Brian Sandoval

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Brian Sandoval
29th Governor of Nevada
Assumed office
January 3, 2011
LieutenantBrian Krolicki (2011–2015)
Mark Hutchison (since 2015)
Preceded byJim Gibbons
Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada
In office
October 26, 2005 – September 15, 2009
Nominated byGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byHoward McKibben
Succeeded byGloria Navarro
30th Attorney General of Nevada
In office
January 6, 2003 – October 26, 2005
GovernorKenny Guinn
Preceded byFrankie Sue Del Papa
Succeeded byGeorge Chanos
Chairman of the Gaming Commission of Nevada
In office
April 28, 1999 – August 1, 2001
Nominated byKenny Guinn
Preceded byBill Curran
Succeeded byPeter Bernhard
Member of the Gaming Commission of Nevada
In office
April 23, 1998 – August 1, 2001
Nominated byBob Miller
Preceded byDeborah Griffin
Succeeded byPeter Bernhard
Member of the Nevada Assembly
from the 25th district
In office
January 3, 1994 – April 23, 1998
Preceded byJim Gibbons
Succeeded byDawn Gibbons
Personal details
Born
Brian Edward Sandoval

(1963-08-05) August 5, 1963 (age 60)
Redding, California, U.S.
Political partyRepublican (1993–present)
SpouseKathleen Teipner (1990–present)
ChildrenJames
Madeline
Marisa
Residence(s)Reno, Nevada, U.S. (1998–present, personal)
Governor's Mansion (2011–present, while in office)
Alma materOhio State University
University of Nevada, Reno
ProfessionAttorney and politician
Signature
WebsiteOfficial website

Brian Edward Sandoval (/ˈsændəˌvɔːl/ born August 5, 1963) is the 29th and current Governor of the U.S. state of Nevada[1] and a member of the Republican Party. Sandoval is a former judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nevada. On June 9, 2010, Sandoval defeated his GOP challengers (including incumbent governor Jim Gibbons) to win the Republican nomination for the 2010 Gubernatorial election.

Prior to his service as a federal judge, he served as the Attorney General of Nevada, the youngest chairman of the Gaming Commission of Nevada and a state legislator. Sandoval was also the first Hispanic candidate elected to statewide office in Nevada.[2]

Early life, education, and law career

Sandoval was born in Redding, California, to Ron Sandoval, an FAA maintenance supervisor, and his wife Gloria (Gallegos) Sandoval, a legal secretary.[3][4] A long-time resident of Reno, his family is of Mexican ancestry.[5] Sandoval graduated from Bishop Manogue High School in Reno in 1981, and attended the University of Nevada, Reno, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, and earned a Bachelor's Degree in English and economics in 1986.[6][7] He then went on to earn a law degree from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in 1989.[7]

After completing his law degree, Sandoval passed the Nevada and California bar exams on his first try and entered private practice with several Reno law firms.[7] In 1999, he opened his own law firm in Reno.[7]

Nevada Assembly

Elections

When incumbent Republican Jim Gibbons decided to retire to run for Governor of Nevada in 1994, Sandoval ran for the Reno-based 25th District of the Nevada Assembly. He won the open seat and won re-election in 1996. After he resigned from his seat in 1998, Gibbons' wife Dawn Gibbons, won the open seat.[7]

Tenure

Sandoval sponsored 14 bills that became law—including bills that prevented felons from suing victims if they are injured committing a crime, increased the penalties for operating a boat under the influence, and allowed indigent defendants to perform community service to defray their legal costs.[8][9]

Committee assignments

Sandoval served on the Judiciary, Taxation and Natural Resources Committees. He also served on the Nevada Legislative Commission, the Advisory Commission on Sentencing, the Juvenile Justice Commission, the Advisory Council on Community Notification of Sex Offenders, and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Oversight Committee.[8]

Gaming Commission of Nevada

In 1998, Sandoval was appointed to serve as a member of the Gaming Commission of Nevada, which oversees the state's gaming industry.[8] The following year, at the age of 35, Sandoval became the youngest person ever to serve as chairman of the gaming commission.[5][8] During his time on the commission, Sandoval fought national efforts to block gambling on college sports events, worked on regulations limiting neighborhood gaming and worked for regulations prohibiting slot machines with themes attractive to children.[9]

Attorney General of Nevada

2002 election

Sandoval announced his bid on October 11, 2001 to succeed three-term Democrat Frankie Sue Del Papa who was not eligible to run for re–election as Attorney General of Nevada due to lifetime term limits established by the Nevada Constitution in 1996.[9] His primary major party opposition was Democratic attorney John Hunt from Las Vegas, whom Sandoval defeated by a margin of 58.32% to 33.63% on November 5, 2002.[7][10] Sandoval took office on January 6, 2003.[11]

Tenure

While Attorney General, Sandoval led the state's legal fight against the storage of nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, developed Nevada's first Public Integrity Unit and sponsored legislation strengthening Nevada's laws against domestic violence, drug abuse and human trafficking.[5][8]

As Attorney General, Sandoval was also the chairman and a member of several state boards and commissions, including the Nevada Boards of Pardons, Prisons, Transportation, and Examiners; the Cyber-Crime Task Force; the Committee on Domestic Violence, and the Prosecutorial Advisory Council.[5][8]

Federal district judge

Nomination

In the fall of 2004, Democratic Senator Harry Reid spoke with Sandoval about whether he was interested in serving as a judge for the United States District Court for the District of Nevada, and that December Reid recommended to President George W. Bush he nominate Sandoval to a future opening on that court.[12][13] Sandoval was formally nominated by Bush on March 1, 2005, to the seat being vacated by Judge Howard D. McKibben.[14]

On September 29, 2005, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a confirmation hearing on Sandoval's nomination.[15] On October 20, 2005, the Judiciary committee reported Sandoval's nomination out of committee on a voice vote.[16] Sandoval was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 24, 2005, by a vote of 89–0 (with 11 Senators not voting).[14][17] Sandoval then received his judicial commission on October 26, 2005.[14]

Tenure

Sandoval announced his resignation as Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nevada on August 15, 2009, to become effective beginning September 15, 2009.[18] On the same day as his resignation became official, Sandoval announced he was running for the Governorship.

Sandoval's chambers were in the Bruce R. Thompson Federal Building & U.S. Courthouse in Reno.[5][19][20]

Governor of Nevada

2010 election

Main article: Nevada gubernatorial election, 2010

In the general election, Sandoval won 53%–41%,[21] against Democrat Rory Reid, the Clark County Commissioner and son of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He won every county in the state, and all with a majority except Clark County which Mr. Sandoval won with a plurality. (49%–47%).

2014 election

Main article: Nevada gubernatorial election, 2014

Sandoval ran for re-election in 2014. He won the Republican primary with 90% of the vote. In the general election, Sandoval defeated Democrat Bob Goodman in a landslide with over 70% of the vote.[22]

Tenure

Sandoval, as the state's 29th Governor, proposed a $5.8 billion 2011 budget without any new taxes. It could cause as many as 361 layoffs and 5% pay reductions for state workers. It also included a 5% cut in primary education and 7% cut in higher education.[23] Sandoval is turning down his pay raise that would have increased his salary from $141,000 to $149,573 per year. He also has said he will take a 5% pay cut to coincide with every other state worker's.[24][25]

The final budget for 2011 avoided deep cuts to education and human services programs. It contained a number of reforms that include ending teacher tenure as well as the practice of deciding layoffs based solely on teacher seniority, allowing local governments to re-open employee contracts during financial emergencies as well as barring collective bargaining by supervisors, and eliminating retirement health insurance for new state employees hired after January 1, 2012.[26]

He appointed U.S. Congressman Dean Heller (R-Carson City) to become U.S. Senator, after the seat become vacant from the resignation of John Ensign.

On September 11, 2014, Sandoval signed a package of bill to provide $1.3 billion in tax breaks and other incentives for Tesla Motors in exchange for building a massive factory in the state. The factory is key to Nevada's efforts to revitalize its economy, which was hard-hit by the mortgage meltdown and the Great Recession, and has yet to fully recover.[27]

Criticism and controversy

Sandoval came under criticism in 2015 by the solar industry in Nevada after claims that the Governor failed to act on a state-wide net energy metering cap of 235MW. The cap stirred controversy due to its ability to negatively affect the future of the largely successful solar industry in Nevada, specifically related to the loss of 6,000 in-state jobs.[28][29] A state-wide study conducted by the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada previously deemed net metering a benefit to all ratepayers.[30]

The solar industry believed Sandoval to be compromised in acting unbiased due to his long-term friendship with Pete Ernaut of R&R Partners, the lobbying firm representing NV Energy, who is in support of the cap. Sandoval attended University of Nevada, Reno, where he became friends with Sigma Nu fraternity brothers, Ernaut and Greg Ferraro, the latter whose public affairs firm also represents NV Energy,[31] and the three have remained close. Ernaut played an important role in Sandoval's political career, first by helping run Sandoval's successful Attorney General campaign (2002) and then, along with Ferraro, convincing him to run for Nevada Governor (2010).[32][33]

In 2013, Ernaut was accused of convincing Sandoval to support the More Cops bill while not disclosing he was a paid lobbyist for the Las Vegas Police Protective Association.[34] Prior to running for attorney general, the Governor represented the Utility Shareholders of Nevada, directly connected to NV Energy.[32]

In reference to Sandoval's close ties that could compromise his position, Steve Sebelius on Nevada Public Radio in July 2015 stated, "[Nevada] has not matured in its political culture very much at all."[33]

At the end of July 2015, NV Energy proposed new rates for rooftop solar users. NV Energy specifically states in its proposal that the new rates could eliminate all savings for solar customers.[35]

During an August 2015 Live & Local Now radio show, conservative host Kevin Wall says that according to a solar industry representative, NV Energy's proposal "will kill the rooftop solar industry in this state" and that Sandoval is accountable for what happens.[36]

On August 20, 2015, the controversial 235 MW net metering cap was hit. [37] Immediately before the cap was hit, Vivint Solar pulled out of the state only two weeks after entering. This resulted in lay-offs of many recently-hired Nevadans, signaling the future of the industry in Nevada without net metering. [38]

Sandoval signed the controversial tax increase in 2015, effectively breaking Jim Gibbons' record on his education plan, which was later endorsed and supported by U.S. Senator Harry Reid who announced his opposition to any repeal attempts by conservative Republicans and ballot voters.[39][40]

A public records request on Governor Sandoval's office has been reported as "deliberately slow" and, combined with rumors that two Nevada gaming companies are collaborating with the solar industry, could cause "real pain" for the Governor. [41]

An October 2015 poll, sponsored by the solar industry, found that prior to learning about these controversies, public perception of Governor Sandoval's leadership was largely favorable, with 63% of likely voters agreeing that he has been a strong leader for Nevada. However, after learning that Governor Sandoval had failed to "take a leadership position and protect the 6,000 jobs that solar energy supports in Nevada" his favorable impressions became highly negative, with 54% of likely voters taking an unfavorable view.[42] A subsequent poll of likely Republican primary voters in New Hampshire found that 56% of all likely Republican primary voters in a key swing state would not vote for Governor Sandoval for Vice President in 2016 upon learning that he failed to protect solar energy in Nevada.[43]

Honors and awards

Throughout his career, Sandoval has received several awards and certificates, including the Hispanics in Politics' 1996 "Broche de Oro Award"; the Anti-Defamation League's 2003 "Torch of Liberty Award;" the Nevada State Bar's 2004 "Access to Justice Public Lawyer Award;" The Latino Coalition's 2004 "Most Influential Hispanic in the U.S. Award" and the 2004 University of Nevada "Alumnus of the Year Award."[8][44][45]

Personal life

Sandoval and his wife Kathleen, program director for the Children's Cabinet in Reno, have three children.[8][9]

Electoral history

Nevada Attorney General Election, 2002[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Brian Sandoval 290,471 58.32%
Democratic John Hunt 167,513 33.63%
Nevada gubernatorial election, 2010[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Brian Sandoval 382,350 53.36% +5.44%
Democratic Rory Reid 298,171 41.61% -2.31%
None of These Candidates None of These Candidates 12,231 1.71% -1.85%
Independent Eugene DiSimone 6,403 0.89%
Independent American Floyd Fitzgibbons 5,049 0.70% -2.73%
Libertarian Arthur Forest Lampitt, Jr. 4,672 0.65%
Green David Scott Curtis 4,437 0.62% -0.54%
Independent Aaron Y. Honig 3,216 0.45%
Majority 84,179 11.75% +7.74%
Turnout 716,529
Republican hold Swing
Nevada gubernatorial election, 2014[46]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Brian Sandoval (inc.) 386,340 70.58%
Democratic Bob Goodman 130,722 23.88%
None of These Candidates None of These Candidates 15,751 2.88%
Independent American David Lory VanDerBeek 14,536 2.66%
Majority 547,349 100%
Turnout
Republican hold Swing

References

  1. ^ "Brian Sandoval Becomes Nevada's 29th Governor". Renotahoe.about.com. January 2, 2011. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
  2. ^ Chereb, Sandra (August 14, 2009). "US Judge Sandoval resigns; return to NV politics?". Associated Press. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
  3. ^ Drake, Bruce (October 25, 2010). "How Old Is Brian Sandoval?". Politicsdaily.com. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
  4. ^ Sean Whaley (August 2, 2011). "Blog Archive » Gov. Brian Sandoval In Middle East To Meet With Nevada Troops, See Mission First-Hand". Nevada News Bureau. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d e Flennoy, Mae (April 2006). "Brian Sandoval '89: Nevada's First Hispanic U.S. District Judge". This Month @ Moritz. Retrieved September 20, 2009.[dead link]
  6. ^ "Sandoval gives up seat for gaming board". Las Vegas Sun. April 24, 1998. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Morrison, Jane Ann (July 15, 2002). "Race For Attorney General: Candidates state cases". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved September 20, 2009.[dead link]
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h "State of the Court 2006" (PDF). United States District Court for the District of Nevada. 2006. Retrieved September 20, 2009.
  9. ^ a b c d Morrison, Jane Ann (October 12, 2001). "Brian Sandoval announces bid for attorney general". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved September 20, 2009.[dead link]
  10. ^ a b c "Election Summary". Official 2002 General Election Results. Secretary of State of Nevada. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
  11. ^ Morrison, Jane Ann; Vogel, Ed (January 7, 2003). "Swearing In: Winners get to work". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved September 20, 2009.[dead link]
  12. ^ Myers, Dennis (December 2, 2004). "Citizen Reid". Reno News & Review. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
  13. ^ "Confirmation Hearings on Federal Appointments". Government Printing Office. September 29, 2005. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
  14. ^ a b c "Sandoval, Brian Edward". Biographical Directory of Federal Judges. Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved September 20, 2009.[dead link]
  15. ^ "TIME CHANGE Judicial Nominations Hearing Time has been changed to 1:30 P.M." United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. September 29, 2005. Retrieved August 24, 2009.[dead link]
  16. ^ "Executive Business Meeting". United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. October 20, 2005. Retrieved August 24, 2009.[dead link]
  17. ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation Brian Edward Sandoval, of Nevada, To Be United States District Judge)". U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 109th Congress – 1st Session. Secretary of the Senate. October 24, 2005. Retrieved September 20, 2009.
  18. ^ "Many expect Sandoval to challenge Gov. Gibbons". Associated Press. August 16, 2009. Retrieved September 20, 2009.[dead link]
  19. ^ "Judge List". United States District Court for the District of Nevada. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
  20. ^ "U.S. District Court – District of Nevada – Home". United States District Court for the District of Nevada. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
  21. ^ "NV Governor Race – Nov 02, 2010". Our Campaigns. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
  22. ^ "OFFICIAL RESULTS 2014 Statewide Results". Nevada Secretary of State. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
  23. ^ [1][dead link]
  24. ^ "2011 Nevada Legislature: Gov. Brian Sandoval reduces mansion budget | TahoeDailyTribune.com". Tahoebonanza.com. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
  25. ^ Silva, Cristina (January 24, 2011). "Nevada governor to give 1st State of State speech". BusinessWeek. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
  26. ^ Sandra Chereb (June 1, 2011). "Lawmakers Reach Deal on Nevada State Budget". Boston.com. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  27. ^ Chereb, Sandra. "Nevada Governor signs $1.3 billion tax break package for electric car maker Tesla". Reuters. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  28. ^ Kyle Roerink (April 17, 2015). "Sandoval, NV Energy mum on net metering after meetings with solar officials". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  29. ^ SEAN WHALEY and LAURA MYERS (April 17, 2015). "Nevada could lose 6,000 jobs without net-metering cap hike". Las Vegas Review Journal. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  30. ^ Energy + Environment Economics (July 2014). "Nevada Net Energy Metering Impacts Evaluation" (PDF). Public Utilities Commission. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  31. ^ University of Nevada, Reno (1985). "Artemisia, University of Nevada, 1985". University of Nevada, Reno. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  32. ^ a b J. Patrick Coolican (May 9, 2010). "Ties to influential business interests power Sandoval's political career". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  33. ^ a b Joe Schoenmann (July 23, 2015). "Ties to influential business interests power Sandoval's political career". KNPR. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  34. ^ SHERMAN FREDERICK (August 28, 2013). "Sandoval bruised by R&R Partners". Las Vegas Review Journal. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  35. ^ Whaley, Sean (August 3, 2015). "Rooftop-solar official: NV Energy proposal spells death of industry." Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  36. ^ Wall, Kevin (August 6, 2015). "Live & Local with Kevin Wall." KBET. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  37. ^ Kyle Roerink (August 21, 2015). "Rooftop solar cap reached". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  38. ^ Katherine Tweed (August 20, 2015). "Vivint Pulls Out of Nevada After Only 2 Weeks in the State". Greentech Media. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  39. ^ "Sen. Reid supporting Sandoval's tax plan". Associated Press. KLAS-TV. August 21, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  40. ^ Whaley, Sean (August 22, 2015). "Challenges remain, not looking rosy in Sandoval's fifth year". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  41. ^ Jon Ralston (September 13, 2015). "The Weekly Report". Jon Ralston. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  42. ^ Gammon, Matt (October 20, 2015). "Solar Energy Voter Attitudes". DocDroid. WPA Opinion Research. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  43. ^ "2015 1110 SR_NH Memo_v3.pdf". DocDroid. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  44. ^ "Hispanics in politics recognizes leaders". Las Vegas Sun. April 3, 1996. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
  45. ^ "The Latino Coalition Honors The Most Influential Hispanics During Hispanic Gala in New York". The Latino Coalition. August 24, 2004. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
  46. ^ "OFFICIAL RESULTS 2014 Statewide Results". Nevada Secretary of State. Retrieved December 24, 2014.

External links

Judicial
Nevada Assembly
Preceded by Member of the Nevada Assembly
from the 25th district
January 3, 1994 – April 23, 1998 		Succeeded by
Civic offices
Preceded by Member of the Gaming Commission of Nevada
April 23, 1998 – August 1, 2001 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chairperson of the Gaming Commission of Nevada
April 28, 1999 – August 1, 2001
Legal offices
Preceded by Attorney General of Nevada
January 3, 2003 – October 26, 2005 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada
October 26, 2005 – September 15, 2009 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for Governor of Nevada
2010, 2014 		Most recent
Political offices
Preceded by Governor of Nevada
January 3, 2011 – present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Vice President Order of Precedence of the United States
Within Nevada 		Succeeded by
Mayor of city
in which event is held
Succeeded by
Preceded byas Governor of West Virginia Order of Precedence of the United States
Outside Nevada 		Succeeded byas Governor of Nebraska

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