the campaign he actually suggested that people should vote against recalling Davis, concerned that Schwarzenegger and fellow Republican Tom McClintock would split votes and install Democratic lieutenant governor Cruz Bustamante as Davis' successor[2]
External links
- Darrell Issa on Wikipedia
- U.S. Congressman Darrell Issa, House site
- On the Issues — Darrell Issa issue positions and quotes
- OpenSecrets.org — Darrell Issa campaign contributions
- Darrell Issa for U.S. Congressman, campaign site
- Directed Electronics
