Fabian Núñez: Difference between revisions

Fabian Núñez
66th Speaker of the California State Assembly
In office February 9, 2004 – May 13, 2008
Preceded by	Herb Wesson
Succeeded by	Karen Bass
Member of the California State Assembly from the 46th district
In office December 2, 2002 – November 30, 2008
Preceded by	Gil Cedillo
Succeeded by	John Pérez
Personal details
Born	(1966-12-27) December 27, 1966 San Diego, California
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Maria Robles
Profession	Politician

Fabian Núñez (Fabián Núñez, Fabian Nuñez and less commonly Fabian Nunez) (born December 27, 1966, San Diego, California, United States) has been a labor union adviser and a Democratic politician. He served three two year terms as a member of the State Assembly, leaving office late in 2008. During his last two terms, Nunez was the Assembly Speaker, the 66th person to hold that position.

Career

Prior to elective office

From 1996 to 2000, Fabian Núñez served as the Political Director for the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and, between 2000–2002, was the Government Affairs Director for the Los Angeles Unified School District.

As an elected official

Núñez was elected to the California State Assembly to represent the 46^th district in 2002. Later, on February 9, 2004 he was selected as the Speaker of the California Assembly.

New laws sponsored by Núñez included prescription drug price reductions, a one dollar increase in the minimum wage, a package of measures alleviate global warming (cosponsored with Assembly member Fran Pavley), reform of the management structure of the Los Angeles Unified School District (at the behest of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa), and measures to promote competition among cable television providers (cosponsored by Assembly member Lloyd E. Levine).

Due to term limits, Núñez had to retire from the Assembly after 2008. Starting in fall 2007, he actively campaigned in support of a statewide proposition to amend the term limits law, including being made eligible to serve an additional six years as speaker. This ballot measure, (California Proposition 93 (2008)), was widely seen as a power grab on the part of Núñez and Senate Majority Leader Don Perata. In the election of February 5, 2008 the voters of California rejected Proposition 93. He was succeeded by Karen Bass.

Controversial decision canceling 4th of July ceremony

While serving as Speaker in 2004, Núñez made the controversial decision to not allow a 4th of July ceremony featuring a talk by retired Rear Admiral and former US Senator Jeremiah Denton to take place on the floor of the California State Assembly. In 1966, Denton, a Vietnam War POW, was interviewed during his confinement and blinked in Morse code to spell out the word "torture." Following his retirement from the Navy, Denton accepted a position with the Christian Broadcasting Network as consultant to his friend, CBN founder Pat Robertson, a position Denton held until 1980. Assemblyman Jay LaSuer had invited Admiral Denton to speak, but Nunez claimed that there wasn't time for to celebrate America's Independence Day on the floor on the Assembly. However, time was made to hold a ceremony honoring a retiring Los Angeles Times reporter on the day of the planned 4 July ceremony. While Cinco de Mayo, St. Patrick's Day and Chinese New Year's had been celebrated on the State Assembly floor for several years in a row, the 4th of July had not been.

Goodwill mission to Mexico

In August 2005, Núñez traveled to Mexico to meet with the president of Mexico, Vicente Fox, other high level government officials, and business leaders. The declared purpose of his journey was to strengthen ties between Mexico and California that he claimed had deteriorated under California's governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. At the invitation of Nunez, president Fox eventually traveled to Sacramento and addressed a special joint session of the California State Legislature.

Allegations of funding improprieties

On October 10, 2007, the Los Angeles Times reported that Núñez had allegedly spent tens of thousands of dollars of campaign money for personal expenses, such as $1800 for a meal at a Parisian restaurant and $5000 for wine from Bordeaux.The Sacramento Bee has alleged that Núñez played the race card when questioned about his use of campaign funds by saying, "Everyone's done it like this", and "The difference is there are some in politics who want to judge me in a certain manner. Because of the fact I am Mexican, they think I have to sleep under a cactus and eat from taco stands."

Some have criticized Núñez for sponsoring major legislation because as Speaker, they believe he should allow other Democratic members to write the legislation and get the credit. Others have criticized Núñez for campaigning on behalf of measures in joint appearances with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger because Núñez was a Campaign Co-Chair for Democratic gubernatorial challenger State Treasurer Phil Angelides. In the past, Núñez has campaigned with the Governor on behalf of the Governor's Strategic Growth Plan (infrastructure bonds) but has recently ended public appearances, along with Democratic State Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, possibly to appease his critics. However, on October 27, 2006 Núñez attended a rally on the campus of the University of Southern California for Phil Angelides' campaign for governor on November 7, 2006.

Personal life

Núñez is the tenth of twelve children. He was born in San Diego, California to Mexican parents, but the family lived in Tijuana, Mexico (across the international border from San Diego) until Fabian was 8 years old. He spent the rest of his youth in Logan Heights, a San Diego neighborhood. His parents eventually became United States citizens.

At the age of 31, Núñez earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in both political science and education from Pitzer College in Claremont, California.

Núñez and Maria Robles divorced in 1995 and remarried in 2005. At the second wedding, Núñez's best man was Antonio Villaraigosa, a former California Assembly Speaker and since 2005 the Mayor of Los Angeles. He has a god-daughter who lives in Upland, Ca and goes to Upland High School.

Núñez's son, Esteban was convicted of second-degree manslaughter pursuant to a guilty plea in connection with the fatal stabbing of 22-year-old college student Luis Santos during a drunken brawl on San Diego State University campus in October 2008, after being refused entrance to a fraternity party. Three other men were also beaten and stabbed in the incident but survived. Esteban and his three alleged accomplices initially entered not guilty pleas; Esteban and his friend Ryan Jett pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, and the other two accomplices pleaded to lesser charges, after jury selection started in early May 2010. He was sentenced on June 25, 2010 to 16 years in prison for the death of Santos. He was also sentenced under two additional felony counts. On January 2, 2011, outgoing Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger commuted the sentence of Esteban Núñez, reducing it from 16 years to seven years, stating that he felt the 16-year sentence was "excessive" given that Esteban was not "the actual killer" and Santos' fatal wound was supposedly inflicted not by Núñez himself but by his accomplice Ryan Jett The family of the victim was outraged. Bonnie Dumanis, the San Diego district attorney who prosecuted Esteban Nunez, stated that Schwarzenegger's decision "greatly diminishes justice." San Diego City Attorney Jan Goldsmith stated that Schwarzenegger reduced the sentence to "help his political crony's son". In April 2011, Schwarzenenegger responded to the controversy stating, "Well hellooooo. I mean, of course you help a friend."

Núñez currently lives in Arden Arcade, a suburb of Sacramento with his wife Maria and their children. Núñez also co-rented a penthouse apartment in downtown Los Angeles with Dan Weitzman, a decade-long friend, and a prominent donor to his campaigns.

2010 elections

Núñez filed paperwork to run for the California Senate in 2010 but withdrew. Incumbent Democrat Gil Cedillo is term-limited.

2014 election

Núñez has created a campaign finance committee and announced that he will run for California State Treasurer in 2014, when incumbent Bill Lockyer is termed out.

Newspaper profiles

• Sacramento Bee, "On the rise," February 7, 2004
• Los Angeles Times, "Nuñez travels the world like a high-roller," October 5, 2007
• How Núñez rose to power so fast Champion of Prop. 93, in Assembly only 5 years, had modest beginnings

External links

• Official California State Assembly profile
• Political History at Join California
• Interview with the Harvard Journal of Hispanic Policy