Joe Dunn (California)
Encyclopedia
Joe Dunn is a Democratic
California Democratic Party
The California Democratic Party is the state branch of the Democratic Party in the state of California, headquartered in Sacramento. It is chaired by veteran Democratic politician and former United States Representative John L. Burton, who succeeded Art Torres in April 2009. It is the majority...
former California State Senator
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
who represented California's 34th Senate District in central Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
and led the state's investigation into Enron
Enron
Enron Corporation was an American energy, commodities, and services company based in Houston, Texas. Before its bankruptcy on December 2, 2001, Enron employed approximately 22,000 staff and was one of the world's leading electricity, natural gas, communications, and pulp and paper companies, with...
's involvement in the 2000-2001 energy crisis
California electricity crisis
The California electricity crisis, also known as the Western U.S. Energy Crisis of 2000 and 2001 was a situation in which California had a shortage of electricity caused by market manipulations and illegal shutdowns of pipelines by Texas energy consortiums...
. He was first elected to the state Senate in 1998, when he unseated incumbent Republican Rob Hurrt by a 51% to 49% margin. Dunn was reelected in 2002. He ran for the Democratic nomination for Controller
California State Controller
The State Controller is the Chief Financial Officer of the State of California in the United States. The post has broader responsibilities and authority than the California State Treasurer...
in 2006
California State Controller election, 2006
The 2006 California State Controller election occurred on November 7, 2006. The primary elections took place on June 6, 2006. Board of Equalization Chair John Chiang, the Democratic nominee, defeated the Republican nominee, Assemblyman Tony Strickland, for the office previously held by Democrat...
but lost by 53% to 47% to John Chiang
John Chiang (California politician)
John Chiang is a Democratic politician and has been California State Controller since January 8, 2007. He previously served as Chair of the California Board of Equalization and represented the Fourth District, primarily serving southern Los Angeles County...
, who would then go on to win the general.
In October 2006, Dunn was appointed as CEO of the California Medical Association
California Medical Association
The California Medical Association is a professional organization representing more than 35,000 physicians in the state of California. The organization was founded in 1856 and is a member of the American Medical Association.-Audio-Digest Foundation:...
.
In 2010, Dunn was selected as the Executive Director of the State Bar of California. He is a founding partner of The Senators (Ret.) Firm, LLP.