Loretta Sanchez

Loretta Sánchez, a Democrat, has represented the 47th Congressional District of California in the United States House of Representatives since 1997.

Official Conduct Investigation
Currently Sanchez is under investigation by the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. The Committee is reviewing whether Sanchez broke House rules when three of her aides were put on the payroll of Congresswoman Linda Sánchez, who also happens to be her sister, in late 2006. This occurred after an embezzlement scandal left Loretta Sanchez's office short on funds.

In the first quarter of 2009, Sanchez reported $6,000 in legal fees, while Rep. Linda Sánchez did not report any legal fees. Loretta Sanchez's attorney, Stan Brand, confirmed on May 18, 2009 that the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct was investigating her behavior.

Iraq War
Sanchez voted against the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 that started the Iraq War.

Environmental record
For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Biography
Sanchez was born January 7, 1960 in Lynwood, California and graduated from Katella High School in Anaheim in 1978. She received her undergraduate degree from Chapman University in Orange, California in 1982, obtained her Master of Business Administration from American University in Washington, DC in 1984, and was a financial analyst until entering the House.

In 1994 she unsuccessfully ran for the Anaheim City Council under her then married name, Loretta Brixey. At the time, she was a registered Republican. After forays into politics as a liberal Republican, she changed parties, changed her image to one as a moderate Democrat, and dropped her married name in favor of her maiden name Sanchez. Her first election to the House, in what was then the 46th District in 1996, was bitterly fought. The controversial longtime Republican incumbent, Bob Dornan, was targeted as out of touch with his constituency, especially after a distracting run for the 1996 Republican Presidential nomination. The 46th had always had a Democratic tilt, but became even more Democratic after the 1990 census when it received a considerably larger number of Hispanics than had previously been in the district. She won by only 984 votes on the strength of support from Hispanics and blue-collar workers. She became the first Latina to represent an Orange County-based district. Dornan contested the election, alleging that some voters who were registered were not U.S. citizens, but the results were upheld. Sanchez badly defeated Dornan in a 1998 rematch and has not faced serious opposition since. Her district was renumbered the 47th District after the 2000 census.

In November 2002, Loretta's younger sister, Linda Sanchez, was elected for the new 39th District. They are the first pair of sisters to serve simultaneously in the United States Congress.

Loretta Sanchez in popular culture
Loretta Sanchez was mentioned by name in the song "Ni de aquí, ni de allá" by Jae-P in a verse signifying the rise of Latinos in society: "...el Latino hoy en día no es un simple lavaplatos Hey, Loretta Sanchez quién te limpia tus zapatos..." In English this translates as: "...the Latino nowadays is not a dishwasher. Hey, Loretta Sanchez who cleans your shoes for you...."

The Hispanic Caucus Controversy (see below) was parodied on the Colbert Report on February 7 2007. On February 8 2007, the phrase "Loretta Sanchez is a whore?" appeared on screen during "The Wørd" segment of the Colbert Report, eliciting laughs from the audience.

Loretta Sanchez appeared as herself in the September 10, 2007 episode of The Closer entitled "Til Death Do Us Part, Part II". Within the fictional narrative of the show, she was briefly seen on the program Larry King Live being interviewed about a criminal legal case.

2003 Gubernatorial recall election
During California's Gubernatorial recall campaign, Sanchez was one of the first Democrats to break from Governor Gray Davis and state that a Democrat should run to succeed Davis in case the recall measure passed. Though she recommended that the Democratic candidate be California’s Senior Senator Dianne Feinstein, Sanchez stated that if no other serious Democratic contender stepped forward, she would be willing to run herself. Many California Democrats ultimately adopted Sanchez’s position, paving the way for Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante to enter the race.

2006 elections
In 2006, the Republicans nominated Tan D. Nguyen to face Sanchez in her November 2006 bid for reelection. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006) Sanchez retained her seat.

Money in politics
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Committees in the 110th Congress (2007-2008)

 * House Committee on Armed Services
 * Subcommitee on Military Personnel
 * Subcommitee on Oversight and Investigations
 * Subcommitee on Readiness
 * House Committee on Homeland Security
 * Subcommittee on Border, Maritime, and Global Counterterroris
 * Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, Preparedness, and Response

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

 * House Committee on Armed Services
 * House Defense Review Threat Panel
 * Subcommittee on Personnel
 * Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
 * House Committee on Homeland Security
 * Subcommittee on Economic Security Infrastructure Protection and Cybersecurity - Ranking Minority Member
 * Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness Science and Technology
 * Subcommittee on Intelligence Information Sharing and Terrorism Risk Assessment
 * Joint Economic Committee

Coalitions and Caucuses

 * Blue Dog Democrats
 * Congressional Human Rights Caucus
 * Congressional Sportsman's Caucus
 * Hispanic Caucus
 * Law Enforcement Caucus
 * New Democratic Coalition
 * Older Americans Caucus
 * Women's Congressional Caucus

Boards and other Affiliations

 * Trustee, Chapman University, 2002-present
 * Board Member, Providence Speech and Hearing, 1995-present
 * Member, AAUW Anaheim, 1995-present
 * Anaheim Assistance League
 * Anaheim Rotary Club
 * Los Amigos of Orange County
 * Former President, The National Society of Hispanic MBAs
 * Pepperdine University Hispanic Advisory Council
 * Treasurer and Board Member, Providence Speech of Hearing Center
 * Former Member, United Food and Commercial Workers

Resources

 * Official website
 * Campaign website
 * Open Secrets - 2006 congressional races database

Articles

 * Peter Prengaman, "Calif. candidate denies sending letter," Associated Press (Mercury News), October 19, 2006. re GOP challenger Tan D. Nguyen
 * News Release: "U.S. Immigration Reform PAC Supports Nguyen and California Flier," U.S. Newswire, October 19, 2006.
 * "GOP urges GOP candidate to quit race," UPI, October 19, 2006.
 * Christian Berthelsen, Jennifer Delson and Christine Hanley, "Candidate reportedly bought voter list for controversial letter. Tan Nguyen, seeking an O.C. congressional seat, denies using the list for that purpose," Los Angeles Times, October 24, 2006.

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * Tiger Beat: Music, Culture, and Politics