Thomas John Umberg (born September 25, 1955) is an American

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

who serves in the

California State Senate The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature, the lower house being the California State Assembly. The State Senate convenes, along with the State Assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Cal ...

. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, he represents the 34th district, which encompasses parts of northern

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

and a small portion of

Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

. Previously, he served in the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...

, representing the 69th District. He is a partner at Umberg Zipser LLP in Orange County.

Military service and family

Born in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

of German ancestry, Umberg graduated with honors from the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

in 1977. He was commissioned

Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

, then promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. Umberg served with the 2nd Infantry Division in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

and with

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

forces in Italy during his time in the army. Umberg also served as a paratrooper with the US Army Special Operations Command, US Army Special Warfare Center and the XVIIIth Airborne Corp. Umberg completed the

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, Kennedy School of Public Policy, Program for Senior Executives in National Security. He was also awarded a master's degree in Strategic Studies from the

U.S. Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army educational institution in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instruction to senior military officer ...

. Umberg remained in the

U.S. Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. Since July 2020 ...

, rising to the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

. Umberg's military decorations include: the Bronze Star,

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: *Meritorious Civilian Service Award *Meritorious Service Med ...

(2d award), the US Coast Guard Distinguished Public Service Award, the

Army Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

(2d award), the

Army Achievement Medal The Achievement Medal is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. The Achievement Medal was first proposed as a means to recognize outstanding achievement or meritorious service of military personnel who were not eligible to recei ...

. Umberg is married to

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

(USA) Robin Umberg, and has three children, Brett, Tommy, and Erin Umberg. Tommy and Erin Umberg are both attending law school at UC Berkeley.

Early career

After receiving his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

degree from UC

Hastings College of the Law The University of California, Hastings College of the Law (UC Hastings) is a Public university, public Law school in the United States, law school in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1878 by Serranus Clinton Hastings, UC Hastings was the ...

in 1980, he was appointed an Assistant

U.S. Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

. He had a 100% conviction rate prosecuting drug dealers, gang members, white collar criminals, and civil rights cases. He also served as a military prosecutor between 1980 and 1985.

Elected office

First stint in Assembly

Umberg was first elected to the

in 1990, defeating incumbent Republican

Curt Pringle Curtis L. "Curt" Pringle (born June 27, 1959) is an American politician from the U.S. state of California. He is the most recent Republican Party (United States), Republican to have served as the Speaker of the California State Assembly. He is a ...

. Umberg was re-elected in 1992. While in the Assembly he served as Chairman of the Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee. Instead of seeking a third term in 1994, Umberg ran for

Attorney General of California The attorney general of California is the state attorney general of the Government of California. The officer's duty is to ensure that "the laws of the state are uniformly and adequately enforced" (Constitution of California, Article V, Section ...

but lost to

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Dan Lungren Daniel Edward Lungren (born September 22, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the U.S. representative for from 2005 to 2013. A member of the Republican Party, during his tenure, the district covered most of Sacramento Count ...

in the

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

Clinton Administration

Umberg then joined the law firm of

Morrison & Foerster LLP Morrison & Foerster LLP (also known as MoFo) is an American multinational law firm headquartered in San Francisco, California, with 17 offices located throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe. The firm has over 1,000 lawyers who advise cli ...

in 1995 as a partner. He was the Managing Partner of Morrison & Foerster's Orange County Office from 2003 until 2005. During the 1996 presidential election, he served as the chairman of the Clinton re-election campaign in California. Clinton appointed Umberg as the Deputy Director of the

Office of National Drug Control Policy The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is a component of the Executive Office of the President of the United States. The Director of the ONDCP, colloquially known as the Drug Czar, heads the office. "Drug Czar" was a term first used ...

in 1997.

Second stint in Assembly

In 2000, Umberg left the Clinton administration and returned to California. In 2002, he lost the Democratic Party nomination for State Insurance Commissioner to

John Garamendi John Raymond Garamendi (; born January 24, 1945) is an American businessman, politician, and member of the Democratic Party who has represented areas of Northern California between San Francisco and Sacramento, including the cities of Fairfield ...

. In 2004, Umberg won election to the Assembly to represent the 69th District. During his third term, Umberg chaired the Elections and Redistriciting Committee. While in the legislature, Umberg authored over 60 measures which became law. These laws include measures dealing with hate crimes, white collar crime, campaign finance reform, high-speed rail transport and school meal programs.

2006 Senate campaign

Umberg sought the seat of retiring

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

Joe Dunn (D) in the 2006 elections. Orange County

Supervisor A supervisor, or lead, (also known as foreman, boss, overseer, facilitator, monitor, area coordinator, line-manager or sometimes gaffer) is the job title of a lower-level management position that is primarily based on authority over workers or ...

and former Assemblyman

Lou Correa Jose Luis Correa ( ; born January 24, 1958) is an American businessman and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2017. His district is based in Orange County and includes the communities of Anaheim and Santa Ana, as well as p ...

jumped in the race in January 2006 despite pressure from the local Democratic party for him to stay out (although with pressure from the state Democratic party for him to jump in), stating that he was running in part because of the allegations about Umberg's residency. Aside from other negative articles, Umberg also received criticism that he voted to legalize

gay marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...

. Umberg attempted to get Correa off the ballot because Correa submitted more than the number of signatures required to qualify for the ballot, but ultimately failed. Umberg also claimed that an alliance between Correa and State Senate President Pro Tem

Don Perata Don Richard Perata (born April 30, 1945) is a California lobbyist
and former Orange County Board of Supervisors The Orange County Board of Supervisors is the five-member governing body of Orange County, California along with being the executive of the county. Membership The Board consists of five Supervisors elected by districts to four-year terms by the ...

, representing the 1st Supervisorial District. 52% of 1st Supervisorial District voters are also voters in the 69th Assembly District, formerly represented by Umberg. 73% of 1st Supervisorial District voters are also 34th Senate District voters, so Umberg was believed to be the favorite. On 6 February 2007, Umberg received 21.4%, coming in third, far less than he had been expected to poll. The winner was Garden Grove City councilwoman

Janet Nguyen Janet Q. Nguyen (born May 1, 1976) is an American politician who serves in the California State Assembly. A Republican, she represents the 72nd district, encompassing parts of northern coastal Orange County which includes the cities of Huntin ...

Electoral history

* 2007 Orange County Board of Supervisors, 1st District **

(R), 10,919 - 24.1% ** Trung Nguyen (R), 10,912 - 24.1% ** Tom Umberg (D), 9,725 - 21.4% ** Carlos Bustamante (R), 7,460 - 16.5% * 2006 Democratic Primary Election for State Senate, 34th District **

(D), 17,409 - 59.8% ** Tom Umberg (D), 11,731 - 40.2% * 2004 General Election for State Assembly, 69th District ** Tom Umberg (D), 38,516 - 61.4% ** Otto Bade (R), 19,811 - 31.5% ** George Reis (L), 4,470 - 7.1% * 2004 Democratic Primary Election for State Assembly, 69th District ** Tom Umberg (D), 8,498 - 51.2% ** Claudia Alvarez (D), 8,122 - 48.8% * 2002 Democratic Primary Election for Insurance Commissioner **

(D), 800,146 - 38.6% ** Tom Umberg (D), 586,112 - 28.3% ** Thomas M. Calderon (D), 476,234 - 22.9% ** Bill Winslow (D), 213,239 - 10.2% * 1994 General Election for Attorney General **

(R), 4,438,733 - 53.9% ** Tom Umberg (D), 3,256,070 - 39.5% ** Richard N. Burns (L) - 274,335 - 3.3% ** Robert J. Evans (P&F) 271,459 - 3.3% * 1994 Democratic Primary Election for Attorney General ** Tom Umberg (D), 1,715,098 - 100.0% * 1992 General Election for State Assembly, 69th District ** Tom Umberg (D), 32,700 - 60.0% ** Jo Ellen Allen (R), 18,560 - 34.1% ** David R. Keller (L), 3,217 - 5.9% * 1992 Democratic Primary Election for State Assembly, 69th District ** Tom Umberg (D), 9,637 - 100.0% * 1990 General Election for State Assembly, 72nd District ** Tom Umberg (D), 25,247 - 51.9% **

(R), 23,411 - 48.1%

References

External links

*
Umberg/Zipzer LLP

Official campaign web site for Umberg's supervisor campaign, archived in 2007

Official Morrison & Foerster biography

Join California Tom Umberg
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Umberg, Thomas J. Democratic Party California state senators 1955 births Living people American people of German descent Harvard Kennedy School alumni Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly United States Army officers University of California, Los Angeles alumni University of California, Hastings College of the Law alumni 21st-century American politicians Recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United States) 20th-century American politicians People associated with Morrison & Foerster