Loretta Lorna Sanchez (born January 7, 1960) is an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1997 to 2017, representing parts of central Orange County, California. A member of the Democratic Party, she was first elected in 1996, when she defeated long-serving Republican U.S. Representative Bob Dornan by fewer than 1,000 votes. During her time in the House of Representatives, Sanchez was a member of the Blue Dog Coalition of moderate-to-conservative Democrats.
Sanchez chose not to run for re-election to the House in 2016, instead opting to run in the state's U.S. Senate race. She was defeated in the general election by fellow Democrat, California Attorney General and future U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, 61.6% to 38.4%.
She is the sister of Linda Sánchez, who currently represents in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Early life and education Sanchez was born in Lynwood, California, and graduated from Katella High School in Anaheim in 1978. Her father was a unionized machinist, and her mother worked as a secretary. Her Mexican-immigrant parents had seven children, one of whom—Linda Sánchez—also served in Congress, making them the first (and, , the only) sisters to serve simultaneously in Congress.
Loretta Sanchez joined the United Food and Commercial Workers when she worked as an ice cream server in high school and received a union scholarship to college. She received her undergraduate degree in economics from Chapman College in Orange in 1982, obtained her MBA from American University in Washington, D.C. in 1984, and was a financial analyst for defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton until entering the House. Sanchez describes herself as growing up a "shy, quiet girl" who did not speak English. She credits government with much of her success in public life.Sanchez, Loretta. (2005). In CQ's Politics in America 2006. The 109th Congress; retrieved January 14, 2007 from CQ Electronic Library, CQ Congress Collection
U.S. House of Representatives
Committee assignments Committee on Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee on Strategic Forces (Ranking Member) Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence
Caucus memberships Congressional Hispanic Caucus Congressional Human Rights Caucus International Conservation Caucus Sportsmen's Caucus
Congressional Hispanic Caucus
In February 2006, Sanchez withdrew from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus's political action committee, along with five other members, because the caucus chairman, Joe Baca, authorized political contributions to members of his family who were running for state and local offices in California."Sanchez Accuses Democrat of Calling Her a 'Whore', Resigns from Hispanic Group" Politico. February 2, 2007; retrieved February 7, 2007.
Sanchez and other CHC members also claim that Baca was improperly elected chairman of the caucus in November 2006 because the vote failed to use secret ballots, as required in the group's bylaws."Two More Reps. Complain About Treatment of Women in Hispanic Caucus" Politico. February 2, 2007; retrieved February 7, 2007. On January 31, 2007, Sanchez quit the CHC because she claimed that Baca repeatedly treated the group's female members with disrespect. Other female lawmakers have made the same complaint about Baca."'Whore' Comment Fractures California Dems" Los Angeles Times February 1, 2007; retrieved February 7, 2007 In the election for caucus chairman, only one female member of the 23-member caucus voted to support Baca's candidacy."CHC nears split as female members refuse to support chairman" The Hill. November 18, 2006; retrieved February 7, 2007
According to Sanchez, as well as Linda Sánchez (her sister), and Hilda Solis, Baca called Loretta Sanchez "a whore" while speaking to other lawmakers."Hispanic Caucus Members Toil Over Insult", The Washington Post. February 1, 2007; retrieved February 7, 2007 Baca denied the charge. Politico reported that Sanchez claimed California Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez heard the comment from Baca and repeated it to Sanchez, yet Núñez claimed not to recall any such comment."Nunez: I Don't Recall Whore Comment" Los Angeles Times February 1, 2007; retrieved February 7, 2007. Sanchez, however, claimed after the article was published that she had never mentioned Núñez to Politico."Hispanic Caucus Members Toil Over Insult", Townhall.com. February 1, 2007; retrieved February 7, 2006.
Political positions
Sanchez has stated she is a "moderate" Democrat, but in 2009, Sanchez had a 'zero' approval rating from the American Conservative Union.
She represented a district in Orange County, long a bastion of suburban conservatism, and is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition and the New Democrat Coalition; she reportedly voted with Nancy Pelosi 97.8% of the time during the 111th Congress.Washington Post U.S. House Votes Database
Sanchez is known for her interests in education, crime, economic development, and protections for senior citizens.
National Journal rated her votes in 2006 in three areas: Economic, Social, and Foreign. The ratings are: Economic = 71 liberal/28 conservative; Social = 80 liberal/19 conservative; Foreign = 70 liberal/28 conservative.Loretta Sanchez profile at National Journal
Education Sanchez staunchly opposed the Republicans' Head Start program overhaul in the 108th Congress, invoking her experience growing up poor and challenged by a speech impediment. During debate on the bill, she said:
I know about these kids, because I am one of those kids ... It hurts to hear you talk about how we are not successful, or how we are losers. But we are very successful. We have had a lot of successes with Head Start.
Sanchez has asserted that conservative Republicans are not committed to improving public education.Sanchez, Loretta (2003-02-02). "The Real State of the Union is Not Healthy", Los Angeles Times. February 2, 2003, p. B19. When President Bush's 2003 budget proposal threatened to cut education grants, she responded:
If he can run deficits for the military, then he can run deficits to educate our children.
Armed services, social issues, and labor
Sanchez was the second-ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee and a senior member of the Armed Services Committee, and the most senior woman on that committee. Loretta has fought to reform both the law and culture of the U.S. military relating to investigation of sexual crimes, prosecution of sex offenders and care of sexual assault victims. Her leadership contributed to a decision to examine the problem of sexual assault at the military service academies, which revealed that the problem was much more prevalent than previously thought. As a result, she led the fight to change sexual assault provisions of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. In early 2011, Sanchez introduced a bill requiring the United States Department of Homeland Security to issue rules governing searches and seizures of the laptops, cellphones, and other electronic devices of American citizens returning to the U.S. from abroad.
Sanchez is regarded as a liberal on social issues. She voted against a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and supports abortion rights. She also sought to reverse the ban on abortions at overseas military bases and installations. In August 2000, Sanchez refused to relocate a political fundraiser she had planned at the Playboy Mansion in California. As a result, Democratic National Committee chairman Joe Andrew cancelled her scheduled speaking role at the Democratic National Convention. Sanchez's address was reinstated just before the convention, when she agreed to relocate her fundraiser to Universal Studios."The taming of Loretta Sanchez" . Salon.com; retrieved May 4, 2008
Foreign policy
According to Congressional Quarterly, "In 2002, Sanchez voted against reviving fast-track procedures for congressional action on trade deals. And, coming from a district with one of the largest ethnically Vietnamese communities outside Vietnam, she voted against a trade agreement with Vietnam, saying that political and human rights conditions in that country needed improvement. Her outspokenness led the Hanoi regime to refuse to allow her into the country late in 2004 when she applied for an entry visa to meet with dissidents." By April 2006, Sanchez had been denied a visa to visit Vietnam four times by the country's officials. In honor of International Human Rights Day, she joined a bipartisan group of 11 House Members that issued a letter to Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung calling for the release of two U.S. citizens arrested by the government of Vietnam.
On October 10, 2002, Sanchez was among the 133 members of the House who voted against authorizing the invasion of Iraq, but she has voted in favor of every appropriation bill for the war in Iraq. She opposed the troop surge in February 2007.Congresswoman Sanchez during debate on See also Congresswoman the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on February 14 2007 On March 7, 2007, Sanchez led a female congressional delegation to visit troops in Iraq. This was her third visit to Iraq.
Sanchez has a strong record on supporting human rights and is a member of the bipartisan Congressional Human Rights Caucus. Two major votes include voting yes in 2001 to keep the Cuba travel ban until political prisoners are released, but later voting in 2009 to lift the travel ban unilaterally, and yes to acknowledge the Armenian genocide of the early 1900s. She voted to implement the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007.
Sanchez has stated that she was briefly denied access to a United Airlines flight in October 2006 because her name appeared on a no-fly list set up after the September 11 attacks. Sanchez said she was instructed to check in with a United employee, who told her she was on the terrorist watch list. The employee asked her for identification.
In a December 2015 interview with Larry King, in response to his question about the threat of extremist groups within Islam, Sanchez suggested some experts estimate that "anywhere between 5 and 20 percent" of Muslims worldwide supported the creation of a Caliphate to overthrow the United States. Sanchez's comments, which came on the heels of both the recent Islamist terror attack in San Bernardino and 2016 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's call to temporarily ban Muslim immigration to the United States, were criticized as contributing to Anti-Muslim sentiment. Sanchez explained that she was merely echoing President Obama's remarks in his December 6, 2015 Oval Office Address wherein he stated: "Extremist ideology has spread within some Muslim communities. This is a real problem that Muslims must confront, without excuse." She further noted that she has a well-known record of defending the civil liberties of Muslim groups and that she believed most Muslims "are actually with us" in fighting Islamic extremism.
Homeland and cyber security On September 13, 2016, the House Committee on Homeland Security unanimously approved two amendments authored by Sanchez to strengthen counterterrorism and cybersecurity programs.
The first bill, the Community Counterterrorism Preparedness Act, H.R. 5859, "establishes a grant program to help major metropolitan areas prepare for and respond to terror attacks that include active shooters." Sanchez's amendment requires that "unclassified threat information" be provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to grant applicants. According to Sanchez, "With this change, we not only provide needed funds to help regions prepare for attacks, we also give them critical tips and best practices to help them respond."