Bill Lockyer
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| William W. "Bill" Lockyer | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 9, 2007 |
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| Governor | Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| Preceded by | Phil Angelides |
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| In office 1999 – 2007 |
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| Governor | Gray Davis Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| Preceded by | Dan Lungren |
| Succeeded by | Jerry Brown |
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| Born | May 8, 1941 California, United States |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Nadia Maria Davis |
William Westwood Lockyer (born May 8, 1941) is the current State Treasurer of California. Prior to this, he served as California's Attorney General and head of the state Department of Justice. He was elected in 1999 on the Democratic ticket, and was succeeded by Jerry Brown in 2007. Previously he was a member of the California State Assembly and served as President Pro Tempore of the California State Senate.
He is an alumnus of the University of California, Berkeley, graduating with a BA in political science in 1965. As an undergraduate, he founded the Cal Berkeley Democrats. In 1986, during his first term in the California State Senate and after 13 years in the California State Legislature, Lockyer graduated from the McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific. Lockyer has been married to Nadia Maria Davis since April 2003, and was married twice before [1].
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[edit] Politics
The Wall Street Journal reported that during the California energy crisis, Lockyer offered up to hundreds of millions of dollars in rewards for information about illegal conduct in the energy business.[1]
[edit] Prison-rape controversy
Lockyer achieved some notoriety for a May 2001 press conference in which he said, "I would love to personally escort [Enron CEO Kenneth Lay] to an 8-by-10 cell that he could share with a tattooed dude who says, 'Hi, my name is Spike, honey'"; this statement was condemned as supporting prison rape.[2][3] Lockyer later apologized for the statement in a letter to the Los Angeles Times, saying, "My anger over the activities of energy barons doesn't come close to my lifelong outrage at the crime of rape. ... I guess I let my anger get the better of me..."[4]
He began his career as a school board member for San Leandro Unified School District.
[edit] Global warming public nuisance complaint
On September 20, 2006, Lockyer filed a lawsuit against what his office refers to as "the big six automakers" for their alleged contributions to the global warming problem. Initial reaction was mixed, with some environmental groups being supportive, and an auto industry trade calling it a 'nuisance suit'. A similar suit in New York had been dismissed by a federal court and is now on appeal.[5]
The California suit was dismissed on September 17, 2007, with the court saying that "The adjudication of plaintiff's claim would require the court to balance the competing interests of reducing global warming emissions and the interests of advancing and preserving economic and industrial development."
[edit] Recent events
Recently, Lockyer has been giving annual speeches to the California YMCA Youth and Government meeting in Sacramento, in which 10th through 12th graders travel to the capitol to learn about their state's government and take part in interactive government-related activities.
Lockyer's office has also been conducting a criminal investigation into the Hewlett-Packard pretexting scandal to ascertain whether or not the investigators authorized by Chairman Patricia C. Dunn to discover the source of leaks from within the company illegally obtained home phone records and cell phone records of HP board members, and has stated that the department has sufficient evidence to charge HP insiders and the private investigators.[6][7]
In December 2006 it was announced that Lockyer's wife, Nadia, would be the new Executive Director of the Family Justice Center in Oakland. Family Justice Centers are government-funded agencies which centralize support services for alleged victims of domestic violence.
As head of the Family Justice Center, Nadia Lockyer is an employee of the Alameda County District Attorney's office, an agency previously criticized for hiring the relatives of politicians and jurists. In 1993, the head of that agency, District Attorney Tom Orloff, hired Bill Lockyer's daughter Lisa Lockyer, when Bill Lockyer was a powerful local State Senator from Hayward. Under the California State Constitution, all law enforcement personnel in the State are subordinate to the Attorney General, so when the local DA decided to hire Nadia Lockyer, he was in a sense hiring his boss's wife. The main person in charge of the hiring decision, Nancy O'Malley, Chief Asst. DA, points out that Nadia Lockyer did not actually take office until after her husband was no longer Attorney General.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Emshwiller, John. "California Blame Game Yields No Score --- Probes Reveal Little Evidence Suppliers Acted Illegally", Wall Street Journal, 2001-05-22, pp. A2.
- ^ Palmer, Tom. "'Hi, My Name Isn't Justice, Honey,' and Shame on Lockyer", Los Angeles Times, 2001-06-06, pp. B11.
- ^ King, Peter. "Maybe the Texas Power Folks Felt It Was Time to Let Prices Drop", Los Angeles Times, 2001-06-10, pp. B1.
- ^ "Lockyer Regrets 'Crude Remark'", Los Angeles Times, 2001-06-20, pp. B12.
- ^ Kahn, Michael. "California sues carmakers", Reuters, 2001-09-20.
- ^ Streitfeld, David; Granelli, James S. and Menn, Joseph. "Spiraling Scandal Engulfs Tech Icon", Los Angeles Times, 2006-09-08, pp. A1.
- ^ Associated Press. "Criminal charges for HP?", Dubuque Telegraph Herald, 2006-09-14, pp. D4.
[edit] External links
- California State Treasurer Bill Lockyer official state site
- Follow the Money - Bill Lockyer 2006 campaign contributions
- Bill Lockyer for State Treasurer official campaign site
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Robert W. Crown |
California State Assemblyman, 14th District 1973-1982 |
Succeeded by Johan Klehs |
| Preceded by Dan Lungren |
California Attorney General 1999–2007 |
Succeeded by Jerry Brown |
| Preceded by Phil Angelides |
California State Treasurer 2007–present |
Incumbent |
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