Misplaced Pages

#445554

55-549: LACYD has more than 1,000 members and supporters. To be an active member, one must be a registered Democrat from 18 to 35 years of age. LACYD was founded in 1973 by Congressman Henry Waxman , Congressman Howard Berman , former Los Angeles City Controller Rick Tuttle , and others. Notable former LACYD Executive board members include: LACYD has been active in elections at the local, state, and national level since its founding. Members work for endorsed candidates, and representatives speak to other organizations and media outlets about

110-799: A U.S. representative from California from 1983 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party , he represented the state's 26th congressional district until redistricting and the 28th congressional district —which both encompassed parts of the San Fernando Valley —for a combined 15 terms. Berman was born in Los Angeles , to Jewish parents, the son of Eleanor (née Schapiro) and Joseph Berman. His maternal grandparents immigrated from Russia . He graduated from Alexander Hamilton High School in 1959 and earned his B.A. in international relations in 1962 and his LL.B. in 1965 at

165-739: A bachelor's degree in political science in 1961 and a J.D. degree from UCLA School of Law in 1964. After graduating, he worked as a lawyer. He was elected to the California State Assembly in 1968, and served three terms. Along with U.S. Representative Howard Berman , whom he studied with at UCLA, Waxman co-founded the Los Angeles County Young Democrats . In 1974, Democratic U.S. Representative Chet Holifield retired after 16 terms in Congress. Waxman gave up his state assembly seat to run for

220-660: A D.C.-based lobbying firm, Regent Lecturer for University of California, Los Angeles, and lecturer at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health . Waxman was born to a Jewish household in Los Angeles, California, the son of Esther (née Silverman) and Ralph Louis Waxman. His father was born in Montreal, Canada; his mother was from Pennsylvania. All of his grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Russia. He attended college at UCLA , earning

275-696: A Democratic position." Waxman supported fellow representative Jane Harman during her primary challenge from Marcy Winograd when Winograd said she would support a one-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, instead of the two-state resolution endorsed by Waxman and Harman. Saying it suffers from "a culture of corruption" and "has become obsessed with secrecy," he accused the American government of having abandoned these values. "(The) Republican leadership ignores presidential rules and norms and has no consideration for custom," he said. Waxman

330-675: A bill to the U.S. House that would lift the ban on federal money for subway tunneling in the district. This bill passed the House via unanimous vote on September 20, 2006. Waxman, as the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, oversaw the case of Solyndra , a solar company that filed for bankruptcy after receiving a $ 535 million loan guarantee from the DOE. Waxman recounted meeting with Solyndra's CEO two months before they filed for bankruptcy, who assured him that "Solyndra’s future

385-467: A government watchdog group, presented Waxman with its Good Government Award for his various contributions to government transparency and oversight. On the day after the 2006 elections, Waxman directed his aides to draw up an "oversight plan" for the panel. He had already let it be known that he wanted to investigate Halliburton , as well as its alleged malfeasance related to government contracts in Iraq . It

440-668: A key and under-appreciated role in securing passage of a resolution that gave President George W. Bush broad authority to use force". The National Journal reports that Berman, "played a critical role in winning passage, by a wide margin, of the Iraq War resolution in October 2002. He strongly supported military action against Iraq, and in September, he organized a group of Democrats who shared his views. Berman's discussions led to House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt's agreement with

495-405: A minimum wage adjusted annually for inflation, would have been relaxed. In 2005, Berman was part of the bi-partisan group in Congress that fought for immigration reform efforts. That path to citizenship was also supported by President George W. Bush and Senator John McCain . OpenSecrets named 151 members of Congress who had investments (as of year end 2006) in companies that do business with

550-470: Is an American politician and lobbyist who was a U.S. representative from California from 1975 to 2015. He is a member of the Democratic Party . His district included much of the western part of the city of Los Angeles, as well as West Hollywood , Santa Monica , and Beverly Hills , and was numbered the 24th district from 1975 to 1993, the 29th district from 1993 to 2003, and the 30th district from 2003 to 2013, changing because of redistricting after

605-577: Is very likely that he could also investigate the numerous scandals surrounding Jack Abramoff . This led to concerns among Democratic aides that the Government Reform Committee under Waxman would stage a repeat of the committee's performance under the Clinton administration , when it issued over 1,000 subpoenas. However, Waxman told Newsweek that he is interested in accountability and not retaliation. In 2009, he began serving as

SECTION 10

#1732802013446

660-512: The Los Angeles Times , Waxman cites the 2005 study: "The panel concurred as well that in 1985, the decision to hold further tunneling in abeyance was prudent, given the circumstances and extent of information and technology at that time. Much has changed since then to significantly improve tunneling and operation safety." In 2005, a robust real estate market, multi-dwelling construction boom, and lack of public mass transit planning on

715-927: The 1990 , 2000 , and 2010 censuses. Waxman was an influential liberal member of Congress , and was instrumental in passing laws including the Infant Formula Act of 1980 , the Orphan Drug Act of 1983 , the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984, the Clean Air Act of 1990, the Ryan White CARE Act of 1990, the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996, the State Children's Health Insurance Program of 1997,

770-591: The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee , the principal investigative committee of the House. He was the committee's ranking Democrat from 1997 to 2007. In 1998, while he was still ranking member, he created a "Special Investigations Division" to investigate matters that he felt the full committee had neglected. This was possible because the committee has broad powers to investigate any matter with federal policy implications, even if another committee has jurisdiction over it. He has also harshly criticized

825-658: The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and various trade agreements with specific countries -, he voted against the more recent Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). He opposes withdrawing U.S. support for the World Trade Organization . In that same year, he also voted to phase out many farm subsidy programs put into place by the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt as part of

880-679: The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009, and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. In 1985, he played an instrumental role in banning federal funding for the Red Line subway in Los Angeles so that it would not go into his affluent Westside district. He is currently chairman at Waxman Strategies,

935-527: The Red Line subway after a methane gas explosion in the Fairfax District . Prior to that, Waxman had privately expressed concerns about "gentrification" of his affluent district. Waxman maintains that the 1985 bill was sponsored in the interest of public safety and not, as some allege, to hinder access of the working classes in South and East Los Angeles to his affluent district. In a letter to

990-516: The United States Department of Defense , suggesting that such holdings conflict with their responsibility for U.S. security policy. The most important such companies, ranked by estimated total value of members' holdings, were Procter & Gamble , General Electric , Pepsi , ExxonMobil , Berkshire Hathaway , IBM , Microsoft , Johnson & Johnson , H. J. Heinz Company , and Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company . OpenSecrets identified

1045-958: The United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs , "Even before I was a Democrat, I was a Zionist ." He has sponsored the Anti-Boycott Act in the House, which prohibits American individuals and organizations from actively boycotting Israeli goods. In 2003, Berman expressed his concerns over the Patriot Act with then- United States Attorney General John Ashcroft , specifically on the method to hold illegal immigrants until they prove they are not terrorists. In 2000, Berman, along with then-Senator Gordon Smith of Oregon , proposed an amnesty, which would have granted legal status to hundreds of thousands of undocumented farm laborers. In exchange, requirements that growers provide housing to guest workers, and pay them

1100-549: The University of California, Los Angeles where he befriended future congressman Henry Waxman . Blanche Bettington, his high school civics teacher, inspired him to enter politics and government. He was a VISTA volunteer (1966–1967) in Baltimore and San Francisco , and was an associate at a Los Angeles law firm , Levy, Van Bourg & Hackler (1967–72) specializing in labor relations . Berman won election to

1155-765: The constitution to require a balanced budget , against banning the desecration of the American flag , against the Defense of Marriage Act , and against restrictions on abortion . However, Berman concurs with many on the right on a number of issues, particularly foreign policy and trade . Berman voted in support of the invasion of Iraq in both 1991 and 2003 , as well as for the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 , positions that have hurt his standing among many liberals in his district. While he generally supports free trade - for instance, voting in favor of

SECTION 20

#1732802013446

1210-663: The " New Deal ". In Congress, Berman led the investigation into the conduct of House members in the Mark Foley page scandal . In May 2012, Berman co-sponsored a bill with Republican Congressman David Dreier of California to reinstate tax credits given to films produced mainly in the United States. The credits were active from 2008 until 2011, and were aimed at keeping films in Hollywood . Berman stressed that we "must make every effort to keep American productions here in

1265-461: The 2002 campaign, Berman & D'Agostino was paid $ 75,000 in political consulting fees. In 2005, $ 50,000 in consulting fees were paid to the company, and Michael Berman himself was paid a further $ 80,500 in campaign management and consulting fees. In 2006, $ 70,000 was paid in consulting fees. Following redistricting, Berman decided to run in the newly redrawn California's 30th congressional district , facing fellow Democrat Brad Sherman . Sherman had

1320-666: The 24th (1975–1993) to the 29th (1993–2003) to the 30th (2003–2013) to the 33rd (2013-2015). At the time of his retirement, he was one of the last two members, along with George Miller of California, of the large Democratic freshman class of 1975. From 2003 to 2013, Waxman's district included Santa Monica , Beverly Hills , Agoura Hills , Calabasas , Hidden Hills , Malibu , West Hollywood , and Westlake Village , as well as such areas of western Los Angeles as West Los Angeles , Fairfax , Pacific Palisades , Brentwood , Beverlywood , Topanga , Chatsworth , Palms , Westwood , West Hills , Westside Village , Woodland Hills , but through

1375-814: The Assembly Democratic Caucus and on the Policy Research Management Committee of the Assembly. After redistricting made the 26th district significantly more Democratic, incumbent Republican Congressman John Harbin Rousselot decided to run in California's 30th congressional district in 1982. Berman won the Democratic primary for the open seat with 83% of the vote, and the general election with 60% of

1430-649: The Assembly in 1972 from a district in the Hollywood Hills , unseating the incumbent Republican speaker pro tempore. His brother Michael, campaign manager in Henry Waxman 's 1968 Assembly race, again ran a targeted mail operation. In 1974, Berman and Waxman both opposed Willie Brown 's unsuccessful revolt against Speaker of the California State Assembly Leo McCarthy , who rewarded Berman's loyalty by appointing him

1485-537: The Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee , after defeating Chairman John Dingell in a 137–122 secret vote of House Democrats on November 20, 2008. Senator Alan Simpson of Wyoming once described Waxman as being 'tougher than a boiled owl.' Waxman is proud of his "strong Jewish identity" and has drawn political conclusions from his exploration of the religion. "Judaism is about acting and doing

1540-593: The Democrats lost control of the House of Representatives in 1995, Waxman was a powerful figure in the House as chair of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health and the Environment from 1979. In this role, he conducted investigations into a range of health and environmental issues, including universal health insurance, Medicare and Medicaid coverage, AIDS, and air and water pollution. In 1994, Waxman forced

1595-733: The House Ethics Committee and their staffs had taken many privately sponsored trips, about 400 trips from 2000 to mid-2005, at a total expense nearly $ 1 million. Of these, Democrats took about 80% of the trips at about 70% of the cost. Berman and his staff were at the top of the chart, with trips costing more than $ 245,000. Berman himself had taken 14 trips at the Aspen Institute 's expense, including two to China with Mrs. Berman. Aspen replied that its events for members were like graduate seminars, and did not push any policy agenda. "Gene Smith, Berman's chief of staff, said that

1650-460: The House and California State Senate hired Michael Berman, Howard Berman's brother, as a redistricting consultant, for a fee of $ 20,000 each. When the August 2001 plan was unveiled, Congressman Brad Sherman , a fellow Democrat from California, complained that it undermined the safety of his seat with too many Hispanic voters, saying, "Howard Berman stabbed me in the back." Berman agreed to redraw

1705-648: The Republicans for ignoring their "constitutional responsibility" to conduct oversight over the government. On March 16, 2004, at Waxman's request, the Committee on Government Reform Minority Office published "Iraq on the Record, the Bush Administration's Public Statements on Iraq", a detailed and searchable collection of 237 specific misleading statements made by Bush Administration officials about

Los Angeles County Young Democrats - Misplaced Pages Continue

1760-553: The United States". Berman is known for his protection of copyright interests, and his alliances with the entertainment industry; he was sometimes referred to as the "representative from Hollywood ". The major industry contributing to his election campaigns has been the entertainment industry. He proposed legislation under which copyright holders would be able to employ technological tools such as file blocking, redirection , spoofs , and decoys—among others—to curb piracy (Peer to Peer Piracy Prevention Act). He has been named as one of

1815-448: The United States, specifically through updates to programs and policies including food safety, clean air, HIV research, and the social safety net. In Waxman's honor, Maher introduced a segment titled "The Baldy Awards", to recognize the achievements of Waxman and other "work horse" politicians. Articles Howard Berman Howard Lawrence Berman (born April 15, 1941) is an American attorney and retired politician who served as

1870-567: The administration on the terms of the resolution—talks that undercut the demands of other senior Democrats, including then House Democratic Whip Nancy Pelosi and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joe Biden . In June 2006, Berman voted for the Republican resolution to reject a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq." Berman is also a supporter of Israel , telling the Jewish newspaper, The Forward , after being appointed Chairman of

1925-895: The advantage because he previously represented over half of the district. About 60% of voters of the new 30th district resided in Sherman's former district, while just 20% of voters resided in Berman's. The race, unprecedented in pitting two very similar candidates of the same party against each other in the general election, was called a "slugfest". Berman received the endorsements from about two-thirds of California's Democratic congressional delegation. Among Sherman's endorsements were then- Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom of California, then- State Controller John Chiang of California, former President Bill Clinton , and Congressman John Conyers of Michigan. On June 5, 2012, Sherman ranked first in

1980-423: The availability and cost of prescription drugs, and the right of communities to know about pollution levels. As an example of Waxman's thoughts regarding tobacco, on April 13, 2010, he requested that Major League Baseball ban smokeless tobacco in all its various forms - snuff , dipping tobacco , chewing tobacco , snus , etc. With the Democrats' victory in the 2006 midterm elections , Waxman became chairman of

2035-531: The boundary between their districts, giving himself 56% and Sherman 37% Latino population. The redistricting plan survived a court challenge from the MALDEF , which argued that the redistricting diluted Hispanic representation. The Republicans suffered some slippage; they had only 19 members in the delegation to the 110th Congress . From 2001 to 2006, Berman paid his brother Michael Berman's consulting firm Berman & D'Agostino $ 195,000 from campaign funds. In

2090-547: The bulk of the congressman's foreign travel can be attributed to his being a senior member on the House Committee on International Relations." Five private groups ( Campaign Legal Center , Democracy 21 , the League of Women Voters , Public Citizen and U.S. PIRG ) jointly sent a letter to the ethics committee urging it to ban or restrict such travel. Berman joined Washington, D.C. law firm Covington & Burling as

2145-628: The candidates and issues LACYD has endorsed. The group also organizes candidate forums and debates and takes positions on public issues. Candidates have been known to go to great lengths to seek the group's endorsement, and cite the group's endorsement as a reason to vote for them. On February 28, 2011, then LACYD President David Graham-Caso was quoted in the Los Angeles Daily News , advocating for Los Angeles Measure L, an initiative to restore funding to libraries. Henry Waxman Henry Arnold Waxman (born September 12, 1939)

2200-406: The chief executives of the seven major tobacco companies to swear under oath that nicotine was not addictive. Waxman's stated legislative priorities are health and environmental issues. These include universal health insurance, Medicare and Medicaid coverage, tobacco, AIDS, air and water quality standards, pesticides, nursing home quality standards, women's health research and reproductive rights,

2255-663: The creation of a new 33rd Congressional District by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission, in the November 2012 general election, Waxman won re-election in an area including his home community of Beverly Hills and stretching to Malibu and Pacific-coastal communities heading south, including Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, the Palos Verdes Peninsula, and Northwest San Pedro. Before

Los Angeles County Young Democrats - Misplaced Pages Continue

2310-466: The district, which had been re-numbered from the 19th to the 24th in a mid-decade redistricting. Waxman won the Democratic nomination for the district, and easily won the general election, as this was tantamount to election in this heavily Democratic district. He was re-elected 17 times, with no substantive opposition. He faced no major-party opposition in 1986, and was completely unopposed in 2008. His district changed numbers four times in his tenure — from

2365-648: The most creative members of the House, and one of the most clear-sighted operators in American politics". He has been an active legislator on several issues, but has also been described as "not one who gets much publicity". Berman was the House sponsor of the 1986 False Claims Act that authorized civil litigation by whistleblowers . It led to recoveries for the United States Government exceeding $ 1 billion dollars. Berman has championed protecting American film industry jobs from outsourcing (" runaway production "). He has also voted against amending

2420-857: The primary politicians involved in the creation of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). In a September 2008 hearing of the House Intellectual Property Subcommittee, Berman criticized the National Institutes of Health 's policy requiring NIH-sponsored research to be submitted to a database open to the public by saying that "the N in NIH shouldn't stand for Napster ." According to LA Weekly , "Berman played

2475-661: The right thing, not simply believing in it or mindlessly following ritual," he said in a speech presented by the University of Southern California 's Casden Institute for the Study of the Jewish Role in American Life. Waxman said he applies Jewish ethical values to his congressional service. He further said that the "Jewish values" of "human rights, social justice, and equal opportunities ... are synonymous with American values," and that such values "are in my opinion closer to

2530-501: The seven-candidate open primary, with 42% of the vote. Berman ranked second, with 26% of the vote. The state's top-two primary system, implemented in 2010, allows for two candidates of the same party to face-off in the general election. Berman ran as the more conservative Democrat, hoping to divide the Democratic vote and dominate in the independent and conservative vote. However, in the November general election, Sherman defeated Berman, 60.3%–39.7% . Berman has been described as "one of

2585-456: The subject of an ethics complaint. Berman had been its senior Democrat 1997–2003, and on 2006-10-05, Minority leader Nancy Pelosi re-appointed him to replace Mollohan . Berman served on the subcommittee investigating the House's page program in the wake of the Mark Foley scandal . "This is an honor I could have done without." Center for Public Integrity reported in 2006 that members of

2640-470: The threat posed by Iraq. It contains statements that were misleading based on what was known to the Administration at the time the statements were made. It does not include statements that appear mistaken only in hindsight. If a statement was an accurate reflection of U.S. intelligence at the time it was made, it was excluded even if it now appears erroneous. In 2006, Project On Government Oversight,

2695-479: The top ten members of Congress, and the report named no other members among the 151, save committee chairmen Senator Joseph Lieberman and Representative Berman. None of the firms listed above ranked among the top ten DOD contractors in 2008, nor in the top twenty for 2009. Alan Mollohan , ranking member of the House Ethics Committee , resigned from the committee after he himself became

2750-431: The vote. Berman was reelected 14 times, never dropping below 61% of the vote, from 1984 through 2010. The 2000 census allocated California one new House seat, 53 in all. Berman, "dad of the delegation" on redistricting, made a deal with Republicans Tom Davis and David Dreier to keep 34 safe seats for Democrats, add one new Republican district, and protect nineteen incumbent Republicans. Many California Democrats in

2805-515: The westside caused by Waxman's bill resulted in gridlock throughout Waxman's district. At the request of Los Angeles Mayor and LA Metro Board President Antonio Villaraigosa , Waxman agreed to lift the ban if a panel of five engineers found tunneling under the Miracle Mile stretch of Wilshire Boulevard to be safe. In October 2005, the panel decided that tunneling was possible, and on December 16, Waxman responded by announcing he would introduce

SECTION 50

#1732802013446

2860-484: The youngest majority leader in Assembly history. McCarthy fired Berman when Berman tried to replace him in 1980. Although McCarthy failed to retain the speakership, Berman failed to win it and Brown became speaker. Other members remarked on what a tough politician he was; the Bermans helped arrange a primary defeat for at least one colleague ( Jack R. Fenton ) who had opposed his bid. He also served as Chairman of

2915-469: Was bright with sales and production booming." Waxman was accused of being involved with the Solyndra loan by Darrell Issa . Waxman responded, saying he had no involvement in the selection of the loan. Once hailed in the media as a "lobbyist's worst nightmare," Waxman became a successful and influential lobbyist when he opened his own firm after retiring from Congress. In 1993, a news clip of Waxman

2970-490: Was strongly critical of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment , which places limits on taxpayer-funded abortions in the context of the November 2009 Affordable Health Care for America Act . Instead of this version, it was reported that many Democrats supported a version that would find "common ground." In 1985, Waxman sponsored a bill supported by affluent homeowners groups in his district to ban federal funding for

3025-428: Was used for the movie And The Band Played On , and in 2021, Waxman was praised by television host Bill Maher on his HBO Talk Show Series Real Time with Bill Maher . In discussing the concept of political "work horses", as compared to "show horses", Maher described Waxman's legislative achievements and emphasized that Waxman's tenacity and low public profile as a "work horse" allowed him to effect substantial change in

#445554