Martin Block

Martin Block
California State Senate District 39
Incumbent
In office
December 3, 2012-present
Term ends
December 5, 2016
Years in position	1
Party	Democratic
Leadership
Assistant Majority Whip
2010-2012
Compensation
Base salary	$95,291/year
Per diem	$141.86/day
Elections and appointments
Last election	November 6, 2012
First elected	November 6, 2012
Next election	November 8, 2016
Term limits	2 terms (8 years)
Prior offices
California State Assembly District 78
2008-2012
Education
Bachelor's	Indiana University
J.D.	DePaul University
Personal
Profession	Legislator
Religion	Jewish
Websites
Campaign website

Martin ("Marty") Block is a Democratic member of the California State Senate, representing District 39. He was first elected to the chamber in 2012. He previously served in the California State Assembly, representing District 78 since from 2008 to 2012 and serving as Assistant Majority Whip from 2010 to 2012.

Biography

Block earned his B.A. in Political Science/Education from Indiana University and his J.D. from the DePaul University College of Law. He was the director of Student Legal Services at Western Illinois University from 1978-1979, and a history teacher in Illinois School District 68 from 1972-1978. He was a professor and dean at San Diego State University, and a judge pro tem for the San Diego Superior Court. Block was a delegate to the Democratic Party's national convention in 1988, 1992, 1996, 2004.

Committee assignments

2013-2014

At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Block served on the following committees:

Issues

Sponsored legislation

Block's sponsored legislation includes:

• AB 347 - Sales and use taxes: failure to furnish information
• AB 385 - Community colleges: funding
• AB 497 - Vehicles: high-occupancy vehicle lanes

For details and a full listing of sponsored bills, see the House site.

Political Courage test

Block did not provide answers to the California State Legislative Election 2008 Political Courage Test. The test provides voters with how a candidate would vote on the issues if elected.

Legislative scorecard

Capitol Weekly, California's major weekly periodical covering the state legislature, publishes an annual legislative scorecard to pin down the political or ideological leanings of every member of the legislature based on how they voted on an assortment of bills in the most recent legislative session. The 2009 scores were based on votes on 19 bills, but did not include how legislators voted on the Proposition 1A (2009). On the scorecard, "100" is a perfect liberal score and "0" is a perfect conservative score. ,

On the 2009 Capitol Weekly legislative scorecard, Block ranked as a 91.

2011-2012

In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Block served on these committees:

2009-2010

In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Block served on these committees:

Elections

2012

See also: California State Senate elections, 2012

Block won the 2012 election for California State Senate District 39. He and George Plescia (R) advanced past the June 5, 2012, blanket primary, defeating Patrick Marsh (D). Block was victorious in the general election on November 6, 2012.

California State Senate, District 39, General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Marty Block	58.4%	221,012
	Republican	George Plescia	41.6%	157,305
Total Votes				378,317

California State Senate, District 39 Blanket Primary, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Martin Block	46.3%	85,930
	Democratic	Patrick Marsh	10%	18,510
	Republican	George Plescia	43.7%	81,214
Total Votes				185,654

2010

See also: California State Assembly elections, 2010

Block won re-election to the 78th District Seat in 2010. He had no opposition in the June 8 primary. He advanced past the June 5, 2012, blanket primary, defeating Republican Rick L. Powell in the November 2 general election.

California State Assembly, District 78 General Election (2010)
Candidates		Votes
Martin Block (D)		72,036
Rick L. Powell (R)		49,455

2008

In 2008 Block was elected to the California State Assembly District 78. Block (D) finished with 93,938 votes while his opponent John McCann (R) finished with 75,350 votes.

California State Assembly District 78
Candidates		Votes
Martin Block (D)		93,938
John McCann (R)		75,350

Campaign donors

2012

Martin Block Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
July Report	July 31, 2012	$176,292.38	$110,583.00	$(44,541.21)	$242,334.17
			Running totals
			$110,583	$(44,541.21)

2010

In 2010, Block raised $1,760,592 in contributions.

His four largest contributors were:

Donor	Amount
California Democratic Party	$649,962
San Diego County Democratic Party	$165,000
Los Angeles County Democratic Party	$155,000
Kern County Democratic Central Cmte	$45,000

2008

Marty Block TV ad from 2008 campaign

In his 2008 race for the state assembly, Block ran against Republican John McCann. Block's campaign committee spent $2,868,705, while McCann's campaign committee spent $1,388,638.

Some of Block's major contributors in the 2008 election were:

Contributor	2008 total
California Democratic Party	$1,477,062
Sacramento County Democratic Central Cmte	$220,000
Mendocino County Democratic Central Cmte	$200,000
Marty Block	$34,000
Santa Barbara County Democratic Party	$25,000
Democratic Central Committee of Marin County	$20,000
Stanislaus County Democratic Central Committee	$20,000
California State Council of Service Employees	$14,400
California Teachers Association	$14,400
California Labor Federation	$14,400
California Federation of Teachers	$14,400
Service Employees Local 1000	$14,400

Personal

Block is married to Cindy Block.

Recent news

This section displays the most recent stories in a google news search for the term Martin + Block + California + Legislature

All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.

Martin Block News Feed

• Downtown Development The Development Scene: The Latest Info of 88 ... - LA Downtown News Online
• Issa, Goodlatte unveil STEM visa bill - Senate holds Pritzker nomination ... - Politico (blog)
• McConnell: ACA top 2014 issue - Medicaid expansion advocates consider ballot ... - Politico (blog)
• Kathleen Sebelius Fundraising Prompts Republican Scandal Accusations - Huffington Post
• A name for every place, pt. 2 - Chinook Observer
• Smokers will help pay for funding gap in Vikings stadium - NBCSports.com
• America's Education Spring: A Growing Revolt Against "Reform" Mandates - Truth-Out
• Minnesota Senate Passes Gay Marriage, Governor To Sign - Huffington Post
• Kermit Gosnell Guilty: Verdict Announced In Abortion Doctor Trial - Huffington Post
• Money Bucket - Willamette Week

External links

Suggest a link

• Campaign website
• Legislative profile of Martin Block on Project Vote Smart
• Biographical profile of Martin Block on Project Vote Smart
• Campaign contributions: 2010, 2008
• Facebook page

References

Political offices
Preceded by Christine Kehoe (D)	California State Senate District 39 2012–present	Succeeded by NA
Preceded by -	California State Assembly District 78 2008–2012	Succeeded by Toni Atkins (D)