Howard Berman
From Ballotpedia
| Howard Berman | ||
 | ||
| U.S. House, California, District 28 | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| 1983-Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 3, 2013 | ||
| Years in position | 29 | |
| Party | Democratic | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $174,000/year | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 2, 2010 | |
| First elected | November 2, 1982 | |
| Next election | November 6, 2012 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Prior offices | ||
| California State Assembly | ||
| 1973-1982 | ||
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | University of California, Los Angeles | |
| Other | LL.B., University of California, Los Angeles | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | April 15, 1941 | |
| Place of birth | Los Angeles, California | |
| Profession | Attorney | |
| Religion | Jewish | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
| Campaign website | ||
Contents |
Berman is running for re-election in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing California's 30th District as a Democrat. He was displaced from his current district, the 28th by redistricting.[1] District 27 incumbent Rep. Brad Sherman is running as a Democrat, while Mark Reed and Susan Shelley are running as Republicans in the June 5, 2012 open primary election.
The primary battle between Berman and Brad Sherman made Politico's list of the 5 ugliest member vs. member battles.[2]
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Berman is a "moderate Democratic leader".[3]
Biography
Berman was born in Los Angeles, California. He earned his B.A. and his LL.B. from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1962 and 1965 respectively.
Career
Below is an abbreviated outline of Berman's academic, professional and political career:[4]
- 2003-Present: U.S. House of Representatives, California's 28th congressional district
- 1983-2003: U.S. House of Representatives, California's 26th congressional district
- 1973-1982: California State Assembly
- 1968, 1976, 1984: Delegate, Democratic National Convention
- 1966-1967: VISTA volunteer
Committee assignments
U.S. House
2011-2012
Berman serves on the following committees:[5]
- Foreign Affairs Committee, Ranking Member
- Judiciary Committee
- Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition, and the Internet
Issues
Political positions
Percentage voting with party
November 2011
The website Open Congress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus. According to the website, Howard Berman voted with the Democratic Party 94.2% of the time, which ranked 34 among the 192 House Democratic members in 2011.[6]
Campaign themes
2012
Berman's campaign website lists the following issues:[7]
- Jobs and the Economy
- Excerpt: "Getting our economy moving again has been one of Howard’s top priorities in Congress. He knows that job growth is largest in new companies, and that the biggest problem faced by today’s small businesses is fewer customers with less money to spend."
- Veterans
- Excerpt: "He has made it a priority to help veterans facing hard times get back on their feet. He’s pushed for funding of programs to help treat homeless veterans with substance abuse and other mental health issues. He’s sought funds to improve the VA’s Supportive Housing program, and coordinated and co-hosted a veterans home buyers workshop."
- Intellectual Property Rights
- Excerpt: "Howard believes that robust protection of intellectual property and prevention of copyright theft protects local investments and creates jobs. The Chamber of Commerce has noted that America’s IP-intensive industries employ more than 19 million workers–at all educational and skill levels. From 2000 to 2007, the annual salary of all workers in IP-intensive industries averaged about 60% more than for similar workers in non-IP-intensive industries."
- Middle East
- Excerpt: "Howard has been one of the boldest and most effective Congressional voices in support of close US-Israeli relations since his first days in office. As Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee from 2008-2010, and now as its top Democrat, he’s been the recognized leader of annual efforts to whip Members of the House to support full funding for aid to Israel."
- Foreign Policy and National Security
- Excerpt: "In addition to his indispensable work on Israel, Iran and the Middle East, Howard has been a major force on a wide range of other foreign policy and national security issues."
- Education
- Excerpt: "As a graduate of Los Angeles’ public schools, including Hamilton High School and UCLA, Howard knows firsthand that a strong public school system is key to our nation’s global competitiveness and our children’s futures."
- The Environment
- Excerpt: "The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Act was enacted in 1979 by Assembly Bill 1312, authored by Assemblyman Howard Berman. Since it became law, it has provided the means to preserve over 60,000 acres of parkland in both wilderness and urban settings, and improve more than 114 public recreational facilities in the Santa Monica Mountains."
Elections
2012
Berman is running for re-election in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing California's 30th District as a Democrat. He was displaced from his current district, the 28th by redistricting.[1] He is running against Vince Gilmore (D), district 28 incumbent Brad Sherman (D), Mark Reed (R), Susan Shelley (R), Navraj Singh (R), and Michael Powelson (G) in the June 5, 2012, open primary.[8]
2010
On November 2, 2010, Berman won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Merlin Froyd (R) and Carlos A. Rodriguez (Libertarian) in the general election.[9]
| U.S. House, California District 28 General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Howard Berman Incumbent |
69.5% | 88,385 | |
| Republican | Merlin Froyd | 22.4% | 28,493 | |
| Libertarian | Carlos A. Rodriguez | 8% | 10,229 | |
| Total Votes | 127,107 | |||
Campaign donors
2010
Berman won re-election to the U.S. House in 2010. During that election cycle, Berman's campaign committee raised a total of $1,914,073 and spent $1,124,915.[10]
His top 5 contributors between 2009-2010 were:
| U.S. House, California District 28, 2010 - Howard Berman Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $1,914,073 |
| Total Spent | $1,124,915 |
| Total Raised by General Election Opponent | $39,636 |
| Total Spent by General Election Opponent | $39,509 |
| Top contributors to Howard Berman's campaign committee | |
| News Corp | $30,350 |
| Time Warner | $24,300 |
| Walt Disney Co | $24,250 |
| Akin, Gump et al | $20,222 |
| NorPAC | $18,400 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| TV/Movies/Music | $286,400 |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $170,622 |
| Pro-Israel | $127,750 |
| Computers/Internet | $73,539 |
| Real Estate | $73,250 |
Endorsements
2012
Berman has been endorsed by Senator Barbara Boxer over his primary opponent and fellow incumbent Brad Sherman. She stated, "Because of Brad’s campaign mailing, which outrageously tries to connect you to the San Bruno tragedy, I will no longer stay neutral in this race." This is referring to a 2010 explosion in San Bruno, which resulted in eight deaths, caused by PG&E's failure to maintain their gas line.[11]
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Howard + Berman + California + House
- All stories may not be relevant to this official due to the nature of the search engine.
Personal
Berman and his wife, Janis, have two children.
External links
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
- Congressional profile at GovTrack.us
- Congressional profile at OpenCongress.org
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
- Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Profile at Facebook
- Profile at Twitter
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "California incumbents seek new districts to call home", washingtonpost.com, August 11, 2011
- ↑ Politico "Congress 2012: The 5 ugliest member vs. member battles" Accessed April 18, 2012
- ↑ Gov Track "Berman" Accessed May 17, 2012
- ↑ Biographical Director of the United States Congress "Howard Lawrence Berman," Accessed November 6, 2011
- ↑ Congressman Howard L. Berman, Representing the 28th District of California "Biography"
- ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party"
- ↑ Campaign website, Issues
- ↑ California Secretary of State, Official candidate list
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"
- ↑ Open Secrets "Howard Berman 2010 Election Cycle," Accessed November 6, 2011
- ↑ TheHill.com, "Sen. Boxer picks Berman over Sherman", February 21, 2012
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by David Dreier | U.S. House of Representatives - California, District 28 2003-Present | Succeeded by ' |
| Preceded by ' | U.S. House of Representatives - California, District 26 1983-2003 | Succeeded by ' |
| Preceded by ' | California State Assembly 1973-1982 | Succeeded by ' |
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