Laura Richardson
From Ballotpedia
| Laura Richardson | ||
 | ||
| U.S. House, California, District 37 | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| 2007-Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 3, 2013 | ||
| Years in position | 5 | |
| Party | Democratic | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $174,000/year | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 2, 2010 | |
| First elected | September 4, 2007 | |
| Next election | November 6, 2012 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Prior offices | ||
| California State Assembly, District 55 | ||
| 2006-2007 | ||
| Long Beach City Council | ||
| 2000-2006 | ||
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | University of California, Los Angeles | |
| Master's | University of Southern California | |
| Personal | ||
| Place of birth | Los Angeles, California | |
| Profession | Businesswoman | |
| Religion | Methodist | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
| Campaign website | ||
Contents |
Richardson is running for re-election in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing California's 44th District as a Democrat. She was displaced from her current district, the 37th by redistricting.[1] Richardson faces Janice Hahn in the June 5, 2012 open primary election.
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Richardson is a "moderate Democratic follower".[2]
Biography
Richardson was born in Los Angeles, California. She earned her B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1984, and her M.B.A. from the University of Southern California in 1996.[3]
Career
- 2007-Present: U.S. House of Representatives California's 37th congressional district
- 2006-2007: California State Assembly, District 55
- 2001-2006: Staff, Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante of California
- 2000-2006: City Council of Long Beach, California
- 1996-1998: Staff, United States Representative Juanita Millender-McDonald
Outside of public life, Richardson worked as a businesswoman.
Committee assignments
U.S. House
2011-2012
Richardson serves on the following committees:[4]
- Homeland Security Committee
- Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies
- Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications Ranking Member
- Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
- Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
- Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
- Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
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, Laura Richardson voted with the Democratic Party 89.2% of the time, which ranked 153 among the 192 House Democratic members in 2011.[5]
Staff use controversy
Richardson has faced allegations of misusing her congressional staffers starting in early 2012. She has been accused of telling her congressional aides to collect information about communities outside her district, organizing a workshop to train constituents, and writing talking points for those constituents to deliver while the California Citizens Redistricting Commission met.[6]
On March 9, 2012, Brenda Cruz, who worked as an aide to Richardson, submitted a letter of resignation that stated she was mistreated by Richardson and a senior staffer during and after her pregnancy, making Cruz leave the job for her and her child's health.
Her letter reads in part, "As a service connected-disabled veteran it is sad to say that I [would] rather be at war in Afghanistan then work under people that are morally corrupt. I have a child to think about now, and my son needs his mother to be healthy and happy."[7]
Cruz also said she was routinely made to work on Richardson's re-election campaign while in her district office. Richardson's office denied the claims, calling them "completely baseless."
Elections
2012
Richardson is running for re-election in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing California's 44th District as a Democrat. She was displaced from her current district, the 37th by redistricting. She faces fellow incumbent Democrat Janice Hahn in the June 5 primary.
2010
On November 2, 2010, Richardson won re-election to the United States House. She defeated Star Parker (R) and Nicholas Dibs (Independent) in the general election.[8]
| U.S. House, California District 37 General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Laura Richardson Incumbent |
68.4% | 85,799 | |
| Republican | Star Parker | 23.2% | 29,159 | |
| Independent | Nicholas Dibs | 8.4% | 10,560 | |
| Total Votes | 125,518 | |||
Campaign donors
2010
Richardson won re-election to the U.S. House in 2010. During that election cycle, Richardson's campaign committee raised a total of $639,928 and spent $651,731.[9]
His top 5 contributors between 2009-2010 were:
| U.S. House, California District 37, 2010 - Laura Richardson Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $639,928 |
| Total Spent | $651,731 |
| Total Raised by General Election Opponent | $1,851,459 |
| Total Spent by General Election Opponent | $1,826,846 |
| Top contributors to Laura Richardson's campaign committee | |
| Carpenters & Joiners Union | $10,000 |
| Honeywell International | $10,000 |
| Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers | $10,000 |
| Machinists/Aerospace Workers Union | $10,000 |
| National Air Traffic Controllers Assn | $10,000 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Transportation Unions | $63,500 |
| Building Trade Unions | $47,500 |
| Air Transport | $46,500 |
| Public Sector Unions | $43,500 |
| Industrial Unions | $26,500 |
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Laura + Richardson + California + House
- All stories may not be relevant to this official due to the nature of the search engine.
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
- Campaign contributions at Follow The Money
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Profile at Facebook
- Profile at Twitter
- Official Youtube channel
References
- ↑ Roll Call "Democrat Ends Bid, Leaves Hahn and Richardson to Fight in California," Accessed March 10, 2011
- ↑ Gov Track "Richardson" Accessed May 22, 2012
- ↑ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress "RICHARDSON, Laura, (1962 - )"
- ↑ Congresswoman Laura Richardson, Representing the 37th District of California "Committees"
- ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party"
- ↑ DailyBreeze.com, "Rep. Richardson's attorney disputes allegations she ordered redistricting work", February 14, 2012
- ↑ Politico, "Former Laura Richardson aide: I'd rather be at war in Afghanistan," March 25, 2012
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"
- ↑ Open Secrets "Laura Richardson 2010 Election Cycle," Accessed November 12, 2011
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Juanita Millender-McDonald | U.S. House of Representatives - California, District 37 2007-Present | Succeeded by ' |
| Preceded by ' | California State Assembly, District 55 2006-2007 | Succeeded by ' |
| Preceded by ' | Long Beach City Council 2000-2006 | Succeeded by ' |
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