Loretta Sanchez

• Committee on Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
  • Subcommittee on Strategic Forces (Ranking Member)
  • Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
• Committee on Homeland Security
  • Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security
  • Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence

• Congressional Hispanic Caucus
• Congressional Human Rights Caucus
• International Conservation Caucus
• Sportsmen's Caucus

Sanchez speaking at a Congressional Hispanic Caucus press conference outside the Capitol in 1997

In February 2006, Sanchez withdrew from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus's political action committee, along with five other members, because the caucus chairman, Joe Baca, authorized political contributions to members of his family who were running for state and local offices in California.[8]

Sanchez and other CHC members also claim that Baca was improperly elected chairman of the caucus in November 2006 because the vote failed to use secret ballots, as required in the group's bylaws.[9] On January 31, 2007, Sanchez quit the CHC because she claimed that Baca repeatedly treated the group's female members with disrespect. Other female lawmakers have made the same complaint about Baca.[10] In the election for caucus chairman, only one female member of the 23-member caucus voted to support Baca's candidacy.[11]

According to Sanchez, as well as Linda Sánchez (her sister), and Hilda Solis, Baca called Loretta Sanchez "a whore" while speaking to other lawmakers.[8][12] Baca denied the charge. Politico reported that Sanchez claimed California Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez heard the comment from Baca and repeated it to Sanchez, yet Núñez claimed not to recall any such comment.[13] Sanchez, however, claimed after the article was published that she had never mentioned Núñez to Politico.[14]

Sanchez staunchly opposed the Republicans' Head Start program overhaul in the 108th Congress, invoking her experience growing up poor and challenged by a speech impediment. During debate on the bill, she said:

I know about these kids, because I am one of those kids ... It hurts to hear you talk about how we are not successful, or how we are losers. But we are very successful. We have had a lot of successes with Head Start.[19]

Sanchez has asserted that conservative Republicans are not committed to improving public education.[19] When President Bush's 2003 budget proposal threatened to cut education grants, she responded:

If he can run deficits for the military, then he can run deficits to educate our children.[7]

Loretta Sanchez meeting with union leaders

Sanchez was the second-ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee and a senior member of the Armed Services Committee, and the most senior woman on that committee. Loretta has fought to reform both the law and culture of the U.S. military relating to investigation of sexual crimes, prosecution of sex offenders and care of sexual assault victims. Her leadership contributed to a decision to examine the problem of sexual assault at the military service academies, which revealed that the problem was much more prevalent than previously thought. As a result, she led the fight to change sexual assault provisions of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. In early 2011, Sanchez introduced a bill requiring the United States Department of Homeland Security to issue rules governing searches and seizures of the laptops, cellphones, and other electronic devices of American citizens returning to the U.S. from abroad.[20]

Sanchez is regarded as a liberal on social issues. She voted against a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and supports abortion rights. She also sought to reverse the ban on abortions at overseas military bases and installations. In August 2000, Sanchez refused to relocate a political fundraiser she had planned at the Playboy Mansion in California. As a result, Democratic National Committee chairman Joe Andrew cancelled her scheduled speaking role at the Democratic National Convention. Sanchez's address was reinstated just before the convention, when she agreed to relocate her fundraiser to Universal Studios.[21]

Loretta Sanchez visiting U.S. troops in Kuwait during Easter

Loretta Sanchez visiting troops in Africa

According to Congressional Quarterly, "In 2002, Sanchez voted against reviving fast-track procedures for congressional action on trade deals. And, coming from a district with one of the largest ethnically Vietnamese communities outside Vietnam, she voted against a trade agreement with Vietnam, saying that political and human rights conditions in that country needed improvement. Her outspokenness led the Hanoi regime to refuse to allow her into the country late in 2004 when she applied for an entry visa to meet with dissidents."[7] By April 2006, Sanchez had been denied a visa to visit Vietnam four times by the country's officials.[22] In honor of International Human Rights Day, she joined a bipartisan group of 11 House Members that issued a letter to Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung calling for the release of two U.S. citizens arrested by the government of Vietnam.[23]

On October 10, 2002, Sanchez was among the 133 members of the House who voted against authorizing the invasion of Iraq, but she has voted in favor of every appropriation bill for the war in Iraq. She opposed the troop surge in February 2007.[24] On March 7, 2007, Sanchez led a female congressional delegation to visit troops in Iraq. This was her third visit to Iraq.[25]

Sanchez has a strong record on supporting human rights and is a member of the bipartisan Congressional Human Rights Caucus. Two major votes include voting yes in 2001 to keep the Cuba travel ban until political prisoners are released, but later voting in 2009 to lift the travel ban unilaterally, and yes to acknowledge the Armenian genocide of the early 1900s.[26] She voted to implement the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007.[27]

Sanchez has stated that she was briefly denied access to a United Airlines flight in October 2006 because her name appeared on a no-fly list set up after the September 11 attacks. Sanchez said she was instructed to check in with a United employee, who told her she was on the terrorist watch list. The employee asked her for identification.[28]

In a December 2015 interview with Larry King, in response to his question about the threat of extremist groups within Islam, Sanchez suggested some experts estimate that "anywhere between 5 and 20 percent" of Muslims worldwide supported the creation of a Caliphate to overthrow the United States.[29] Sanchez's comments, which came on the heels of both the recent Islamist terror attack in San Bernardino and 2016 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's call to temporarily ban Muslim immigration to the United States, were criticized as contributing to Anti-Muslim sentiment. Sanchez explained that she was merely echoing President Obama's remarks in his December 6, 2015 Oval Office Address wherein he stated: "Extremist ideology has spread within some Muslim communities. This is a real problem that Muslims must confront, without excuse." She further noted that she has a well-known record of defending the civil liberties of Muslim groups and that she believed most Muslims "are actually with us" in fighting Islamic extremism.[30]

On September 13, 2016, the House Committee on Homeland Security unanimously approved two amendments authored by Sanchez to strengthen counterterrorism and cybersecurity programs.

The first bill, the Community Counterterrorism Preparedness Act, H.R. 5859, "establishes a grant program to help major metropolitan areas prepare for and respond to terror attacks that include active shooters."[31] Sanchez's amendment requires that "unclassified threat information" be provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to grant applicants. According to Sanchez, "With this change, we not only provide needed funds to help regions prepare for attacks, we also give them critical tips and best practices to help them respond."[32]

The second bill, the Cyber Preparedness Act of 2016, H.R. 5459, "clarifies that DHS grants for states and urban areas can be used for similar statewide initiatives."[31] Sanchez's new amendment will increase the use of DHS grants in focusing on identifying threats and improving "cybersecurity sharing dissemination."[32] According to Sanchez, "Given our increased reliance on cyber technology for commerce and critical infrastructure, and given the increasing sophistication of hackers who would do us harm, we must improve our efforts to identify, neutralize, and prevent cyberattacks."[32]

In 2009, Loretta Sanchez secured $49.7 million in federal funding for critical water projects in Orange County, including local dam building, water treatment, and conservation projects:[33]

$49,310,000 for the continuing construction of the Santa Ana River Mainstem Project, including the Prado Dam. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers labeled the Santa Ana River the worst flood threat west of the Mississippi River. Federal funding allowed for the construction of a new dam to help mitigate this threat, as well as the potential environmental impact imposed by the dam.

$2.870,000 for the Upper Newport Bay Ecosystem Restoration – Funding for this initiative helped manage sedimentation in the Upper Newport Bay by increasing the capacity of sediment basins, restoring and enhancing estuarine habitats, and improving educational and recreational opportunities.[34]

$426,000 for the Westminster-East Garden Grove Watershed Study in Santa Ana to help the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers undertake a comprehensive study of the Westminster Watershed, to develop a rehabilitation plan for flood control, ecosystem restoration, recreation, and water quality solutions, including the East Garden Grove-Wintersburg Channel and the Bolsa Chica Flood Control Channel. This study helped bolster flood control efforts currently in place, and assisted with ecosystem restoration and overall water quality standards. Both projects were consistent with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' flood control and environmental restoration missions in Southern California.

$558,000 for the Orange Country Regional Water Reclamation Project – Also known as the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS), this project was a water supply initiative designed to reuse approximately 140,000 acre-feet of treated and recycled waste water every year.

$860,000 for the Westminster/East Garden Grove Watershed Study – Funding helped the Army Corps of Engineers continue its comprehensive study of the Westminster Watershed

$546,000 for the Surfside-Sunset and Newport Beaches – Funding helped mitigate damage along 17 miles of the Orange County coastline that was caused by the construction of federal navigation and flood control works in Long Beach and Anaheim Bay.

$369,000 for a Feasibility Study on the Aliso Creek Mainstem Project – Funding for the project helped to develop a plan to create stable flood plain areas and regenerate native riparian habitats, which resulted in cooler water and improved fish health.

Loretta Sanchez with President Bill Clinton

Sanchez changed her party affiliation from Republican to Democratic in 1992, ahead of a 1994 campaign for Anaheim City Council. She ran under her married name Loretta Sanchez Brixey,[1] but later dropped her married name because she believed that she and her seven brothers and sisters were better known in the community as the Sanchez family.

In 1996, Sanchez ran for the US House in California's 46th District against six-term Republican incumbent Bob Dornan. The bitterly fought race saw Sanchez charge that Dornan was out of touch with his constituency, especially after a distracting run for the 1996 Republican presidential nomination. The 46th and its predecessors had always had a Democratic tilt, but became even more Democratic after the 1990 census when it absorbed a considerably larger number of Hispanics than had previously been in the district. Sanchez won by 984 votes, and Dornan contested the election, alleging that many votes were cast by people who were not American citizens. A 16-month Congressional investigation found some evidence that 624 votes were indeed cast illegally (of which 84 votes were cast by newly naturalized citizens on the actual date of the election who had registered before their naturalization, which is not allowed under California law). An additional 124 flawed absentee votes had already been thrown out by California officials.[35]

In consultation with the INS, the House investigative panel began with an INS name-matching list of 4,329 individuals with entries in INS computer records, compared to the voter rolls in the 46th Congressional District; and proceeded to use other government records, including claims of non-citizenship to be excused from jury duty, ultimately arriving at a list of 7,841 "suspicious" votes. California's Secretary of State and the Orange County District Attorney also investigated a voter-registration group, Hermandad Mexicana Nacional and other alleged voter fraud in Orange County.[35] Local investigators, and eventually the Los Angeles Times, confirmed that Hermandad, an immigration and naturalization service still very active today in both Texas and California, had helped 172 register to vote before their naturalization, under the erroneous belief by some of its employees that as long as someone was naturalized before the date of the election, this was lawful.[36] The Orange County D.A. attempted to indict two employees of the organization, but when a grand jury declined to go along, the local investigation was dropped.[37]

In February 1998 the House Committee on Oversight voted 8–1 to dismiss the matter, ending its investigation. As Federal law required a proportional reduction of vote totals for each candidate, there being no means of determining just which candidate an illegal (or suspected illegal) voter had actually voted for, it was clear the result of the disputed election would not change even if the probe had continued.[35]

The acrimonious disputes between Republicans and Democrats throughout the investigation and a desire not to alienate voters of Hispanic/Latin descent in the forthcoming congressional elections by GOP leaders also seem to have played a role, along with former Rep. Dornan's rather abrasive personal style, which the House in general had grown tired of.[38]

Indeed, the supposed total of 624 'illegal' votes was bitterly disputed by the Democratic minority, which argued that the investigation had never actually proved that many of the identified voters were in fact non-citizens; indeed asserting that between one quarter to even one half of "illegal" voters "were U.S. citizens at the time they voted in the 1996 election," although they registered to vote in advance of being sworn in as U.S. Citizens. And that in fact the Oversight Committee's suspected illegal voter list still "contain[ed] a significant number of names whose Orange County Voter Records indicate that they were born in the United States...." Despite the lengthy investigation, definitive proof of citizen or non-citizen status, and proof that the actual person still on the suspect voter list was actually the same individual whose name appeared in INS records was lacking for many of the 540 remaining voters, once those determined to have registered too early, before naturalization, were subtracted.[35][39]

Sanchez became the first member of Congress of Mexican heritage to represent Orange County and was re-elected.

In a 1998 rematch, she easily defeated Dornan and would not face another serious contest in a congressional election. Her district was made even safer after the 2000 census, when it was renumbered as the 47th District and reconfigured as a Latino-majority district. During that redistricting process, Sanchez hired lobbyist Michael S. Berman, brother of California Democratic Congressman Howard Berman, for "redistricting consulting" on her behalf. She paid Berman $20,000 for his work.[40]

In 2006, she defeated Tan D. Nguyen (R) with 62% of the vote.

During California's 2003 gubernatorial recall election, 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.[41]

Sanchez won against Republican nominee Rosemarie Avila and American Independent Robert Lauten.

Sanchez considered running for governor and for the United States Senate, but declined to enter the gubernatorial race after former governor Jerry Brown declared his candidacy and deferred to incumbent senator Barbara Boxer, who ran for re-election.[42]

Sanchez was challenged by Republican nominee Van Tran and independent candidate Ceci Iglesias. According to Roll Call, Sanchez considered running for governor or for the U.S. Senate in 2010.[43] In November 2005, she opened an exploratory committee called People for Loretta 2010.[44] However, in June 2009, she announced she would run for reelection to the House.[45]

In September 2010, Loretta Sanchez appeared on the Spanish language network, Univisión and said that "the Vietnamese and the Republicans are – with an intensity – trying to take away 'our' seat", referring to her Vietnamese-born opponent, Van Tran.[46][47][48] Sanchez also described Tran as "anti-immigrant".[48]

In September, 2011 Sanchez's campaign treasurer, Kinde Durkee, was arrested on suspicion of mail fraud. Sanchez and several others of Durkee's clients found their campaign funds wiped out. Sanchez's chief of staff, Adrienne Elrod, remarked that "Kinde was someone whose services and counsel we trusted for many years. These charges if true are disheartening and a betrayal by a long time Democratic treasurer for many candidates and committees."[49]

After the 2010 census, Sanchez' district was renumbered as the 46th district.[50] She was reelected handily, taking 63.9 percent of the vote.[51]

On May 16, 2015, when talking to a group of Indian Americans, Sanchez made a gesture mocking Native Americans by making a "war cry" that is stereotypically attributed to them.[52] She described her confusion between Native Americans and Indian Americans prior to a meeting with an Indian-American, saying "I am going to his office, thinking that I am going to meet with a 'woo woo woo woo' (stereotypical Indian war cry) — Right? ... because he said Indian American." Many in the audience were shocked at the gesture, finding it offensive.[53] After initially running away from a reporter who tried to question her about it, she apologized for it on May 17, saying "in this crazy and exciting rush of meetings yesterday, I said something offensive and for that, I sincerely apologize."[53]

Due to Barbara Boxer's impending retirement, the 2016 Senate election in California had the first open seat Senate election in California in 24 years.[54] On May 14, 2015, Loretta Sanchez announced her bid for this Senate seat.[55] She competed against Attorney General of California Kamala Harris and thirty two other candidates in California's top-two primary.

On June 7, 2016, Sanchez finished second in the Open Primary and faced fellow Democrat Harris in the general election.[56]

In the June 2016 primary, with results detailed at the county level, Loretta Sanchez won six counties: Fresno, Imperial, Kings, Madera, Orange, and Tulare counties. With the exception of Orange County, these are all counties with a plurality Hispanic population. Of these six counties, the highest vote percentage was Imperial County at 35.4%.[57][58]

On November 8, 2016, Sanchez lost the U.S. Senate race to Harris. She carried four counties: Fresno, Glenn, Imperial and Madera. She lost her home county, Orange, by seven points.[59] In her concession speech, she stated that "Although we don't know what our future will be, I can tell you that this is not the last that people will see of me".[60]

Despite losing Orange County overall, Sanchez easily won Garden Grove by a 67%-33% margin, her widest margin of victory for a city in Orange County.[61]

In January 2017, Sanchez donated her congressional papers to her alma mater, Chapman University in Orange, California. It encompasses twenty-five boxes of files, papers and committee work which will be available for public view at a later date. Sanchez has been a trustee and regular lecturer at the university.[62]

In December 2018, Sanchez announced that she was running for 3rd district Orange County supervisor, in a special election to fill a seat left vacant by Todd Spitzer after his election as the county's new district attorney.[63] The election was held on March 12, 2019. Sanchez lost to Irvine mayor Donald P. Wagner but expressed interest in another run for the same seat in the next regular election, in 2020.[64]

The Hispanic Caucus Controversy (see above) was parodied on The Colbert Report on February 7, 2007.[77][78]

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.

While serving as a member of Congress, Sanchez was known for her annual tradition of sending constituents "wacky" "elaborately staged" holiday cards "featuring herself, her family members and her beloved pets." The cards have "cult status in the world of politics." She started in 1998 and continued the tradition through at least 2015. Over 500,000 cards were sent in 2014.[79][80][81][82]