January 24, 2008
Election Special Guests: Rep. Linda Sánchez,
Board of Equalization Vice Chair Judy Chu,
& Assembly Member Anthony Portantino
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Part One (28 min. 18 sec.) | Part Two (31 min. 47 sec.)
Barry discusses the economy, health care, and other vital issues with surrogates for the three major Democratic candidates for president, as a run-up to the "Super Tuesday" primary election: Congresswoman Linda Sánchez, representing Sen. Barack Obama; Vice Chair of the California State Board of Equalization Judy Chu, representing Sen. Hillary Clinton; and Assembly Member Anthony Portantino, representing former Sen. John Edwards.
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Congresswoman Linda Sánchez
The surrogate for presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama on the "NewsRap Election Special" is Congresswoman Linda Sánchez, representing California's 39th Congressional District (stretching from Whittier through Cerritos and Lakewood to South Gate). Sánchez is the first Latina in history to serve on the powerful Judiciary Committee. She also serves on committees or subcommittes concerned with immigration, foreign affairs, education, and labor. Sánchez is a co-founder of the Labor and Working Families Caucus, having worked extensively with the IBEW and other constituent unions of the AFL-CIO. Born to immigrant parents from Mexico, Rep. Linda Sánchez is sister to Rep. Loretta Sánchez, from the 47th district, in Orange County: They are the first sisters and the first women of any relation to ever serve together in Congress.
Judy Chu, Vice Chair, California State Board of Equalization
The surrogate for presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton is Dr. Judy Chu, Vice Chair of the California State Board of Equalization. Chu was elected to the Board in 2006 from the Fourth District, representing most of Los Angeles County. From 2001 to 2006, Chu was assembly member for the 49th District, in the west San Gabriel Valley. In the assembly, she served as chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee and as a member of Speaker Nuñez's executive leadership team. In 2004 Chu authored a tax amnesty bill that brought in $4.8 billion, making the program the most successful to date in the state and nation. Prior to the assembly, Chu served on the Monterey Park City Council from 1988 to 2001 and as a board member of the Garvey School District from 1985 to 1988. For 20 years, Dr. Chu was a community college professor of psychology.
Assembly Member Anthony Portantino
The surrogate for presidential candidate former Sen. John Edwards is Assembly Member Anthony Portantino, elected in 2006 from the 44th District, including Pasadena. In the assembly, Portantino has been active in legislation affecting such concerns as education, job training, and umbilical cord blood-banking -- which gained broad bipartisan support for having the potential to save thousands of lives annually. Before the assembly, Portantino served nearly eight years on the La Cañada-Flintridge City Council and as vice chair of the Santa Monica Mountains Advisory Committee. Portantino was born and raised in New Jersey; he came to California to pursue a career in film and television, working on "Unsolved Mysteries" and productions for Telemundo as well as numerous independent and industrial films.