Dominic L. Cortese
Encyclopedia
Dominic L. Cortese is a former California State Assembly
man who served from 1980 until 1996. For most of his career, Cortese was a moderate Democrat
, but in 1995 he gained national attention when he became a member of Ross Perot
's Reform Party
. He was the highest ranking elected official of the newly formed party at the time. There were international media reports of this event, including the fact that Cortese was being considered by Perot to be his Vice Presidential
running mate in the 1996 election
.
, one of five children of Rose Carnova, an American of Sicilian descent, and Vincent Cortese, a native of the Sicilian
town of Trabia
who immigrated to the United States around 1917 and eventually acquired farm land in and near the Santa Clara Valley
, growing tomatoes, prunes, cherries, apricots and wheat. As they grew up, he and his siblings worked on the family farms and continued to farm as adults. Though Vincent Cortese never held public office, he was involved in civic affarirs in the 1950s and 1960s, visiting property owners outside of San Jose to promote the expansion of the city limits to the north, east, and south.
Cortese served on the Santa Clara County
Board of Supervisors from 1969 until 1980. It was his first election attempt during a period of heavy social unrest, and involved an extremely active campaign which led to his defeat of an entrenched sixteen-year incumbent. Cortese won two subsequent re-elections and during his tenure chaired the Board three times. He also chaired the Local Agency Formation District twice, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation District (which he was instrumental in creating) twice, and the Local Criminal Justice Planning Board created by Governor Ronald Reagan. He served as the Board's representative on the Regional Air Quality Board, the Bay Area Conservation and Development Commission, and ABAG. He was the Board's delegate to the local Economic Opportunity Commission (Federal War on Poverty). When the EOC was under threat of takeover by the Federal government, Cortese along with two other local officials founded the Economic and Social Opportunities Commission (ESO). He was asked to meet with President Jimmy Carter during the 1979 oil crisis after his proposal to nationalize the oil companies was adopted by his Board and other cities and counties throughout the state. He was a founding member of the California Association of LAFCOS and was its President twice. From 1969 through 1980, the Board created the Commission on the Status of Women, the Commission on Drug Abuse and Alcoholism, and the Human Relations Commission. When the Angela Davis trial was assigned there, the County became the focus of international attention. Santa Clara County was one of the first major public entities to establish a smoking ban in restaurants along with one of the first comprehensive recycling programs in the country. The establishment of a central building permit center received national recognition. The Board asked the electorate to establish an extensive countywide rural parks program which allowed for the acquisition of numerous regional type parks. The program is still in existence.
, during the period of California's 7-year drought, to act as a facilitator between rural, urban and residential water users including north vs. south, and spent an extensive amount of time to that end visiting those entities throughout the state. He authored key legislation involving the fisheries, water use and the method whereby the State Parks System would award concessions. The latter was especially the result of hearings he held regarding the scandal at Asilomar State Park in Monterey County
. Registration of toxic storage facilities and underground tanks was part of a package that led to a registry called "the Cortese list". During the flooding disaster of 1986, Governor Deukmejian signed an emergency measure by Cortese that provided one hundred fifteen million dollars in flood relief money. The bill reached the Governor's desk within two weeks of being introduced. Another measure created the autonomous Valley Transit Authority in Santa Clara County. A Cortese measure provided several million dollars for a graphics animation center at the University of California, San Diego.
The one bill that Cortese speaks of as being his most rewarding is a bill that required insurance companies to cover the cost of mammograms. After at a two-year battle with insurance company opposition, the bill was signed into law and has saved lives. He also carried the Constitutional Amendment that allowed for state education bonds by a fifty percent vote. He carried the bill that guaranteed the vehicle license fee for local governments. As chair of the Local Government committee, Cortese was asked to intervene in the San Bruno Mountain dispute in Millbrae
and was recognized by both sides as an "official" mediator. After countless hours of meetings, the dispute which had been ongoing for many years was resolved without legislation and without further litigation. Cortese also carried the legislation that led to the settlement of the Pete's Harbor dispute in nearby Redwood City
which had been litigated for fourteen years prior between the venerable Pete Uccelli and the State Lands Commission.
In addition to chairing his own committee, Cortese at one point in his legislative career was asked by the Speaker to serve on eight additional committees. He also chaired a Select Committee on Neighborhood Violence, a Select Committee on Childcare, and a Committee on Wine Production and Economy under which he held numerous hearings around the state and established the groundbreaking rule for reciprocal shipping. The work of that committee was recognized nationally by the National Conference of State Legislatures, and Cortese was asked to chair a counterpart committee on the national level. That committee brought legislators to Sacramento from all over the country and eventually held hearings across the entire country. In March 1993 the wine industry ask him to represent the United States at the international Vinelink General Assembly in Paris where he and his wife were also guest of Moet Hennessy in Champagne. He was the Speaker's appointee to the Seismic Safety Commission and the Little Hoover Commission. Legislation he carried for the Seismic Safety Commission included a long overdue update of the Uniform Building Code. Cortese carried a resolution creating the California Italian American Task Force, the membership of which was appointed by Governor Pete Wilson
and included outstanding members of the Italian American community throughout the state. Inquiries were received from all over the country.
During his legislative career Cortese was recognized as "Legislator of the Year" by a broad spectrum of statewide organizations. He received numerous awards and certificates of appreciation from local service clubs and community organizations. He participated as featured speaker at numerous statewide conferences including: The California Association of LAFCOS, California Supervisors Association, California Contract Cities Association,California State Chamber of Commerce, the Bay Area Council, California Special Districts Association, Association of California Water Agencies,California Realtors Association,Los Angeles County Employees Association and the League of California Cities.In 1984,he was a delegate on the California Sister State Task Force that established the first Sister State relaltionship with the Republic of Taiwan.
expelled, so the Republicans had only 40 votes when they needed 41. Without Paul Horcher
and Cortese, the Democrats had only 39 votes and one vacancy. Horcher, scorned by the Republicans in his earlier election, became an Independent and voted for Brown on the first roll call. Cortese abstained, but cast the single deciding vote on the second roll call with his wife sitting next to him at his desk. Cortese met privately with Jim Brulte
, Brown's Republican adversary, and later with Brown and Horcher upon entering the Assembly chambers earlier that day.
. He graduated from Pala Middle School in San Jose
and Bellarmine College Preparatory
High School in 1950. He holds an Honorary Law Degree from Lincoln Law School
. A college ROTC graduate, Cortese served for two years in the United States Army
as a First Lieutenant. He is a Rotary Club Paul Harris Fellow.
. He is married to Suzanne and has five adult children and nine grandchildren. One of his sons, David
, was elected to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in 2008. Cortese was recognized as an Honorary Citizen at a citywide town hall meeting in his father's hometown of Trabia, Italy. The record of the event was read and recorded into the Daily Journal during legislative proceedings in Sacramento. Although the family transitioned into development under obvious pressures of growth, they farmed and operated family fruit stand in the Evergreen area of San Jose until very recently. As benefactors, Dominic and Suzanne Cortese are members of the Legacy Society of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and of the Felice Foundation, created by Dr. Leo Buscaglia
. Cortese is an Honorary Member of the Civic Club of San Jose.
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
man who served from 1980 until 1996. For most of his career, Cortese was a moderate Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, but in 1995 he gained national attention when he became a member of Ross Perot
Ross Perot
Henry Ross Perot is a U.S. businessman best known for running for President of the United States in 1992 and 1996. Perot founded Electronic Data Systems in 1962, sold the company to General Motors in 1984, and founded Perot Systems in 1988...
's Reform Party
Reform Party of the United States of America
The Reform Party of the United States of America is a political party in the United States, founded in 1995 by Ross Perot...
. He was the highest ranking elected official of the newly formed party at the time. There were international media reports of this event, including the fact that Cortese was being considered by Perot to be his Vice Presidential
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
running mate in the 1996 election
United States presidential election, 1996
The United States presidential election of 1996 was a contest between the Democratic national ticket of President Bill Clinton of Arkansas and Vice President Al Gore of Tennessee and the Republican national ticket of former Senator Bob Dole of Kansas for President and former Housing Secretary Jack...
.
Early life and career
Cortese was born in San Jose, CaliforniaSan Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, one of five children of Rose Carnova, an American of Sicilian descent, and Vincent Cortese, a native of the Sicilian
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
town of Trabia
Trabia
Trabia is a comune in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 30 km southeast of Palermo.The municipality of Trabia contains the frazione San Nicola l'Arena....
who immigrated to the United States around 1917 and eventually acquired farm land in and near the Santa Clara Valley
Santa Clara Valley
The Santa Clara Valley is a valley just south of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California in the United States. Much of Santa Clara County and its county seat, San José, are in the Santa Clara Valley. The valley was originally known as the Valley of Heart’s Delight for its high concentration...
, growing tomatoes, prunes, cherries, apricots and wheat. As they grew up, he and his siblings worked on the family farms and continued to farm as adults. Though Vincent Cortese never held public office, he was involved in civic affarirs in the 1950s and 1960s, visiting property owners outside of San Jose to promote the expansion of the city limits to the north, east, and south.
Cortese served on the Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County, California
Santa Clara County is a county located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 it had a population of 1,781,642. The county seat is San Jose. The highly urbanized Santa Clara Valley within Santa Clara County is also known as Silicon Valley...
Board of Supervisors from 1969 until 1980. It was his first election attempt during a period of heavy social unrest, and involved an extremely active campaign which led to his defeat of an entrenched sixteen-year incumbent. Cortese won two subsequent re-elections and during his tenure chaired the Board three times. He also chaired the Local Agency Formation District twice, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation District (which he was instrumental in creating) twice, and the Local Criminal Justice Planning Board created by Governor Ronald Reagan. He served as the Board's representative on the Regional Air Quality Board, the Bay Area Conservation and Development Commission, and ABAG. He was the Board's delegate to the local Economic Opportunity Commission (Federal War on Poverty). When the EOC was under threat of takeover by the Federal government, Cortese along with two other local officials founded the Economic and Social Opportunities Commission (ESO). He was asked to meet with President Jimmy Carter during the 1979 oil crisis after his proposal to nationalize the oil companies was adopted by his Board and other cities and counties throughout the state. He was a founding member of the California Association of LAFCOS and was its President twice. From 1969 through 1980, the Board created the Commission on the Status of Women, the Commission on Drug Abuse and Alcoholism, and the Human Relations Commission. When the Angela Davis trial was assigned there, the County became the focus of international attention. Santa Clara County was one of the first major public entities to establish a smoking ban in restaurants along with one of the first comprehensive recycling programs in the country. The establishment of a central building permit center received national recognition. The Board asked the electorate to establish an extensive countywide rural parks program which allowed for the acquisition of numerous regional type parks. The program is still in existence.
Assembly career
Cortese served as the Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Local Government for years. In 1990, he switched to become the chairman of the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife. He carried the landmark Cortese-Knox Local Government Reorganization Act, which is still called a "best seller" by the State Printing Office and is the guide for all local government annexations, boundaries, formations, detachments and new cities. He was asked to chair the Committee on Water Parks and Wildlife by then Speaker Willie BrownWillie Brown (politician)
Willie Lewis Brown, Jr. is an American politician of the Democratic Party. He served over 30 years in the California State Assembly, spending 15 years as its Speaker, and afterward served as the 41st mayor of San Francisco, the first African American to do so...
, during the period of California's 7-year drought, to act as a facilitator between rural, urban and residential water users including north vs. south, and spent an extensive amount of time to that end visiting those entities throughout the state. He authored key legislation involving the fisheries, water use and the method whereby the State Parks System would award concessions. The latter was especially the result of hearings he held regarding the scandal at Asilomar State Park in Monterey County
Monterey County, California
Monterey County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, its northwestern section forming the southern half of Monterey Bay. The northern half of the bay is in Santa Cruz County. As of 2010, the population was 415,057. The county seat and largest city is Salinas...
. Registration of toxic storage facilities and underground tanks was part of a package that led to a registry called "the Cortese list". During the flooding disaster of 1986, Governor Deukmejian signed an emergency measure by Cortese that provided one hundred fifteen million dollars in flood relief money. The bill reached the Governor's desk within two weeks of being introduced. Another measure created the autonomous Valley Transit Authority in Santa Clara County. A Cortese measure provided several million dollars for a graphics animation center at the University of California, San Diego.
The one bill that Cortese speaks of as being his most rewarding is a bill that required insurance companies to cover the cost of mammograms. After at a two-year battle with insurance company opposition, the bill was signed into law and has saved lives. He also carried the Constitutional Amendment that allowed for state education bonds by a fifty percent vote. He carried the bill that guaranteed the vehicle license fee for local governments. As chair of the Local Government committee, Cortese was asked to intervene in the San Bruno Mountain dispute in Millbrae
Millbrae, California
Millbrae is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, just west of San Francisco Bay, with San Bruno on the north and Burlingame on the south. The population was 21,532 at the 2010 census.-History:...
and was recognized by both sides as an "official" mediator. After countless hours of meetings, the dispute which had been ongoing for many years was resolved without legislation and without further litigation. Cortese also carried the legislation that led to the settlement of the Pete's Harbor dispute in nearby Redwood City
Redwood City, California
Redwood City is a California charter city located on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California, approximately 27 miles south of San Francisco, and 24 miles north of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans from its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people, to its tradition as a port for...
which had been litigated for fourteen years prior between the venerable Pete Uccelli and the State Lands Commission.
In addition to chairing his own committee, Cortese at one point in his legislative career was asked by the Speaker to serve on eight additional committees. He also chaired a Select Committee on Neighborhood Violence, a Select Committee on Childcare, and a Committee on Wine Production and Economy under which he held numerous hearings around the state and established the groundbreaking rule for reciprocal shipping. The work of that committee was recognized nationally by the National Conference of State Legislatures, and Cortese was asked to chair a counterpart committee on the national level. That committee brought legislators to Sacramento from all over the country and eventually held hearings across the entire country. In March 1993 the wine industry ask him to represent the United States at the international Vinelink General Assembly in Paris where he and his wife were also guest of Moet Hennessy in Champagne. He was the Speaker's appointee to the Seismic Safety Commission and the Little Hoover Commission. Legislation he carried for the Seismic Safety Commission included a long overdue update of the Uniform Building Code. Cortese carried a resolution creating the California Italian American Task Force, the membership of which was appointed by Governor Pete Wilson
Pete Wilson
Peter Barton "Pete" Wilson is an American politician from California. Wilson, a Republican, served as the 36th Governor of California , the culmination of more than three decades in the public arena that included eight years as a United States Senator , eleven years as Mayor of San Diego and...
and included outstanding members of the Italian American community throughout the state. Inquiries were received from all over the country.
During his legislative career Cortese was recognized as "Legislator of the Year" by a broad spectrum of statewide organizations. He received numerous awards and certificates of appreciation from local service clubs and community organizations. He participated as featured speaker at numerous statewide conferences including: The California Association of LAFCOS, California Supervisors Association, California Contract Cities Association,California State Chamber of Commerce, the Bay Area Council, California Special Districts Association, Association of California Water Agencies,California Realtors Association,Los Angeles County Employees Association and the League of California Cities.In 1984,he was a delegate on the California Sister State Task Force that established the first Sister State relaltionship with the Republic of Taiwan.
Speakership battle
Cortese was one of the Democrats that Republicans hoped to win over when they were struggling to gain the speakership in 1995. Brown had Assemblyman Dick MountjoyDick Mountjoy
Richard L. "Dick" Mountjoy is a Republican politician from Monrovia, California.-Personal life:Mountjoy was born in Los Angeles and graduated from Monrovia-Arcadia-Duarte High School. He was married to Earline Winnett until her death in 2009. He has two sons, Michael and Dennis Lee, and one...
expelled, so the Republicans had only 40 votes when they needed 41. Without Paul Horcher
Paul Horcher
Paul V. Horcher is an American politician from California and a former member of the Republican Party.-Early career:A graduate of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Horcher practiced law before joining the Diamond Bar Municipal Advisory council in 1982...
and Cortese, the Democrats had only 39 votes and one vacancy. Horcher, scorned by the Republicans in his earlier election, became an Independent and voted for Brown on the first roll call. Cortese abstained, but cast the single deciding vote on the second roll call with his wife sitting next to him at his desk. Cortese met privately with Jim Brulte
Jim Brulte
James L. Brulte is a Republican U.S. politician who served as a California State Senator, representing the 31st district, from 1996 to 2004. He also served as the Senate Republican leader from 2000 to 2004. Brulte also served as Vice-Chair of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee...
, Brown's Republican adversary, and later with Brown and Horcher upon entering the Assembly chambers earlier that day.
Education
Cortese received of Bachelors of Science degree from Santa Clara UniversitySanta Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private, not-for-profit, Jesuit-affiliated university located in Santa Clara, California, United States. Chartered by the state of California and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, it operates in collaboration with the Society of Jesus , whose...
. He graduated from Pala Middle School in San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
and Bellarmine College Preparatory
Bellarmine College Preparatory
Bellarmine College Preparatory is an all-male, private secondary school located in San Jose, California, USA. Founded in 1851, it is the oldest secondary school in California....
High School in 1950. He holds an Honorary Law Degree from Lincoln Law School
Lincoln Law School of San Jose
Lincoln Law School of San Jose is a private, non-profit law school in San Jose, California. It is an independent institution, formerly a part of Lincoln University.-History:The school traces its roots to 1919 when Dr...
. A college ROTC graduate, Cortese served for two years in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
as a First Lieutenant. He is a Rotary Club Paul Harris Fellow.
Personal
Cortese is a Roman CatholicRoman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He is married to Suzanne and has five adult children and nine grandchildren. One of his sons, David
David D. Cortese
David D. "Dave" Cortese is an American politician from California, currently serving on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, representing District 3 including Milpitas and parts of Sunnyvale and San Jose...
, was elected to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in 2008. Cortese was recognized as an Honorary Citizen at a citywide town hall meeting in his father's hometown of Trabia, Italy. The record of the event was read and recorded into the Daily Journal during legislative proceedings in Sacramento. Although the family transitioned into development under obvious pressures of growth, they farmed and operated family fruit stand in the Evergreen area of San Jose until very recently. As benefactors, Dominic and Suzanne Cortese are members of the Legacy Society of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and of the Felice Foundation, created by Dr. Leo Buscaglia
Leo Buscaglia
Felice Leonardo "Leo" Buscaglia Ph.D. , also known as "Dr Love," was an author and motivational speaker, and a professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Southern California.-Biography:...
. Cortese is an Honorary Member of the Civic Club of San Jose.
Election history
- Elected to Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors 1968; re-elected in 1972,1976
- Elected to the California State Legislature in 1980, Re-elected 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994
- Reform Party Candidate 13th State Senate District 1996.
- Elected to Alum Rock School Board (his elementary school) in 1998 to four-year term. He chaired the Board twice.