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Tom Ammiano
From Ballotpedia
| Tom Ammiano | ||
 | ||
| California State Assembly District 13 | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| 2008-Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| December 6, 2012 | ||
| Years in position | 4 | |
| Party | Democratic | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $95,290.56 per year | |
| Per diem | $141.86 per day | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 2, 2010 | |
| First elected | 2008 | |
| Next election | November 6, 2012 | |
| Term limits | 3 terms (6 years) | |
| Prior offices | ||
| San Francisco Board of Supervisors | ||
| 1994-2008 | ||
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | December 15, 1942 | |
| Place of birth | New Jersey | |
| Profession | Teacher | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
Contents |
Ammiano worked as a special education teacher in the San Francisco Unified School District from 1969-1990, and was an English teacher in Vietnam. He also worked as a stand-up comedian.[1]
Prior to his election to the Assembly, Ammiano served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 1994-2008, and on the San Francisco School Board from 1990-1994. He is a member of the Assembly Coastal Caucus, Environmental Caucus, Golden Gate Bridge Board, Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Caucus, and Metropolitan Transportation Commission. [2]
Ammiano, who is openly gay, has been considered a role model for other gay people seeking election to public office.[3]
Issues
Political Courage test
Ammiano provided 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. In the test Ammiano listed his legislative priorities as "Universal access to health care," "Quality public schools and colleges," and "Affordable housing."[4]
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. [5],[6]
On the 2009 Capitol Weekly legislative scorecard, Ammiano ranked as a 100, along with eight other Democratic members of the state assembly.[7]
Marijuana
Ammiano introduced a bill in the 2009 session of the California State Assembly to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana.[8]
The bill won initial approval from the Assembly's Public Safety Committee in January 2010.[9]
Gay rights
Ammiano was a key organizer against California Proposition 6 (1978), an anti-gay rights proposition which was defeated by state voters in 1978. In the 2008 film "Milk", Ammiano plays a cameo role in which he shouts down the actor playing state Sen. John Briggs. [10]
Sponsored legislation
Ammiano's sponsored legislation includes:
- AB 390 - Marijuana Control, Regulation, and Education
- AB 633 - Death penalty
- AB 772 - The Local Government Identification Act
For details and a full listing of sponsored bills, see the House site.
Committee assignments
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Ammiano has been appointed to these committees:
- Arts Committee, California Legislature
- Education Committee, California General Assembly
- Health Committee, California General Assembly
- Human Services Committee, California General Assembly
- Public Safety Committee, California General Assembly, Chair
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Ammiano served on these committees:
- Select Committee on Alcohol and Drug Abuse
- Appropriations Committee, California General Assembly
- Arts Committee, California Legislature
- Select Committee on Biotechnology
- Education Committee, California General Assembly
- Health Committee, California General Assembly
- Human Services Committee, California General Assembly (Vice Chair)
- Public Safety Committee, California General Assembly (Chair)
Elections
2012
Ammiano is running for re-election in the 2012 election for California State Assembly District 17. He was displaced from his current district by redistricting. He is running against Jason Clark (R) in the primary on June 5, 2012. The general election takes place on November 6, 2012. [11]
2010
Ammiano won re-election to the 13th District Seat in 2010. He had no opposition in the June 8 primary. He defeated Republican Laura A. Peter in the November 2 general election.[12]
| California State Assembly, District 13 General Election (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
 Tom Ammiano (D)
| 120,174 | |||
| Laura A. Peter (R) | 24,741 | |||
2008
In 2008 Ammiano was elected to the California State Assembly District 13. Ammiano (D) finished with 162,977 votes while his opponent Harmeet Dhillon (R) finished with 32,552 votes.[13] Ammiano raised $544,239 for his campaign fund.[14]
| California State Assembly District 13 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Tom Ammiano (D)
| 162,977 | |||
| Harmeet Dhillon (R) | 32,552 | |||
Campaign donors
2010
In 2010, Ammiano raised $293,960 in contributions. [15]
His four largest contributors were:
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| California Teachers Association | $15,600 |
| Operating Engineers Local 3 | $11,700 |
| Service Employees Local 1021 | $7,800 |
| District Council Of Ironworkers | $7,800 |
2008
Below are Ammiano's top 5 campaign contributors in the 2008 election:[16]
| Contributor | 2008 total |
|---|---|
| California Nurses Association | $14,400 |
| California State Council of Service Employees | $14,400 |
| California Teachers Association | $14,400 |
| Operating Engineers Local 3 | $14,400 |
| CA State Pipe Trades Council | $10,800 |
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a google news search for the term Tom + Ammiano + California + Legislature
- All stories may not be relevant to this legislator due to the nature of the search engine.
"You lie!" incident
In October 2009, Arnold Schwarzenegger attended a Democratic County Central Committee fundraiser in San Francisco. Ammiano said he thought that the appearance by the Republican Governor of California was a "cheap publicity stunt." When Schwarzenegger was introduced, Ammiano shouted "You lie!" and walked out of the gathering, saying that Schwarzenegger could "kiss my gay ass."[17]
Personal
Ammiano, who is single, has one child, Annie Jupiter Jones.
He was raised Catholic in a working class neighborhood in New Jersey. His father was a taxi driver.[3]
External links
- Tom Ammiano's personal website
- Official state assembly website of Tom Ammiano
- Legislative profile of Tom Ammiano on Project Vote Smart
- Biographical profile of Tom Ammiano on Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions: 2010, 2008
References
- ↑ Dear Harvey, "Character Research: Tom Ammiano"
- ↑ Project Vote Smart - Rep. Ammiano
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Out History, "Out and Elected in the USA"
- ↑ Project Vote Smart - Rep. Ammiano Issue Positions
- ↑ Capitol Weekly, "Capitol Weekly's Legislative Scorecard", December 17, 2009
- ↑ Fox and Hounds Daily, "Random Thoughts on the Political Scene", December 18, 2009
- ↑ Capitol Weekly", Downloadable 2009 Capitol Weekly State Legislative Scorecard
- ↑ Huffington Post, "California Stations Reject Ad Calling For Pot Legalization", July 8, 2009
- ↑ New York Times, "Committee Approves Calif. Pot Legalization Bill", January 12, 2010
- ↑ San Francisco Chronicle, "Three questions for Tom Ammiano", March 2009
- ↑ California Secretary of State, 2012 official candidate list
- ↑ Sacramento Bee, California Assembly General election results
- ↑ California State Assembly election results
- ↑ Campaign funds
- ↑ 2010 contributions
- ↑ Follow the Money - 2008 Campaign contributions
- ↑ SF List, "Gov. Schwarzenegger to Tom Ammiano & SF: F*ck You", October 27, 2009
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - | California State Assembly District 13 2008–present | Succeeded by NA |
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