Abel Maldonado News Feed

Sen. Abel Maldonado, GOP maverick, does it his way

05/25/2008

Sen. Abel Maldonado, GOP maverick, does it his way

SANTA MARIA-- -- Sen. Abel Maldonado crouched to desk level and, with a mischievous smile, enlisted the help of sixth-grader Michelle Grahame to sweat the governor over the state's looming budget cuts.

The 12-year-old was immersed in her computer animation project, an Earth-like blue sphere hovering behind a curiously grown-up message: "Please don't cut Education."

Maldonado, on a tour of Ralph Dunlap Elementary, persuaded her to tweak it to read: "Please don't cut Education Arnold." He left with a printout he promised to deliver to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is hashing over ways to close the state's estimated $2-billion budget gap.

"We're in some challenging times, but I've made a commitment not to cut education," Maldonado, a Republican, told school officials and PTA members after the tour. "We're going to have to get creative."

It was a gentle jab at Schwarzenegger, but Maldonado has crossed the governor and his party leadership before, earning the scorn of conservatives and Republican loyalists. One party official writing on a conservative blog declared that the senator, one of the few Latino Republicans in Sacramento, "is not one of us."

Those same maverick traits, however, have intrigued party moderates who are struggling to make the GOP more appealing to the fastest-growing segments of the California electorate: Latinos and independents.

"I just hope that we can come together as a party in our state," said Maldonado. "Not lose our principles or values but understand that this is a blue state, it is a Democrat state, and we need to come around on some issues to win in California."

Issues such as immigration, he said. Maldonado believes Republicans have committed political suicide by ratcheting up anti-illegal immigrant rhetoric -- alienating Latino voters, who account for an estimated 14% of the California electorate -- and screaming "amnesty!" whenever comprehensive immigration reform is discussed.

"Do they hate Ronald Reagan? Ronald Reagan gave amnesty in 1986 to a lot of foreigners in this country," Maldonado said. The 41-year-old senator said he would crack down on illegal immigrants and secure the border. But he added that the federal immigration system is broken and the country needs a guest worker program to help both immigrants and employers.

Maldonado, the son of a migrant farmworker turned multimillion-dollar businessman, had the personal appeal and political guile to win handily in a Democratic district in 2004. He is the only state senator running unopposed this election; however, a write-in campaign organized by Democrats could lead to his being challenged in November.

With his infectious smile and knack for chumming up even the most wary stranger, he exudes a "by golly" charm that even his detractors find hard to dismiss. Underneath that veneer, however, are the hardened memories of a farmworker's son. As a schoolboy, he stood in line for the free lunch program and, he said, was razzed by classmates for having strawberry stains on his pants, a residue from the fields.

He said his experience has given him a richer perspective on the working poor and helps explain why he wasn't fazed by the conservative outcry when he carried the governor's 2006 bill to increase the minimum wage. Republican Assemblyman Tony Strickland attacked Maldonado on the issue when they both ran for state controller in 2006. Maldonado lost the GOP primary and Strickland lost in the general election.

"At the end of the day, I vote for what I believe is right for the people of California, not for my party," Maldonado said. "My father came to America as a bracero. He didn't have a penny in his pocket, but he had values -- values my party has lost: fiscal responsibility, ethics and hard work."

Maldonado lays the blame mostly on Republicans in Washington, who he said have gone on a spending binge. But, he said, the GOP in California has been damaged by the partisan backbiting that consumes Sacramento.

"If you want to run a successful business in California, or in America, there needs to be some compromise," said Maldonado, who runs the financial side of the family farm (his brother serves as president). "The best price for a box of strawberries is the one that gets it on the truck. Because I can ask for $10 all day long, but they're going to rot if I don't sell them."

Maldonado has cut a paradoxical political path through Sacramento, to which the avid pilot commutes in his single-engine Mooney M20E. Business supporters hailed him for backing workers' compensation reform, then castigated him for sponsoring the minimum-wage increase. Conservatives were pleased with his vote against gay marriage but riled by his support for banning .50-caliber rifles.

His stand on the current budget crisis is no different. Maldonado opposes raising taxes, yet has joined noisy demonstrations outside the Capitol to protest cuts to education and parks. His solution: sell the California Lottery, which he believes could fetch the billions needed to close the state's shortfall.

It's a record that partisan purists criticize as blatantly opportunistic.

"Abel Maldonado is worthless," said Tom Hudson of Placer County, an outspoken conservative member of the California Republican Party's executive committee. "It seems like the Democrats can count on him for the important vote, and his constituents cannot."

Maldonado is perhaps best known for defying his Senate Republican colleagues last summer by voting with the Democrats to end the budget standoff.

"It was hard on him, but I got calls from conservatives in his district who said it was the right thing to do," said former GOP Senate Leader Dick Ackerman of Orange County.

Ackerman, who survived an earlier leadership challenge thanks in part to Maldonado's support, last year steered hundreds of thousands of dollars in party funds to Maldonado's campaign account to defend against what was expected to be an aggressive challenge by the Democrats this November.

Not a single Democratic candidate filed, however, even though Democrats account for 40% of the district's registered voters, compared to 36% for the Republicans. Maldonado said he'll return the money.

Mark Buchman of the San Luis Obispo Democratic Party blamed the absence of a challenge on the Senate's top Democrat, Don Perata of Oakland. After Maldonado broke with Senate Republicans on the budget, Perata told The Times he'd "be happy to go down to Santa Maria any time and knock on doors and say what a solid guy he is."

"We actually had a candidate who was willing to run, a good candidate . . . but it fell apart," Buchman said.

Santa Maria City Councilwoman Hilda Zacarias, a Democrat, said Maldonado also was a formidable opponent in the rural district, which runs from northern Santa Barbara County to San Jose. Voters support protecting the coastline, parklands and agricultural interests in the region, regardless of party, she said.

"The community is very moderate as far as the Democratic Party goes and can be very conservative fiscally, no matter what party you belong to," Zacarias said. "I have been actually plenty surprised about what he has supported. He's a Republican who does think about the human factor."

Maldonado's history with the state's senior Republican has been mixed. After losing the GOP primary for state controller, Maldonado lashed out at Schwarzenegger for not supporting him -- even after he campaigned for Schwarzenegger and carried the governor's minimum-wage bill.

"When he needs Latinos, Latinos are always there for him. When Latinos need him, the answer's been 'no,' " Maldonado told The Times after the election. An embarrassed Maldonado later apologized, saying he should have expressed his feelings to the governor in person.

"I regret that," Maldonado said recently, adding: "We've kissed, we've hugged. We've made up."

The senator's father, Abel Maldonado Sr., came to California from the Mexican state of Jalisco in 1964. After working for a few years in the Central Valley, he settled in Santa Maria and joined a cooperative of Latino farmworkers who tended small plots in their off hours.

From there, he built a company, Agro-Jalisco, that now farms more than 2,000 acres of strawberries, lettuce, broccoli and cauliflower and employs more than 300 people.

Abel Maldonado Jr. broke into politics when he was 26, running for Santa Maria City Council in 1994 after he grew frustrated by the city's delays in granting the family farm a permit for a cooling facility. He was elected mayor two years later.

Maldonado said his time as mayor reinforced the value of consensus.

"We didn't go into closed session and say, 'Let's pave the streets on the Republican side of town and let's not pave the Democrats' side of town. We paved all the town," he said.

In 2000, George W. Bush invited Maldonado, then a freshman assemblyman, to share his family's story at the Republican National Convention. Maldonado delivered his Spanish-language address an hour before Bush accepted the nomination.

During a recent trip home to Santa Maria, Maldonado spent the day dashing around the district. With his wife and college-age daughter at his side -- he also has three sons -- Maldonado sat down with local state department heads in San Luis Obispo to give an update on the budget.

He launched into his familiar refrain, blaming the gridlock on lawmakers placing party loyalty over the people of California. It's the same partisan divide he feels is the biggest impediment to him winning statewide office.

"I don't know what's in store for me. I hope my party sees me as their future, because there's no secret what California is going to look like in 10 or 15 years," Maldonado said. "The Republican Party is going to have to wake up."

phil.willon@latimes.com

Summit Fire: Governor praises work of firefighters

05/24/2008

GILROY -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, visiting the Summit Fire base camp in Gilroy on Friday, heartily praised the men and women on the front lines of the blaze burning in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

"We have very brave and talented firefighters in California," he said. "They are the most talented and best trained."

Schwarzenegger was joined by county Supervisors Tony Campos and Ellen Pirie, state Sen. Abel Maldonado and Cal Fire Director Ruben Grijalva as he was briefed by fire officials and given a tour of the camp.

He said Thursday's hot, windy weather whipped the fire to a level normally seen in September or October, not spring.

The Summit Fire, which ignited about 5:20 a.m. Thursday, has chewed up 3,200 acres and destroyed nearly 20 homes and 11 outbuildings.

Currently 25 percent under control, the fire is expected to be entirely contained by Wednesday, fire officials said.

Battling the blaze has cost an estimated $1.72 million so far, Grijalva said.

The National Guard is also bringing in 12 helicopters and a C-130 tanker with infrared vision to see through the smoke. There already are 2,683 firefighters in 83 crews, 2 airtankers, 10 airplanes, 13 helicopters, 259 engines, 37 water tenders and 54 bulldozers.

Friday's work involved building nine miles of line near Summit Road, Buzzard Lagoon Road, Ramsey Gulch and Mount Madonna Road to stop the fire -- located in steep, rugged terrain -- from spreading.

The governor said he's pleased with the response from Cal Fire and the local fire agencies called to help.

"I'm satisfied, but am I 100 percent satisfied? No. We always have to shoot for better," Schwarzenegger said. "We need more manpower, we need more aircraft. But we can't be whining about that, we can't be complaining.

Campos, in Sacramento Thursday for an unrelated meeting, met with Schwarzenegger to ask for an emergency declaration for Santa Cruz County.

The declaration allowed for firefighters to be called in from across the state to assist the effort, and likely will land the county $100 million from the state for recovery efforts.

Schwarzenegger noted Campos' effort during the press conference.

"This is a very efficient man," the governor said. "He stormed into my office immediately. We did this one in about 27 minutes, a new record."

Pirie said she wants to help residents who've lost their homes in the fire rebuild without being burdened by the county planning process.

She plans to write a letter to her supervisor colleagues asking them to streamline the permit process for fire victims.

"The problem is, a house burns down and rebuilding it means following a new code that could cost more than the house was insured for," Pirie said. "We should bend over backward to help them rebuild and get back into their homes."

Pirie's proposal will be presented at the board's next meeting June 10.

Neon License Plates Proposed for Sex Offenders

03/06/2008

SACRAMENTO, CA - A California lawmaker wants to require certain sex offenders to use specialized license plates that would distinguish the driver as a registered sex offender.

Sen. Abel Maldonado, R-Santa Maria, says Senate Bill 1163 would make the streets safer by helping the public better identify potentially dangerous sex offenders.

"SB 1163 will make sure that we know when these violent offenders are places where they don't belong," Maldonado said.

The measure would prohibit offenders accused of child sex crimes from operating a motor vehicle unless the car had a specialized license plate. Violators would face a misdemeanor charge.

Opponents say the legislation makes for good headlines but would do little to help reduce sex crimes.

Lone Wolf Dares Defy GOP Pack In Budget Vote

08/09/2007

While his Senate Republican colleagues have cowered under the shadow of right-wing ideology, he has had the courage to move forward on a centrist course of compromise.

Sen. Abel Maldonado (R-Santa Maria), 39, is the kind of lawmaker ordinary people say they want representing them: Not too politically partisan. Not afraid to exercise independence. More loyal to his constituents than his party caucus.

Senate Republicans either don't know when to declare victory because they're so used to losing. Or they're just hankering to fight -- to prove their relevance and take a shot at the governor who last year virtually ignored them and dealt solely with ruling Democrats.

It's both, I suspect.

Make no mistake: The Assembly-passed budget is a Republican budget. It hits society's most vulnerable. It cuts funds for inner-city transit. It reduces the budget deficit to $700 million -- half of what Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had proposed in May -- and the governor has promised to whittle that down to zero with line-item vetoes. The budget sets aside a record $3.6-billion reserve. And there's no tax increase.

That's basically what Republicans have demanded for months. They've won. But in the Senate, Maldonado is the only one trying to wave the flag -- before Democrats turn around and run them over.

Immigration Reform

03/05/2007

In 1963, my father came to this country as a temporary farm worker, also known as a "bracero" in those days. He came to California from Mexico intent on achieving "el /sue?o/ Americano," the American dream. During his 40 years here, he has founded and maintained a successful business and seen his son become a state senator and chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. Only in America. From my father's experience I've seen the promises and problems facing newcomers to our country, so it's safe to say that when it comes to the issue of immigration, I have some pretty strong feelings. As a senator, I see the costs of uncontrolled immigration: crowded schools, impacted emergency rooms and overcrowding in our prisons.

It has become increasingly clear that our immigration system is completely broken. Our borders are porous and unsecured, people wait many years to hear from the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services regarding their legal resident status, and the problem grows worse each day. We spend billions of dollars on security in Iraq while terrorists could potentially walk into our country unquestioned. The burdens for taxpayers, as well as deserving would-be immigrants, have become so intolerable that the time has come for the federal government to take responsibility for our borders and send the president a comprehensive immigration reform package.

We have waited long enough - ya basta - for immigration reform, and the time

to act is now. For too long we have heard politicians make empty promises they refuse to keep, and we must let our federal legislators know we expect them to act. Our porous borders are costing California over $10 billion per year. At a time when our budget situation flexes from alarming to dire, it's crucial we spend the people's money wisely.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, President Bush has indicated he is willing to sign a temporary worker immigration reform, not amnesty, into law. This issue affects our national security, our economy and almost every facet of our daily life. I call on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to develop and send the president a comprehensive temporary worker reform package immediately. I believe immigration reform should focus on border security, more efficient handling of paperwork for those who are eligible for legal resident status, or "green cards," and a temporary worker program. Any immigration reform package that does not contain a fix for these three problems will be incomplete.

Every day, I hear stories from people in my district who have been waiting years to find out if they are eligible for citizenship. Our government should be able to tell them in a reasonable amount of time. It is unfair to hold individuals in limbo for three, six or at times even nine or 10 years. By refusing to act on this crucial issue by enacting reforms, our government will continue to shortchange those who want to come to the United States to work temporarily and will endanger the lives of existing citizens.

And for those immigrants who form an integral part of our national life through their contributions to the economy, it is crucial the United States establish a temporary worker program. Without immigrants, our economy would be brought to its knees. The food service, hospitality and agriculture industries would be essentially crippled. Here in California, these industries represent the No. 1 and 2 contributors to our economy. It is vital that any comprehensive immigration reform package take this into consideration.

A temporary worker program should allow approved non-citizens to come into our country and work. If a person works for a set number of years with no criminal convictions, arrests or other problems - like my dad - he or she should be allowed to get in line to receive a tamper-proof legal resident card. This country was built on a belief in hard work, personal responsibility and entrepreneurship. We should encourage hard-working individuals to come here on a temporary basis so that they too can achieve what my father has.

In all of this, we must keep the debate over illegal immigration civil. We should never forget that the people who would be crossing the border on a temporary basis are just that: people. They are mothers, fathers, sisters, friends, sons, daughters and neighbors who want a piece of what we are all so privileged to have: el sue?o Americano, the American dream.