Darrell Issa

Darrell E. Issa, a Republican, has represented the 49th District of California in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2001. (map)

Iraq War
Issa voted for 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

Reparations for Japanese Latin Americans
Issa cosponsored The Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Latin Americans of Japanese Descent Act in the 110th Congress which would establish a commission that would determine the facts and circumstances involving the relocation, internment and deportation of Japanese Latin Americans.

2003 Gray Davis Recall
Issa came to national prominence when he contributed approximately $2 million towards the 2003 recall effort against California Governor Gray Davis. At the time he made the contributions, Issa intended to place himself on the ballot to replace Davis. Issa declined to run when he finished dead last in early polls. He eventually endorsed Arnold Scharzenegger, and "some believe he deliberately dragged out his decision to endorse Schwarzenegger, which he did less than two weeks before the election, to turn the spotlight back on himself." 

Issa later said, "I wanted a change in California, and I got it," Issa said. "I wanted a good governor I could believe in, and I got it... This is a mandate for change, and I'm proud to be a small part of it." 

Middle East policies
One of only five Arab-Americans in Congress, Issa has been descirbed as a "conservative Republican with a powerful sympathy for the Arab cause." While he voted in favor of authorizing the War on Terror in 2001, the 2002 authorization of the War in Iraq, and supported a resolution backing Israel in its 2006 fight with Hezbollah, Issa has also been critical of the Bush Administartion for missing opportunities to win friends in the Middle East. 

In December 2001, only 11 months after being sworn in as a Member of Congress, members of the radical Jewish Defense League (JDL) targeted one of Issa's offices for a bombing but were arrested by the FBI before they could carry out the attack. With several Jewish lawmakers standing alongside him, Issa, reacting to the news, said: “Perhaps in another country, we would be adversaries. We’re not going to be divided by ethnic backgrounds.” Rep. Tom Lantos, a Democrat and leader in the Jewish community, said he was “proud to stand shoulder to shoulder” with Issa “to condemn this outrageous act of domestic terrorism.”

Conservative blogger Debbie Schlussel, a vocal and persistent critic of Issa's Middle East diplomacy had, just months earlier, questioned whether Issa was a "useful idiot or traitor". Issa and his aides have said Schlussel's columns influenced the JDL members in thier decision to target the Congressman's office. Schlussel, however, rejected this assertion and also condemned the attempted attack by the JDL.

Biography
First elected to Congress in 2000, Darrell Issa currently serves on the House Government Reform Committee where he is Ranking Member of the Domestic Policy Subcommittee, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence where he serves as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Intelligence Community Management, and the House Judiciary Committee.

Before Congress, in 1982 Representative Issa and his wife Kathy founded Directed Electronics in Cleveland, Ohio, as a maker of vehicle security products. In 1986 Directed Electronics moved to Southern California where the business began to expand rapidly. Automobile theft was rising dramatically, especially in major metropolitan areas, and Directed’s commitment to research and development led to advances in integrated circuit-controlled security systems that propelled the company to the forefront of the field. The Viper and Python brands were introduced, and sales more than doubled between 1989 and 1990, leading to Directed’s inclusion in the Inc. 500 the following year. In 1994, Issa received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from Inc. Magazine, Ernst & Young, and The San Diego Union-Tribune. During the 1990s, Directed’s sales grew substantially, as the company won dozens of awards, developed the first PC-programmable security systems, achieved quarter-mile range from keychain remote controls, and entered the burgeoning car audio business. In the year 2000, Directed purchased the Clifford and Avital brands and became the unrivalled leader in consumer branded vehicle security and remote start, which continues to this day. At the end of 2000, Darrell and Kathy Issa sold controlling interest in the company to Trivest, Inc., a private equity firm based in Miami, Florida, and stepped down from day-to-day operation of the company. 

While Darrell Issa is perhaps best known as the leader of the successful effort to recall former California Governor Gray Davis in 2003, the self-made millionaire has also taken on the Interior Department, a U.S. attorney, and crossed a president of his own party. In 2007, an article in the San Diego Union-Tribune said Issa was well positioned to become a senior Republican voice for the San Diego delegation, an increasingly well-known authority on Middle East politics and a leading force behind the Justice Department's scrutiny of illegal-immigration prosecutions on the U.S.-Mexico border. 

Issa, born November 1, 1953, in Cleveland, Ohio, enlisted in the Army during his senior year in high school and attended college on an ROTC scholarship. In the Army, Issa served as a bomb disposal technician, tank platoon commander, computer R&D specialist, and attained the rank of Captain. He is a graduate of Siena Heights University in Adrian, Michigan and serves as a member of the University Board of Trustees. Darrell and Kathy Issa are longtime residents of Vista, California. They have one son, William. 

2006 elections
In 2006, the Democrats nominated Jeeni Criscenzo, and the Libertarian Party nominated Lars R. Grossmith to face Issa in his November 2006 bid for reelection. Independent Ken Grandlund also announced his candidacy. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006) Issa retained his seat.

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

 * House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
 * House Committee on the Judiciary
 * Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property
 * Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties
 * House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
 * Subcommittee on Domestic Policy -Ranking
 * Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Post Office, and the District of Columbia

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

 * House Committee on Government Reform
 * Subcommittee on Energy and Resources - Chair
 * Subcommittee on Federal Workforce and Agency Organization
 * House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
 * House Committee on International Relations
 * Subcommittee on Europe and Emerging Threats
 * Subcommittee on the Middle East and Central Asia
 * Subcommittee on International Terrorism and Nonproliferation
 * House Committee on the Judiciary
 * Subcommittee on Task Force on Antirust
 * Subcommittee on Courts the Internet and Intellectual Property
 * Subcommittee on Immigration Border Security and Claims

Affiliations

 * National Advisory Board, Arab American National Museum

More Background Data

 * 2006 California CD 49 Candidate List from VIS

Articles and resources

 * Official website
 * Campaign website
 * Directed Electronics
 * Open Secrets - 2006 congressional races database
 * Dan McSwain, "Issa struggles at center stage" North County Times, July 24, 2003.
 * Dana Wilkie, "Will recall pay off for Issa's political ambitions?" Copley News Service, October 8, 2003.

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * Calitics
 * Tiger Beat: Music, Culture, and Politics