Mike Gatto

Mike Gatto
Member of the California State Assembly from the 43rd district
Incumbent
Assumed office June 10, 2010
Preceded by	Paul Krekorian
Personal details
Born	(1974-10-19) October 19, 1974 Los Angeles, California
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Danielle Gatto
Residence(s)	Silver Lake, California
Alma mater	University of California, Los Angeles Loyola Marymount University
Website	Official Assembly Website

Michael Anthony "Mike" Gatto (born October 19, 1974) is an American politician. In June 2010, after a series of three elections in eight weeks, the voters of California's 43rd State Assembly district elected him to the California State Assembly.

Early life and career

Gatto was born in Los Feliz and graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a Bachelor's Degree in History in 1996. He served as District Director for Congressman Brad Sherman. While working for Sherman, he attended Loyola Law School at night, graduating magna cum laude in 2004. He was recruited out of law school by O’Melveny & Myers. Gatto also served in the administrations of three different mayors of Los Angeles and as President of the El Pueblo (Los Angeles Historical Monument Authority) Commission. In 2007, Gatto moved to Mayer Brown LLP; his practice focused on representing small- and medium-sized businesses resolve problems with the government.

As an attorney, Gatto's pro bono work earned him accolades from the Los Angeles Daily Journal, for helping victims of a mortgage-fraud ring.

In 2009, he began teaching English courses to night students.

Elections to the Assembly

The pre-2012 43rd Assembly District included all or part of Burbank, Glendale (including part of Montrose), La Crescenta, the Los Angeles communities of Atwater Village, Franklin Hills, Los Feliz and Silver Lake and the San Fernando Valley communities of North Hollywood, Toluca Lake, Valley Glen and Van Nuys.

In January 2010, after the incumbent assemblyman resigned his position, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger scheduled a special election for April 13, 2010. Gatto was the highest vote getter among four candidates (two Democrats and one Republican) in an open primary.

Next, Gatto faced the odd situation of having to contest both a primary election and a runoff election on the same day, June 8, 2010. He secured the endorsement of the Los Angeles Daily News, which wrote that Gatto was "fiscally minded and intelligent... the kind of legislator California needs." Gatto won both elections by wide margins and took the oath of office on June 10, 2010.

In November 2010, Gatto won election to a full term with 66% of the vote in a district that was only 47% Democratic.

In the November 2012 General Election, Gatto faced another elected school board member from the biggest city in his district, Glendale. The 43rd district had also recently been redrawn to be 25% new, and more conservative. Gatto won for the sixth time in two years. The margin of victory was 60.2 to 39.8%

Legislative career

n 2010, Gatto introduced legislation to reduce municipal pension costs. His bill sought to cap the exposure of conservatively managed cities when less frugal (or corrupt) municipalities offered top officials large salaries. Gatto was moved to introduce this legislation by the 2010 City of Bell salary controversy, where cities like Glendale had to underwrite approximately $411,000 in annual pension costs for Bell's former police chief.

In an October 2010 special session of the state assembly, Gatto authored ACA 4, an enhanced version of a Rainy Day Fund (or "savings account") for the State of California. The proposed constitutional amendment required the legislature, during years of strong revenues, to follow a strict program limiting expenditures. First, the state would have to fulfill all obligations to education. Then it would be required to deposit up to 10% of general fund revenues into a savings account, to be used during years where revenue weakened. After that, the state would be mandated to pay down bond debt, easing the burden on future years. Gatto's Rainy Day Fund legislation passed both houses of the legislature and was approved by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

For the 2011-2012 session, Gatto was named Assistant Speaker Pro Tempore of the California Assembly. In that role, he presided over meetings when the Speaker Pro Tempore could not. He also sat on five different committees, including Appropriations, Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism & Internet Media, Water, Parks & Wildlife, Government Organization and Banking & Finance.

Gatto's 2011 legislative program focused on good-government legislation and government reform. The hallmark of his legislative package are six bills designed to bring more transparency to election financing, to reduce "ballot-box budgeting", and to make it harder to amend the California Constitution.

In addition to several government and fiscal-reform measures, one of Gatto's bills in 2011 would have required the state to study embedding piezoelectric sensors in state highways, which produce electrical energy simply by the vibrations cars and trucks make as they traverse the pavement.

Gatto’s 2012 legislative program included bills: to keep utility rates low by allowing utilities to use biofuel; to crack down on lobbyists who improperly try to influence tax assessors; to make sporting events safer by preventing fan violence at stadiums; and measures to make it more difficult to write spending programs into the California Constitution.

Gatto authored the California Homemade Food Act, to allow small businesses to produce certain food products without falling afoul of county regulations meant for commercial restaurants and bakeries. Gatto was successful in getting his bill signed into law in September 2012. The Act was noted by KCRA as being beneficial to aspiring small businesspeople in the food-production sector.

In August 2012, Gatto was asked to Chair the Assembly Appropriations Committee. The House Speaker stated that Gatto is a “talented legislator” who can gather support from both parties. “It's a position that requires someone who is thoughtful, deliberative and has the respect of the members.”

Gatto's 2013 legislation has focused on protecting the public from unfair practices. He introduced legislation to forbid cities from writing tickets to motorists who park at malfunctioning parking meters that the city has failed to repair. He also authored legislation which would give businesses an opportunity to correct deficiencies in Proposition 65 warnings for common substances before being subject to financial penalties and lawsuits. Gatto also authored legislation to help catch and punish hit-and-run drivers, and to make better use of carpool lanes during off-peak hours.

Several editorials have lauded Gatto's 2013 legislation, with a clear populist theme emerging. The Press-Enterprise noted that Gatto's AB 227 "serves the public's interest" by "combating abusive lawsuits." Similarly, the Legislation was called a "hopeful sign[] for business[] under the Capitol Dome." Gatto's AB 405, numbered for the notoriously congested Interstate 405 (California), was praised as a "smart plan" that commuters should support. Gatto's AB 61 was praised for reversing a policy that was "unfair" and "mean" for drivers.

Voting Record Analyses

In 2010, Gatto was one of two legislators out of 120 in the California legislature who did not introduce any legislation sponsored by a special interest, a practice he has continued in 2011, 2012, and 2013. In 2011, Gatto had one of the best attendance records in the Legislature, as he was one of three legislators who missed less than 1% (or just 12) of votes in the 2009-2010 session.

In describing Gatto's legislative career, an editorial on NBC Los Angeles noted, "Few people in Sacramento care much about broader reform of California's governing process. . . Mike Gatto is an exception. . . He is virtually alone in offering proposals that are big enough to address the state's big structural problems." In 2013, Mike Gatto earned the Robert F. Kennedy Leadership Award from the San Fernando Valley Young Democrats.

Personal life

Gatto is married to Danielle Gatto, a former Miss Orange County and summa cum laude graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles. They reside in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles and have two young daughters.

External links

• Official website
• Campaign website
• SmartVoter.org Biography of Mike Gatto