Ken Calvert
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Stanton "Ken" Calvert (born June 8, 1953) is the U.S. Representative
for , and previously the 43rd, serving since 1993. He is a member of the Republican Party
. The district is part of the Inland Empire
and south Orange County areas of Southern California
.
to Marceline Hamblen and Ira D. Calvert, Jr., and still lives in Corona. In 1970, shortly after high school, he joined the campaigns of former state legislator Victor Veysey
. Calvert worked in Veysey's Washington, D.C., office as an intern after a 1972 victory.
Calvert received an associate of arts degree from Chaffey Community College
in 1973 and a bachelors of arts degree San Diego State University
in 1975. After graduation, he managed his family's restaurant, the Jolly Fox, in Corona for five years. He then entered the real estate industry and ran Ken Calvert Real Properties until he was elected to Congress.
to represent a newly drawn district. He narrowly lost the Republican primary to Riverside County Supervisor Al McCandless
, who had been the choice of the Republican establishment. McCandless went on to win the general election.
Calvert was first elected to the House in 1992, when McCandless was re-elected in a different district. Calvert won the general election with 47% of the vote (a plurality, but he was the highest vote-getter), defeating Democrat Mark A. Takano by 519 votes. In 1994, he was challenged in the Republican primary by Joe Khoury and won renomination by only 51% to 49%. He was re-elected in the 1994 general election with 55 percent, again defeating Takano.
In 1996, he was re-elected with 54 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Guy Kimbrough. In 1998 he defeated Democrat Mike Rayburn with 55 percent of the vote. Calvert won again in 2000 with 74 percent of the vote, facing no major-party opposition.
Calvert was re-elected in 2002, defeating Louis Vandenberg with 64 percent of the vote. He defeated Vandenberg again in 2004 with 61 percent of the vote. Vandenberg, a college administrator, was again Calvert's opponent in the November 2006 election.http://www.vandenbergforcongress.com/ Calvert won with 59.6 percent of the vote; Vandenburg got 37.5 percent.
In 2008, he had a surprisingly close race. He ran against Democratic candidate Bill Hedrick, receiving 51.8% of the vote. Calvert declared victory immediately, but Hedrick waited three weeks before conceding, due to higher than normal turnout prolonging the vote-counting process.
In 2010, Bill Hedrick ran against Calvert again. While most pundits such as Larry Sabato expected him to lose again, sources such as The New York Times
ranked the race more competitive. The New York Times has ranked this race as solid Republican, to "Leaning Republican. " In the end, Calvert won by a 10% margin.
The National Journal
's Cook Political Report
named Calvert one of the top 10 Republicans most vulnerable to redistricting in 2012, largely due to his district's rapidly growing Hispanic population.
Rep Calvert introduced H. Res. 377, a bill recognizing Armed Forces Day and the exemplary service of the members of the United States Armed Forces on April 29, 2009. This bill received 70 bipartisan cosponsorships and passed the House of Representatives unanimously on May 14, 2009.
Rep. Calvert introduced H. Res. 1219 to support the designation of a National Child Awareness Month to promote awareness of children's charities and youth-serving organizations across the United States on March 25, 2010. Rep Calvert assembled 40 bipartisan cosponsors for this bill and on July 19, 2010 this bill passed the House of Representatives with unanimous support.
E-Verify is 99.6% accurate, free to employers, web-based and 96.1% of checks to the system receive an instant "green light" to work. Rep. Calvert has introduced legislation in the 111th Congress to make use of E-Verify mandatory.
. Calvert's real estate firm, where Calvert's brother, Quint, is the president, and Halpole is vice president, received brokerage fees from the seller, Rod Smith of Greeley, Colorado
, for representing both buyer and seller in the deal. Less than a year later, Calvert and Harpole sold the property for nearly $1 million. During the time he owned the land, Calvert used the earmarking process to secure $8 million in federal funds for a freeway interchange 16 miles (25.7 km) from the property, and an additional $1.5 million to support commercial development of the area around the base.
In early summer 2005, Harpole bought property with a group of investors at 20330 Temescal Canyon Road, a few blocks from the site of the what was then a proposed interchange at Cajalco and I-15. The purchase price was $975,000. Within six months, after the bill passed that provided federal funding for the interchange, they sold the parcel for $1.45 million. Calvert's firm took a commission on the sale.
On May 19, 2006, The Riverside Press-Enterprise, the sixth largest newspaper in California, editorialized that The Los Angeles Times got the facts wrong and in fact, there was no impropriety on the part of Rep. Calvert. Rep. Calvert has stated that all requests for federal funding come from local entities.
The community services district did not advertise or list the land for sale, a practice required by counties and many other public agencies seeking top dollar on behalf of taxpayers. District general manager Carole McGreevy, who is stepping down from that position in late 2006 and retiring in late 2007, said the district proclaimed the land surplus in the early 1990s after it was no longer needed for flood control. The record of that decision was among the missing documents, as was the updated appraisal that McGreevy said was done in May 2005.
The Calvert partnership plans to build a mini-storage business. In August 2008, the Jurupa Area Recreation and Parks District (JARPD) filed a lawsuit against JCSD, alleging fraud in the sale of the land. In August 2009, the FBI was looking into the lawsuit. A spokeswoman for Calvert said he had not been contacted by the FBI or a grand jury and did not believe that he was a focus of any investigation.
The JCSD and JARPD reached a settlement to the dispute on October 7, 2010 and the agreement stated that Stadium Properties, of which Rep. Calvert is one-third silent partner, had no knowledge that the JCSD had not properly noticed the sale of land.
(CREW). They accuse him of gaining personally from earmarks
, making allegedly illegal land deals, and having questionable ties to a lobbying firm that is under investigation by the FBI.
In 2007, the conservative blog RedState
declared that "we must scalp one member. That member's name is Ken Calvert" after reporting allegations against real estate transactions.
Fox News has featured Ken Calvert in multiple stories that detail US Congressional Representatives that use ear-marks for personal benefit.
, police officers found Calvert with a woman in his car, his pants unzipped and his penis exposed. When one officer spotlit the interior of the vehicle, Calvert attempted to drive away. The officers instructed him to stop three times before he complied. Calvert told the police that he and the woman, who said she was a convicted prostitute and a heroin user, were "just talking." The Press-Enterprise later went to court to force the Corona police to release the police report.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for , and previously the 43rd, serving since 1993. He is a member of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. The district is part of the Inland Empire
Inland Empire (California)
The Inland Empire is a region in Southern California. The region sits directly east of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Inland Empire most commonly is used in reference to the U.S. Census Bureau's federally-defined Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area, which covers more than...
and south Orange County areas of Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
.
Early life, education and career
Calvert was born in Corona, CaliforniaCorona, California
Corona is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 152,374, up from 124,966 at the 2000 census...
to Marceline Hamblen and Ira D. Calvert, Jr., and still lives in Corona. In 1970, shortly after high school, he joined the campaigns of former state legislator Victor Veysey
Victor Veysey
Victor Vincent Veysey was an American Republican politician.-Education:Born in 1915 in Los Angeles, California, Veysey received a BSc from CalTech in 1936 and an MBA from Harvard University in 1938...
. Calvert worked in Veysey's Washington, D.C., office as an intern after a 1972 victory.
Calvert received an associate of arts degree from Chaffey Community College
Chaffey College
Chaffey College is a public community college in the San Bernardino County city of Rancho Cucamonga, California, in the northern part of the community of Alta Loma. Chaffey provides students with different classes and programs, including business, science, the arts, history, philosophy,...
in 1973 and a bachelors of arts degree San Diego State University
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
in 1975. After graduation, he managed his family's restaurant, the Jolly Fox, in Corona for five years. He then entered the real estate industry and ran Ken Calvert Real Properties until he was elected to Congress.
Committee assignments
- Committee on AppropriationsUnited States House Committee on AppropriationsThe Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is in charge of setting the specific expenditures of money by the government of the United States...
- Subcommittee on DefenseUnited States House Appropriations Subcommittee on DefenseThe House Subcommittee on Defense is a standing subcommittee within the United States House Committee on Appropriations.-Members, 112th Congress:-External links:* Official page...
- Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related AgenciesUnited States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related AgenciesThe House Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies is a standing subcommittee within the House Appropriations Committee.-Members, 112th Congress:-External links:**...
(Vice Chair) - Subcommittee on the Legislative BranchUnited States House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative BranchThe United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch is a standing subcommittee within the House Appropriations Committee.-Members, 112th Congress:-External links:**...
- Subcommittee on Defense
- Committee on the BudgetUnited States House Committee on the BudgetThe U.S. House Committee on the Budget, commonly known as the House Budget Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives, the lower house of Congress...
Elections
In 1982, the 29 year old Calvert ran for the United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
to represent a newly drawn district. He narrowly lost the Republican primary to Riverside County Supervisor Al McCandless
Al McCandless
Alfred "Al" A. McCandless , a Republican politician from CaliforniaMcCANDLESS, Alfred A., a Representative from California; born in Brawley, Imperial County, Calif., July 23, 1927; attended Los Angeles City schools; B.A., University of California at Los Angeles, 1951; served, United States Marine...
, who had been the choice of the Republican establishment. McCandless went on to win the general election.
Calvert was first elected to the House in 1992, when McCandless was re-elected in a different district. Calvert won the general election with 47% of the vote (a plurality, but he was the highest vote-getter), defeating Democrat Mark A. Takano by 519 votes. In 1994, he was challenged in the Republican primary by Joe Khoury and won renomination by only 51% to 49%. He was re-elected in the 1994 general election with 55 percent, again defeating Takano.
In 1996, he was re-elected with 54 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Guy Kimbrough. In 1998 he defeated Democrat Mike Rayburn with 55 percent of the vote. Calvert won again in 2000 with 74 percent of the vote, facing no major-party opposition.
Calvert was re-elected in 2002, defeating Louis Vandenberg with 64 percent of the vote. He defeated Vandenberg again in 2004 with 61 percent of the vote. Vandenberg, a college administrator, was again Calvert's opponent in the November 2006 election.http://www.vandenbergforcongress.com/ Calvert won with 59.6 percent of the vote; Vandenburg got 37.5 percent.
In 2008, he had a surprisingly close race. He ran against Democratic candidate Bill Hedrick, receiving 51.8% of the vote. Calvert declared victory immediately, but Hedrick waited three weeks before conceding, due to higher than normal turnout prolonging the vote-counting process.
In 2010, Bill Hedrick ran against Calvert again. While most pundits such as Larry Sabato expected him to lose again, sources such as The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
ranked the race more competitive. The New York Times has ranked this race as solid Republican, to "Leaning Republican. " In the end, Calvert won by a 10% margin.
The National Journal
National Journal
National Journal is a nonpartisan American weekly magazine that reports on the current political environment and emerging political and policy trends. National Journal was first published in 1969. Times Mirror owned the magazine from 1986 to 1997, when it was purchased by David G. Bradley...
's Cook Political Report
Cook Political Report
The Cook Political Report is an independent, non-partisan online newsletter that analyzes elections and campaigns for the United States House of Representatives, the United States Senate, Governor's offices and the American Presidency. The Cook Political Report is led by a staff of five...
named Calvert one of the top 10 Republicans most vulnerable to redistricting in 2012, largely due to his district's rapidly growing Hispanic population.
111th Congress
On June 10, 2009, Rep. Calvert introduced H.R. 2788, the Distinguished Flying Cross National Memorial Act. This Act designates a national memorial at March Field Air Museum in honor of current and former members of the armed forces who have been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Rep. Calvert worked to assemble a bipartisan group of 48 cosponsors for this legislation. On March 19, 2010, H.R. 2788 unanimously passed the House of Representatives.Rep Calvert introduced H. Res. 377, a bill recognizing Armed Forces Day and the exemplary service of the members of the United States Armed Forces on April 29, 2009. This bill received 70 bipartisan cosponsorships and passed the House of Representatives unanimously on May 14, 2009.
Rep. Calvert introduced H. Res. 1219 to support the designation of a National Child Awareness Month to promote awareness of children's charities and youth-serving organizations across the United States on March 25, 2010. Rep Calvert assembled 40 bipartisan cosponsors for this bill and on July 19, 2010 this bill passed the House of Representatives with unanimous support.
E-Verify
Rep. Calvert is the original author of E-Verify, the only employment verification program available to employers to check the work authorization status of newly hired employees. In 1995, Rep. Calvert introduced H.R. 502, which was later included in the immigration reform bill, H.R. 2202. The immigration reforms were later wrapped into the FY1997 Omnibus Appropriations Act. The original program, known as the Basic Pilot Program, was only available to five states and employers used a call in system. In the 12 years since its implementation, the Basic Pilot Program, now known as E-Verify, has expanded nationwide and has over 100,000 employers using the system. Two states, Arizona and Mississippi, have made use of E-Verify mandatory.E-Verify is 99.6% accurate, free to employers, web-based and 96.1% of checks to the system receive an instant "green light" to work. Rep. Calvert has introduced legislation in the 111th Congress to make use of E-Verify mandatory.
CALFED
As Chairman of the Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power, Rep. Calvert introduced H.R. 2828, The Water Supply, Reliability, and Environmental Improvement Act, which reauthorizes the CALFED Bay-Delta program. The CALFED Bay-Delta Program is a unique collaboration among 25 state and federal agencies that came together with a mission: to improve California’s water supply and the ecological health of the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. H.R. 2828 provides a long-term federal authorization for the western region for water supply and reliability. The bill became Public Law 108-361The NASA Reauthorization Act of 2005
In the 109th Congress, Rep. Calvert served as the Chairman of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee which oversees NASA. As Chairman Rep. Calvert introduced and passed into law the NASA Authorization Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-155), the first reauthorization bill of civilian space and aeronautics agency in five years. The reauthorization provided NASA with the direction and tools to implement President Bush's Vision for Space Exploration while stressing the importance of their earth and space science and aeronautics work.Real estate investments
Calvert's May 2005 financial disclosure statement showed that he owned eight parcels of land, most in Riverside County, as of December 31, 2004. In 2005, Calvert and Harpole paid $550,000 for a 4.3 acres (17,401.5 m²) parcel just south of March Air Reserve BaseMarch Air Reserve Base
March Joint Air Reserve Base is located in Riverside County, California between the cities of Riverside and Moreno Valley. It is the home to the Air Force Reserve Command's 4th Air Force Headquarters and the 452d Air Mobility Wing , the largest air mobility wing of the 4th Air Force...
. Calvert's real estate firm, where Calvert's brother, Quint, is the president, and Halpole is vice president, received brokerage fees from the seller, Rod Smith of Greeley, Colorado
Greeley, Colorado
The City of Greeley is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Weld County, Colorado, United States. Greeley is located in the region known as Northern Colorado. Greeley is situated north-northeast of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. According to the...
, for representing both buyer and seller in the deal. Less than a year later, Calvert and Harpole sold the property for nearly $1 million. During the time he owned the land, Calvert used the earmarking process to secure $8 million in federal funds for a freeway interchange 16 miles (25.7 km) from the property, and an additional $1.5 million to support commercial development of the area around the base.
In early summer 2005, Harpole bought property with a group of investors at 20330 Temescal Canyon Road, a few blocks from the site of the what was then a proposed interchange at Cajalco and I-15. The purchase price was $975,000. Within six months, after the bill passed that provided federal funding for the interchange, they sold the parcel for $1.45 million. Calvert's firm took a commission on the sale.
On May 19, 2006, The Riverside Press-Enterprise, the sixth largest newspaper in California, editorialized that The Los Angeles Times got the facts wrong and in fact, there was no impropriety on the part of Rep. Calvert. Rep. Calvert has stated that all requests for federal funding come from local entities.
Jurupa Community Services District
In the spring of 2006, Calvert and Harpole purchased 4 acres (16,187.4 m²) of land from Jurupa Community Services District (JCSD), a water and sewer district in northwestern Riverside County, for $1.2 million, along with five investment partners who jointly had a one-third interest. A newspaper investigation reported in August 2006 that the district apparently never first offered the land to other public agencies, a requirement of state law intended to provide more recreational land. The district's general manager said other agencies were notified, but representatives of those agencies said they received no such notice. The district could not provide evidence of the notification, saying relevant files had been misplaced.The community services district did not advertise or list the land for sale, a practice required by counties and many other public agencies seeking top dollar on behalf of taxpayers. District general manager Carole McGreevy, who is stepping down from that position in late 2006 and retiring in late 2007, said the district proclaimed the land surplus in the early 1990s after it was no longer needed for flood control. The record of that decision was among the missing documents, as was the updated appraisal that McGreevy said was done in May 2005.
The Calvert partnership plans to build a mini-storage business. In August 2008, the Jurupa Area Recreation and Parks District (JARPD) filed a lawsuit against JCSD, alleging fraud in the sale of the land. In August 2009, the FBI was looking into the lawsuit. A spokeswoman for Calvert said he had not been contacted by the FBI or a grand jury and did not believe that he was a focus of any investigation.
The JCSD and JARPD reached a settlement to the dispute on October 7, 2010 and the agreement stated that Stadium Properties, of which Rep. Calvert is one-third silent partner, had no knowledge that the JCSD had not properly noticed the sale of land.
Corruption allegations
Calvert was named one of the 15 most corrupt members of Congress by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in WashingtonCitizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington is a nonprofit 501 organization that describes itself as "dedicated to promoting ethics and accountability in government and public life by targeting government officials – regardless of party affiliation – who sacrifice the common good to...
(CREW). They accuse him of gaining personally from earmarks
Earmark (politics)
In United States politics, an earmark is a legislative provision that directs approved funds to be spent on specific projects, or that directs specific exemptions from taxes or mandated fees...
, making allegedly illegal land deals, and having questionable ties to a lobbying firm that is under investigation by the FBI.
In 2007, the conservative blog RedState
RedState
RedState is a conservative American political weblog.The site is currently a subsidiary of Eagle Publishing, Inc., a conservative publishing house which also owns Regnery Publishing and the weekly magazine Human Events...
declared that "we must scalp one member. That member's name is Ken Calvert" after reporting allegations against real estate transactions.
Fox News has featured Ken Calvert in multiple stories that detail US Congressional Representatives that use ear-marks for personal benefit.
Prostitution incident
In 1993, two Corona, CaliforniaCorona, California
Corona is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 152,374, up from 124,966 at the 2000 census...
, police officers found Calvert with a woman in his car, his pants unzipped and his penis exposed. When one officer spotlit the interior of the vehicle, Calvert attempted to drive away. The officers instructed him to stop three times before he complied. Calvert told the police that he and the woman, who said she was a convicted prostitute and a heroin user, were "just talking." The Press-Enterprise later went to court to force the Corona police to release the police report.
Committee assignments
- Committee on AppropriationsUnited States House Committee on AppropriationsThe Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is in charge of setting the specific expenditures of money by the government of the United States...
- Subcommittee on Energy and Water DevelopmentUnited States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water DevelopmentThe House Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies is a standing subcommittee within the House Appropriations Committee.-Members, 112th Congress:-External links:* Official page...
- Subcommittee on Homeland SecurityUnited States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland SecurityThe House Subcommittee on Homeland Security is a standing subcommittee within the House Appropriations Committee.-Members, 112th Congress:-External links:**...
- Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related AgenciesUnited States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related AgenciesThe House Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies is a standing subcommittee within the House Appropriations Committee.-Members, 112th Congress:-External links:**...
- Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
Caucus membership
- Republican Main Street PartnershipRepublican Main Street PartnershipThe Republican Main Street Partnership is a group of moderate members of the United States Republican Party. They tend away from the dominant social conservatism of many Republicans and towards a moderate fiscal conservatism and limited government to a degree. The group is the rough equivalent of...
- Caucus to Fight and Control Methamphetamine (Co-Chairman)
- Generic Drug Equity Caucus (Co-Chairman)
- Manufactured Housing Caucus (Co-Chairman)
- Beef Caucus
- Boating Caucus
- Canada Caucus
- Coastal Caucus
- Goods Movement Caucus
- Hydrogen Caucus
- International Conservation CaucusUnited States Congressional International Conservation CaucusThe U.S. Congressional International Conservation Caucus is a bipartisan congressional organization that was founded in September 2003 with the conviction that “the United States of America has the opportunity, the obligation and the interests to advance the conservation of natural resources for...
- Congressional Internet Caucus
- Native American Caucus
- Real Estate Caucus
- Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus
- Specialty Crop Caucus
- Sportsmen’s Caucus
- Suburban Agenda
- Western Caucus
- Wine Caucus
- Armenian Caucus
- Baltic Caucus
- Hellenic Caucus
- Human Rights Caucus
- India Caucus
- International Anti-Piracy Caucus
- Moroccan Caucus
- Travel and Tourism Caucus
- Zero Capital Gains Tax Caucus
- Congressional Diabetes Caucus
- Cong. Missing and Exploited Children’s Caucus
- Coalition on Autism Research and Education
- 2015 Caucus (House Cancer Caucus)
- Fire Caucus
- Medical Technology Caucus
- Electronic Warfare Caucus
- Modeling & Simulation Training Caucus
- National Guard and Reserve Components Caucus
- Navy-Marine Corps Caucus
- Shipbuilding Caucus
- Special Operations Forces Caucus
- U.S. House Law Enforcement Caucus
- STEM Caucus
- Congressional Missing and Exploited Children Caucus
- Immigration Reform Caucus
- Congressional Border Caucus
- Congressional Internet Caucus
- Congressional Diabetes Caucus
- Coalition on Autism Research and Education
- Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Caucus
- Congressional Alzheimer’s Taskforce
- Heart and Stroke Coalition
- Cystic Fibrosis Caucus
External links
- U.S. Congressman Ken Calvert official U.S. House site
- Ken Calvert for Congress official campaign site
- Profile at SourceWatchSourceWatchSourceWatch is an internet wiki site that is a collaborative project of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy...
- Associated Press profile
- Report of Calvert contact with two police officers
