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Orange County, CA June 6, 2006 Election
Smart Voter Full Biography for Tom Umberg

Candidate for
State Senator; District 34; Democratic Party

[photo]
This information is provided by the candidate

TOM UMBERG BIO

Tom Umberg has spent most of his adult life protecting crime victims, consumers, and workers. As an Assemblyman from Orange County, a federal prosecutor in Santa Ana, and a trusted member of the White House, Tom Umberg has demonstrated his commitment to his country and community.

Tom was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army after graduating with honors from UCLA. He served with the 2nd Infantry Division near the Korean DMZ and with NATO forces in Vicenza, Italy. A former paratrooper, Tom today serves as a Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve. In 2004, Tom was activated to prosecute those detainees housed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba charged with war crimes in the global war on terror.

Tom, a graduate of the University of California, Hastings College of Law, was appointed by the U.S. Attorney General as an Assistant United States Attorney in Orange County. Tom maintained a 100 percent conviction rate prosecuting white-collar criminals, civil rights cases, large-scale drug dealers, and businesses that defrauded senior citizens.

Tom was originally elected to the Assembly after defeating an incumbent to become Orange County's only elected Democrat at the time. Strongly committed to consumer and victim protection issues, he successfully authored state legislation giving California the toughest hate crime laws in the nation. He wrote legislation to protect seniors in nursing home facilities and to assist seniors on fixed incomes. Tom championed gun safety measures and laws supporting a woman's right to choose. As chair of the Environmental Safety Committee, he led the fight against pollution and for conservation. During his first term Tom was recognized as Legislator of the Year by the California School Boards Association and the Hispanic Bar Association, as well as being honored for his leadership by the California PTA, Planned Parenthood, Victims United and several law enforcement organizations.

In 1997 Tom was nominated by President Clinton and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Deputy Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). While at the White House Tom was responsible for the development of United States policy to reduce the flow of illegal drugs into America as well as counter-drug-intelligence and interdiction. In this capacity Tom was the U.S. signatory to the historic hemispheric multi-lateral counter-drug agreement signed in Montevideo, Uruguay. He also served as a senior delegate to the US/Mexico High Level Contact Group.

In the private sector Tom was a litigation partner and managing partner for the international law firm of Morrison & Foerster LLP's Orange County office.

Tom is married to Brigadier General Robin Umberg (USAR). They and their three children: Erin -- a Stanford student, Brett -- a Cal Poly San Luis Obispo student, and Tommy -- a high school student in Santa Ana, have made their home in Orange County since 1985.

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: April 10, 2006 20:33
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