Joe Dunn (California politician)

Joseph Lawrence Dunn (born September 5, 1958) is an American former California State Senator who represented California's 34th Senate District in central Orange County from 1998 to 2006.

Joe Dunn
Member of the California Senate
from the 34th district
In office
December 7, 1998 – November 4, 2006
Preceded byRob Hurtt
Succeeded byLou Correa
Personal details
Born (1958-09-05) September 5, 1958
St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseDiane
Children2
EducationCollege of St. Thomas
University of Minnesota Law School

Early life and career

Dunn was born in St. Paul, Minnesota and graduated from the College of St. Thomas and University of Minnesota Law School.[1][2]

California State Senate

As senator, Dunn led the state's investigation into Enron's involvement in the 2000–2001 energy crisis.[3] He was first elected to the state Senate in 1998, when he unseated incumbent Republican Rob Hurtt by a 51% to 49% margin. Dunn was reelected in 2002. He ran for the Democratic nomination for Controller in 2006 but lost by 53% to 47% to John Chiang, who would then go on to win the general.

In October 2006, Dunn was appointed as CEO of the California Medical Association.[4]

State Bar of California

In 2010, Dunn was selected as the Executive Director of the State Bar of California.[5] On November 13, 2014, the State Bar issued a statement saying that Dunn's employment as Executive Director had been terminated by the Board of Trustees.[6] According to the Courthouse New Service, Dunn then filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the State Bar challenging the termination because he had exposed malfeasance and "egregious improprieties."[7][8][9] The State Bar denied Dunn's allegations, saying the "Board received a complaint from a high-level employee raising serious, wide-ranging allegations about ... Dunn and certain State Bar employees."[10][11] In January 2016, The Recorder released a report indicating that State Bar, while under Dunn's leadership, incurred excessive international travel expenses for trips to El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Peru and Mongolia.[12] Dunn's allegations against the State Bar were diverted to an arbitration proceeding under terms of his contract. In March 2017, Arbitrator Edward Infante issued a ruling that exonerated the State Bar, which had said it fired Dunn in 2014 for misleading the agency’s board about critical policy matters.[13]

In July 2022, the State Bar filed disciplinary charges against Dunn, alleging three counts of moral turpitude during his time heading the organization and seeking his disbarment.[14][15][16]

Dunn is a founding partner of The Senators (Ret.) Firm, LLP, "a law and political consulting firm where [the founders]...exert a powerful influence on national and statewide issues."[17]

References
  1. Jones, David (March 30, 2006). "Political Fortune: State Senator Joe Dunn". Capitol Weekly. Archived from the original on July 3, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
  2. "Joe Dunn". Smart Voter. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
  3. "Witness tells Senate Enron manipulated state's power market". Lodi News-Sentinel. April 12, 2002. p. 4. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
  4. Rauber, Chris (October 30, 2006). "CMA names state Sen. Joe Dunn as new CEO". San Francisco Business Times. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
  5. California State Bar News Release, September 20, 2010
  6. "State Bar Trustees issue statement on Executive Director". State Bar of California. November 13, 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  7. Dinzeo, Maria (November 13, 2014). "Sen. Dunn Files Whistleblower Action Against California State Bar". Courthouse New Service. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  8. Skinner, Curtis (November 14, 2014). "Fired California Bar official files whistle-blower suit against group". Reuters. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  9. Dolan, Maura (November 13, 2014). "Fired California bar official said he tried to expose wrongdoing". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  10. "State Board Issues Statement on Executive Director". State Bar of California. November 15, 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  11. Moxley, R. Scott (November 15, 2014). "California State Bar Fires Back At Joe Dunn's Version Of His Sensational Termination". OC Weekly. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  12. Miller, Cheryl (26 January 2016). "Joe Dunn, Bar Officials Spent Freely on Foreign Travel". The Recorder. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  13. Walters, Dan (20 March 2017). "Joe Dunn loses arbitration over his firing by State Bar". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
  14. Ryan, Harriet; Hamilton, Matt (July 8, 2022). "State Bar files disciplinary charges against former director Joe Dunn". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  15. Dinzeo, Maria (July 8, 2022). "Ex-California State Bar director Joe Dunn facing disciplinary action". Courthouse News. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  16. In the matter of Joseph Laurens Dunn, no. SBC-22-O-30655 (Cal. State Bar Ct., July 5, 2022).
  17. "Our History". The Senators Firm. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
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