Gerardo Sandoval
Encyclopedia
Gerardo Compos Sandoval is a judge
of the Superior Court of California in and for the County of San Francisco. He was formerly a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
. A practicing attorney
, he defeated Superior Court judge Thomas J. Mellon, Jr. in a runoff election held in November 2008 after coming in first, but not obtaining a majority of votes cast in the June 2008 primary election
. Sandoval, a Democrat, represented the 11th district of San Francisco, which encompasses the Excelsior
neighborhood. In 2005, he ran for San Francisco County assessor
, but lost to appointed incumbent Phil Ting
. Sandoval was first elected to the Board of Supervisors in December 2000, and was re-elected in November 2004. In March 2000 he was elected to the San Francisco Democratic Central Committee.
in Los Angeles
before graduating from the University of California, Berkeley
in 1987. In 1989 he received his Master's degree
in City and Regional Planning from UC Berkeley, with a specialization in real estate and housing development. He wrote his master's thesis on using tax credits to build affordable housing. Sandoval received his law degree
from Columbia University Law School
.
He was in the first Head Start class in 1966 and considers himself a product of Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society
". He is fully bilingual in Spanish
and has traveled extensively in Latin America
, Asia
and Europe
. Sandoval is married to the former Amy Harrington, and they have two daughters, Natalie Irene Sandoval and Julia Elyse Sandoval.
(NAFTA) to enter the US. The cards also allow individuals to open bank accounts and otherwise access commonly available financial services. The ordinance has been criticized by opponents as allowing undocumented workers to more easily live in the US. Supporters of the ordinance have argued that such legislation by local governments is necessary to fill the vacuum in policy left due to inaction from federal and state governments.
He then claimed that local police and firefighters should be responsible for national defense. Sandoval also stated in the same interview, "we should invest our money in our kids." This video can be found on YouTube.
In a February 20 op-ed for the San Francisco Chronicle, he defended his remarks by stating that his own views are in line with a municipal resident current which runs against further military involvement in city life.
" after Savage criticized illegal alien protesters who were fasting in support of the controversial DREAM Act
, which would give qualifying illegal aliens a path to US citizenship as well as enable them to receive tax payer funded in-state college tuition. While the original 9-1 vote on August 14, 2007 failed to receive the required unanimous vote, the Board’s second attempt on October 2, 2007 passed after the one dissenting supervisor had been suspended from the Board by the Mayor. While the resolution itself was non-binding, Sandoval has been criticized as attacking free speech rights.
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
of the Superior Court of California in and for the County of San Francisco. He was formerly a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
San Francisco Board of Supervisors
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is the legislative body within the government of the City and County of San Francisco, California, United States.-Government and politics:...
. A practicing attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, he defeated Superior Court judge Thomas J. Mellon, Jr. in a runoff election held in November 2008 after coming in first, but not obtaining a majority of votes cast in the June 2008 primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
. Sandoval, a Democrat, represented the 11th district of San Francisco, which encompasses the Excelsior
Excelsior District, San Francisco, California
-Location:The Excelsior District is located along Mission Street, east of San Jose Ave, south of Interstate 280 Southern Fwy, west of John McLaren Park, and north of Geneva Avenue,This link includes a map including all areas considered part of the Excelsior....
neighborhood. In 2005, he ran for San Francisco County assessor
Assessor (property)
An assessor is a specialist who calculates the value of property. The value calculated by the assessor is then used as the basis for determining the amounts to be paid or assessed for tax or insurance purposes....
, but lost to appointed incumbent Phil Ting
Phil Ting
Phil Ting is the Assessor-Recorder of the city and county of San Francisco.Ting was appointed and later elected in 2005, becoming San Francisco’s highest-ranking Chinese-American official. He began his career as a real estate financial adviser at Arthur Andersen and CB Richard Ellis. Ting had a...
. Sandoval was first elected to the Board of Supervisors in December 2000, and was re-elected in November 2004. In March 2000 he was elected to the San Francisco Democratic Central Committee.
Education
Sandoval attended Loyola High SchoolLoyola High School (Los Angeles)
Loyola High School of Los Angeles is a Jesuit preparatory school for young men. It is the oldest high school in Southern California, and one of the oldest in California...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
before graduating from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
in 1987. In 1989 he received his Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in City and Regional Planning from UC Berkeley, with a specialization in real estate and housing development. He wrote his master's thesis on using tax credits to build affordable housing. Sandoval received his law degree
Law degree
A Law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers; but while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not themselves confer a license...
from Columbia University Law School
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
.
Work experience
Sandoval worked as an assistant to San Francisco Mayor Art Agnos from 1990 to 1992, where he was responsible for budget and finance issues. He worked as a trial attorney and Deputy Public Defender in the San Francisco Public Defender's Office for five years. He was formerly an associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, the largest law firm in the United States. Sandoval also completed a three year term on San Francisco's Public Transportation Commission, an agency with over $350 million in expenditures and 3500 employees.Family
Sandoval's mother was a garment worker and homemaker. His father was a gardener and union organizer. Except for his oldest brother, who is developmentally disabled, all of Gerardo's siblings graduated from college. Gerardo is the first in his family to receive an advanced degree.He was in the first Head Start class in 1966 and considers himself a product of Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society
Great Society
The Great Society was a set of domestic programs in the United States promoted by President Lyndon B. Johnson and fellow Democrats in Congress in the 1960s. Two main goals of the Great Society social reforms were the elimination of poverty and racial injustice...
". He is fully bilingual in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and has traveled extensively in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Sandoval is married to the former Amy Harrington, and they have two daughters, Natalie Irene Sandoval and Julia Elyse Sandoval.
Legislative accomplishments
As Supervisor, Sandoval passed a consular identification ordinance in San Francisco. The ordinance requires that City employees (including police officers, airport workers, and health care workers) accept as identification the ID cards issued by foreign consulates if the cards have sufficient safeguards against fraudulent duplication and are accepted by the foreign government for entry into their national territory. This landmark legislation has been duplicated in many major US cities including Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. Most major US banks also accept the identification cards. The cards are used by individuals traveling temporarily in the US such as Mexican truck drivers who are allowed under the North American Free Trade AgreementNorth American Free Trade Agreement
The North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA is an agreement signed by the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The agreement came into force on January 1, 1994. It superseded the Canada – United States Free Trade Agreement...
(NAFTA) to enter the US. The cards also allow individuals to open bank accounts and otherwise access commonly available financial services. The ordinance has been criticized by opponents as allowing undocumented workers to more easily live in the US. Supporters of the ordinance have argued that such legislation by local governments is necessary to fill the vacuum in policy left due to inaction from federal and state governments.
Anti-Semitic remarks
Shortly after his election, Sandoval spoke out against an $80 million legal settlement that the City of San Francisco was paying to its biggest corporations. At a community meeting, Sandoval stated that the issue was not a legal one but a political one. Sandoval articulated an argument that San Franciscans should leave no stone unturned in trying to fight back, stating people should protest at "corporate headquarters, at the homes of CEOs, and their birthdays, weddings, bar mitzvahs or wherever" as the lawsuit would take money away from underserved segments of the population. The statements were criticized as anti-Semitic.Remarks that the US should not have a military
In an interview on Hannity & Colmes, San Francisco Supervisor Sandoval said that "I don't think we should have a military."He then claimed that local police and firefighters should be responsible for national defense. Sandoval also stated in the same interview, "we should invest our money in our kids." This video can be found on YouTube.
In a February 20 op-ed for the San Francisco Chronicle, he defended his remarks by stating that his own views are in line with a municipal resident current which runs against further military involvement in city life.
Alleged attacks on free speech
Sandoval introduced a resolution "condemning the defamatory language used by talk radio host Michael SavageMichael Savage (commentator)
Michael Savage is a conservative American radio host, author, and political commentator. He is the host of The Savage Nation, a nationally syndicated talk show that airs throughout the United States on Talk Radio Network...
" after Savage criticized illegal alien protesters who were fasting in support of the controversial DREAM Act
DREAM Act
The DREAM Act is an American legislative proposal first introduced in the Senate on August 1, 2001 and most recently reintroduced there on May 11, 2011....
, which would give qualifying illegal aliens a path to US citizenship as well as enable them to receive tax payer funded in-state college tuition. While the original 9-1 vote on August 14, 2007 failed to receive the required unanimous vote, the Board’s second attempt on October 2, 2007 passed after the one dissenting supervisor had been suspended from the Board by the Mayor. While the resolution itself was non-binding, Sandoval has been criticized as attacking free speech rights.