Brian Sandoval

Brian Edward Sandoval (/ˈsændəˌvɔːl/; born August 5, 1963) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 29th Governor of Nevada from 2011 to 2019.[1] He is a member of the Republican Party.

Brian Sandoval
29th Governor of Nevada
In office January 3, 2011 – January 7, 2019
Lieutenant	Brian Krolicki Mark Hutchison
Preceded by	Jim Gibbons
Succeeded by	Steve Sisolak
Chair of the National Governors Association
In office July 16, 2017 – July 21, 2018
Deputy	Steve Bullock
Preceded by	Terry McAuliffe
Succeeded by	Steve Bullock
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nevada
In office October 26, 2005 – September 15, 2009
Appointed by	George W. Bush
Preceded by	Howard D. McKibben
Succeeded by	Gloria Navarro
30th Attorney General of Nevada
In office January 6, 2003 – October 26, 2005
Governor	Kenny Guinn
Preceded by	Frankie Sue Del Papa
Succeeded by	George Chanos
Chair of the Nevada Gaming Commission
In office April 28, 1999 – August 1, 2001
Appointed by	Kenny Guinn
Preceded by	Bill Curran
Succeeded by	Peter Bernhard
Member of the Nevada Gaming Commission
In office April 23, 1998 – August 1, 2001
Appointed by	Bob Miller
Preceded by	Deborah Griffin
Succeeded by	Peter Bernhard
Member of the Nevada Assembly from the 25th district
In office November 9, 1994 – April 23, 1998
Preceded by	Jim Gibbons
Succeeded by	Dawn Gibbons
Personal details
Born	Brian Edward Sandoval (1963-08-05) August 5, 1963 Redding, California, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Kathleen Teipner ​ ( m. 1990; div. 2018) Lauralyn McCarthy ( m. 2018)
Children	3 (with Teipner)
Residence	Reno, Nevada, U.S.
Education	University of Nevada, Reno (BA) Ohio State University (JD)
Signature
Website	Official website

Early life, education, and law career

Sandoval was born in Redding, California, to Ron Sandoval, an FAA maintenance supervisor, and his wife Gloria (Gallegos) Sandoval, a legal secretary.[2][3] A long-time resident of Reno, Sandoval is of Hispanic ancestry.[4] Sandoval attended Reno's Little Flower School[5] and graduated from Bishop Manogue High School in Reno in 1981, and attended the University of Nevada, Reno, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and economics in 1986.[6][7] He then went on to earn a Juris Doctor from the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in 1989.[7]

Sandoval passed the Nevada and California bar exams and entered private practice with several Reno law firms.[7] In 1999, he opened his own law firm in Reno.[7]

Nevada Assembly

Elections

When incumbent Republican Jim Gibbons decided to retire to run for Governor of Nevada in 1994, Sandoval ran for the Reno-based 25th District of the Nevada Assembly. He won the open seat and won re-election in 1996. After he resigned from his seat in 1998, Gibbons' wife Dawn, won the open seat.[7]

Tenure

Sandoval sponsored 14 bills that became law—including some that prevented felons from suing victims if they are injured committing a crime, increased the penalties for operating a boat under the influence, and allowed indigent defendants to perform community service to defray their legal costs.[8][9]

Committee assignments

Sandoval served on the Judiciary, Taxation and Natural Resources Committees. He also served on the Nevada Legislative Commission, the Advisory Commission on Sentencing, the Juvenile Justice Commission, the Advisory Council on Community Notification of Sex Offenders, and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Oversight Committee.[8]

Gaming Commission of Nevada

In 1998, Sandoval was appointed to serve as a member of the Gaming Commission of Nevada, which oversees the state's gaming industry.[8] The following year, at the age of 35, Sandoval became the youngest person ever to serve as chairman of the gaming commission.[4][8] During his time on the commission, Sandoval fought national efforts to block gambling on college sports events, worked on regulations limiting neighborhood gaming and worked for regulations prohibiting slot machines with themes attractive to children.[9]

Attorney General of Nevada

2002 election

Sandoval announced his bid on October 11, 2001 to succeed three-term Democrat Frankie Sue Del Papa who was not eligible to run for re–election as Attorney General of Nevada due to lifetime term limits established by the Nevada Constitution in 1996.[9] His primary major party opposition was Democratic attorney John Hunt from Las Vegas, whom Sandoval defeated by a margin of 58.32% to 33.63% on November 5, 2002.[7][10] Sandoval took office on January 6, 2003.[11]

Tenure

While Attorney General, Sandoval led the state's legal fight against the storage of nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, developed Nevada's first Public Integrity Unit and sponsored legislation strengthening Nevada's laws against domestic violence, drug abuse and human trafficking.[4][8]

As attorney general, Sandoval was also the chairman and a member of several state boards and commissions, including the Nevada Boards of Pardons, Prisons, Transportation, and Examiners; the Cyber-Crime Task Force; the Committee on Domestic Violence, and the Prosecutorial Advisory Council.[4][8]

Federal district judge

Nomination

In the fall of 2004, Democratic Senator Harry Reid spoke with Sandoval about whether he was interested in serving as a judge for the United States District Court for the District of Nevada, and that December, Reid recommended to President George W. Bush that he nominate Sandoval to a future opening on that court.[12][13] Sandoval was formally nominated by Bush on March 1, 2005, to the seat being vacated by Judge Howard D. McKibben.[14]

On September 29, 2005, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a confirmation hearing on Sandoval's nomination.[15] On October 20, 2005, the Judiciary committee reported Sandoval's nomination out of committee on a voice vote.[16] Sandoval was unanimously confirmed by the Senate on October 24, 2005, by a vote of 89–0 (with 11 Senators not voting).[14][17] Sandoval then received his judicial commission on October 26, 2005.[14]

Tenure

Sandoval announced his resignation as Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nevada on August 15, 2009 to become effective beginning September 15, 2009.[18] On the same day as his resignation became official, Sandoval announced he was running for the Governorship. Sandoval's chambers were in the Bruce R. Thompson Courthouse and Federal Building in Reno.[4][19][20]

Governor of Nevada

2010 election

Main article: 2010 Nevada gubernatorial election

On June 9, 2010 on the Republican primary, Sandoval defeated incumbent Governor Jim Gibbons. In the general election, Sandoval won 53%–41%,[21] against Democrat Rory Reid, the Clark County Commissioner and son of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He won every county in the state, and all with a majority except Clark County, where Las Vegas is the county seat, which Sandoval won with a plurality (49%–47%).[22]

2014 election

Main article: 2014 Nevada gubernatorial election

Sandoval ran for re-election in 2014. He won the Republican primary with 90% of the vote. In the general election, Sandoval defeated Democrat Bob Goodman with over 70% of the vote.[23]

Tenure

Sandoval, as the state's 29th Governor, proposed a $5.8 billion 2011 budget without any new taxes. It could cause as many as 361 layoffs and 5% pay reductions for state workers. It also included a 5% cut in primary education and 7% cut in higher education.[24] Sandoval turned down a pay raise that would have increased his salary from $141,000 to $149,573 per year. He also has said he will take a 5% pay cut to coincide with every other state worker's.[25][26]

The final budget for 2011 avoided deep cuts to education and human services programs. It contained a number of reforms that include ending teacher tenure as well as the practice of deciding layoffs based solely on teacher seniority, allowing local governments to re-open employee contracts during financial emergencies as well as barring collective bargaining by supervisors, and eliminating retirement health insurance for new state employees hired after January 1, 2012.[27]

He appointed U.S. Congressman Dean Heller (R–Carson City) to become U.S. Senator, after the seat become vacant from the resignation of John Ensign.

On September 11, 2014, Sandoval signed a package of bill to provide $1.3 billion in tax breaks and subsidies over 20 years for Tesla Motors in exchange for building the massive Gigafactory 1 battery factory in the state, near Reno. The factory is key to Nevada's efforts to revitalize its economy, which was hard-hit by the mortgage meltdown and the Great Recession, and has yet to fully recover.[28] In June 2015, Sandoval signed several bills designed to overhaul Nevada's education system. The reforms substantially increased funding for public schools and grants, and created incentives to recruit more teachers and promote professional training. $10 million were appropriated for preschool programs and an expansion of full-day kindergarten across Nevada.[29]

Sandoval is widely regarded as a moderate Republican, supporting abortion rights, Obamacare, immigration reform, and renewable energy.[30]

On March 21, 2016, Sandoval met with Mark Davis (Owner of the NFL's Oakland Raiders) about moving the Raiders to Las Vegas, Nevada. On October 14, 2016, Sandoval signed a bill that would provide $750 million in public funding for Allegiant Stadium.

On July 12, 2016, Sandoval launched a comprehensive review of Nevada's juvenile justice system and established the Statewide Juvenile Justice Improvement Task Force. Nevada was selected to receive technical assistance from The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center through a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Following the launch, the CSG Justice Center conducted an analysis of the state's juvenile justice system and made recommendations to the task force based on its assessment.[31]

On May 17, 2017, Sandoval signed Senate Bill 201, which would ban mental health professionals from performing sexual conversion therapy on minors under the age of 18.

Solar issues

See also: Solar power in Nevada

Sandoval came under criticism in 2015 by the rooftop solar industry in Nevada after claims that the Governor failed to act on a statewide net energy metering cap of 235MW. The cap stirred controversy due to its ability to negatively affect the future of the largely successful solar industry in Nevada, specifically related to the loss of thousands of in-state jobs.[32][33] A statewide study conducted by the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada previously deemed net metering a benefit to all ratepayers.[34]

At the end of July 2015, NV Energy proposed new rates for rooftop solar users. NV Energy specifically states in its proposal that the new rates could eliminate all savings for solar customers.[35]

On August 20, 2015, the controversial 235 MW net metering cap was hit.[36] Immediately before the cap was hit, Vivint Solar pulled out of the state only two weeks after entering. This resulted in lay-offs of many recently hired Nevadans, signaling the future of the industry in Nevada without net metering.[37]

An October 2015 poll, sponsored by the solar industry, found that prior to learning about these controversies, public perception of Governor Sandoval's leadership was largely favorable, with 63% of likely voters agreeing that he has been a strong leader for Nevada. However, after learning that Governor Sandoval had failed to "take a leadership position and protect the 6,000 jobs that solar energy supports in Nevada" his favorable impressions became highly negative, with 54% of likely voters taking an unfavorable view.[38] A subsequent poll of likely Republican primary voters in New Hampshire found that 56% of all likely Republican primary voters in a key swing state would not vote for Governor Sandoval for vice president in 2016 upon learning that he failed to protect solar energy in Nevada.[39]

In December 2015, a solar company operating in Nevada filed a lawsuit against Governor Brian Sandoval to compel the release of public records the Governor's office withheld. The withheld public records included text messages between the Governor and his staff with NV Energy's lobbyists. The company claims that the public has the right to know the impact those relationships have had on critical policy decisions, including the rooftop solar debate.[40]

On December 22, 2015, Sandoval's Public Utilities Commission of Nevada, composed of Chairman Paul Thomsen, Commissioner David Noble and Commissioner Alaina Burtenshaw, voted to eliminate the state's net metering policy for rooftop solar. The aftermath of the decision resulted in widespread layoffs in the state and an outpouring of consumer backlash due to the direct penalization of current and future solar customers.[41][42]

Honors and awards

Sandoval has received the following awards and certificates: the Hispanics in Politics' 1996 "Broche de Oro Award";[43] the Anti-Defamation League's 2003 "Torch of Liberty Award;" the Nevada State Bar's 2004 "Access to Justice Public Lawyer Award;" The Latino Coalition's 2004 "Most Influential Hispanic in the U.S. Award";[44] and the 2004 University of Nevada "Alumnus of the Year Award."[8]

Personal life

Sandoval married Kathleen Teipner in 1990. Along with Kathleen, the program director for the Children's Cabinet in Reno, Sandoval has three children. He and his wife announced their separation in 2017 and finalized their divorce in 2018, stating the demands of public life as the main reason.[8][9][45] Sandoval remarried to Las Vegas gaming executive Lauralyn McCarthy on August 11, 2018.[46]

Electoral history

Nevada's 25th Assembly District Republican Primary Election, 1994
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±
Republican	Brian Sandoval	4,237	74.75%
Republican	Heidi Smith	1,431	25.25

Nevada's 25th Assembly District Election, 1994
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±
Republican	Brian Sandoval	10,497	79.78%
Democratic	Karol Kellison	2,661	20.22%

Nevada's 25th Assembly District Election, 1996
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±
Republican	Brian Sandoval (inc.)	12,513	100.00

Nevada Attorney General election, 2002[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Republican	Brian Sandoval	290,471	58.32%
	Democratic	John Hunt	167,513	33.63%

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Brian Sandoval	97,201	55.5
	Republican	Jim Gibbons (inc.)	47,616	27.2
	Republican	Mike Montandon	22,002	12.6
	Republican	None of These Candidates	4,400	2.5
	Republican	Tony Atwood	2,440	1.4
	Republican	Stan Lusak	1,380	0.8
Total votes			175,039	100

Nevada gubernatorial election, 2010[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Republican	Brian Sandoval	382,350	53.36%	+5.44%
	Democratic	Rory Reid	298,171	41.61%	-2.31%
	None of These Candidates	None of These Candidates	12,231	1.71%	-1.85%
	Independent	Eugene DiSimone	6,403	0.89%
	Independent American	Floyd Fitzgibbons	5,049	0.70%	-2.73%
	Libertarian	Arthur Forest Lampitt Jr.	4,672	0.65%
	Green	David Scott Curtis	4,437	0.62%	-0.54%
	Independent	Aaron Y. Honig	3,216	0.45%
Majority			84,179	11.75%	+7.74%
Turnout			716,529
	Republican hold		Swing

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Brian Sandoval	105,857	89.88
	Republican	Edward Hamilton	3,758	3.19
	Republican	None of These Candidates	3,509	2.98
	Republican	William Tarbell	1,966	1.67
	Republican	Thomas Tighe	1,495	1.27
	Republican	Gary Marinch	1,195	1.01
Total votes			117,780	100

Nevada gubernatorial election, 2014[47]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Republican	Brian Sandoval (inc.)	386,340	70.58%
	Democratic	Bob Goodman	130,722	23.88%
	None of These Candidates	None of These Candidates	15,751	2.88%
	Independent American	David Lory VanDerBeek	14,536	2.66%
Majority			547,349	100%
	Republican hold		Swing

References

1. "Brian Sandoval Becomes Nevada's 29th Governor". Renotahoe.about.com. January 2, 2011. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
2. Drake, Bruce (October 25, 2010). "How Old Is Brian Sandoval?". Politicsdaily.com. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
3. Sean Whaley (August 2, 2011). "Blog Archive » Gov. Brian Sandoval In Middle East To Meet With Nevada Troops, See Mission First-Hand". Nevada News Bureau. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
4. Flennoy, Mae (April 2006). "Brian Sandoval '89: Nevada's First Hispanic U.S. District Judge". This Month @ Moritz. Archived from the original on August 25, 2007. Retrieved September 20, 2009.
5. Siobhan, McAndrew (April 24, 2013). "Little Flower School in Reno celebrates 50 years". Reno Gazette - Journal. ProQuest 1339506993.
6. "Sandoval gives up seat for gaming board". Las Vegas Sun. April 24, 1998. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
7. Morrison, Jane Ann (July 15, 2002). "Race For Attorney General: Candidates state cases". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on June 4, 2009. Retrieved September 20, 2009.
8. "State of the Court 2006" (PDF). United States District Court for the District of Nevada. 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 21, 2011. Retrieved September 20, 2009.
9. Morrison, Jane Ann (October 12, 2001). "Brian Sandoval announces bid for attorney general". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on April 1, 2005. Retrieved September 20, 2009.
10. "Election Summary". Official 2002 General Election Results. Secretary of State of Nevada. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
11. Morrison, Jane Ann; Vogel, Ed (January 7, 2003). "Swearing In: Winners get to work". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on October 29, 2004. Retrieved September 20, 2009.
12. Myers, Dennis (December 2, 2004). "Citizen Reid". Reno News & Review. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
13. "Confirmation Hearings on Federal Appointments". Government Printing Office. September 29, 2005. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
14. "Sandoval, Brian Edward". Biographical Directory of Federal Judges. Federal Judicial Center. Archived from the original on September 23, 2010. Retrieved September 20, 2009.
15. "TIME CHANGE Judicial Nominations Hearing Time has been changed to 1:30 P.M." United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. September 29, 2005. Archived from the original on August 14, 2009. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
16. "Executive Business Meeting". United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. October 20, 2005. Archived from the original on August 26, 2009. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
17. "On the Nomination (Confirmation Brian Edward Sandoval, of Nevada, To Be United States District Judge)". U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 109th Congress – 1st Session. Secretary of the Senate. October 24, 2005. Retrieved September 20, 2009.
18. "Many expect Sandoval to challenge Gov. Gibbons". Associated Press. August 16, 2009. Archived from the original on August 18, 2009. Retrieved September 20, 2009.
19. "Judge List". United States District Court for the District of Nevada. Archived from the original on August 31, 2009. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
20. "U.S. District Court – District of Nevada – Home". United States District Court for the District of Nevada. Archived from the original on August 25, 2009. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
21. "NV Governor Race – Nov 02, 2010". Our Campaigns. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
22. Chereb, Sandra (August 14, 2009). "US Judge Sandoval resigns; return to NV politics?". Associated Press. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
23. "OFFICIAL RESULTS 2014 Statewide Results". Nevada Secretary of State. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
25. "2011 Nevada Legislature: Gov. Brian Sandoval reduces mansion budget | TahoeDailyTribune.com". Tahoebonanza.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2015. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
26. Silva, Cristina (January 24, 2011). "Nevada governor to give 1st State of State speech". Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
27. Sandra Chereb (June 1, 2011). "Lawmakers Reach Deal on Nevada State Budget". Boston Globe. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
28. Chereb, Sandra. "Nevada Governor signs $1.3 billion tax break package for electric car maker Tesla". Reuters. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
29. REVIEW-JOURNAL, NEAL MORTON LAS VEGAS. "Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval signs education bills". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
30. "Meet Brian Sandoval, Nevada's Party Pooper". POLITICO Magazine. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
31. "Task Force Begins Weighing Overhaul of Nevada's Juvenile Justice System". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
32. Roerink, Kyle. "Sandoval, NV Energy Mum Net Metering After Meetings".
33. Whaley, Sean. "Nevada Could Lose 6000 Jobs Without Net Metering Cap Hike". Las Vegas Review Journal.
34. "Net Metering Study" (PDF).
35. Whaley, Sean. "NV Energy Proposal Spells Death for Industry".
36. Roerink, Kyle. "NV Energy Rooftop Solar Cap Will Be Hit Saturday". The Las Vegas Sun.
37. Tweed, Katharine. "Vivint Pulls Out of Nevada After Only Two Weeks In the State". Greentech Media.
38. "DocumentHost".
39. "DocumentHost".
40. Whaley, Sean. "Solar Company Sues Sandoval's Office Over Refusal to Release Text Messages". The Las Vegas Review Journal.
41. Whaley, Sean. "SolarCity Stopping Nevada Sales Installation After PUC Ruling". The Las Vegas Review Journal.
42. Buhayar, Noah (January 28, 2016). "Who owns the sun?". Bloomberg Businessweek.
43. "Hispanics in politics recognizes leaders". Las Vegas Sun. April 3, 1996. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
44. "The Latino Coalition Honors The Most Influential Hispanics During Hispanic Gala in New York". The Latino Coalition. August 24, 2004. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
45. https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/nevada/nevada-gov-brian-sandoval-finalizes-divorce/
46. "Gov. Sandoval, McCarthy marry at Lake Tahoe". Reno Gazette Journal. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
47. "OFFICIAL RESULTS 2014 Statewide Results". Nevada Secretary of State. Retrieved December 24, 2014.

External links

• Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval official government website
• Brian Sandoval for Governor official 2014 campaign website
• Brian Sandoval at Curlie
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Brian Sandoval at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• Brian Sandoval profile in United States District Court for the District of Nevada's State of the Court 2006 report
• Brian Sandoval '89: Nevada's First Hispanic U.S. District Judge

Nevada Assembly
Preceded by Jim Gibbons	Member of the Nevada Assembly from the 25th district 1994–1998	Succeeded by Dawn Gibbons
Civic offices
Preceded by Deborah Griffin	Member of the Nevada Gaming Commission 1998–2001	Succeeded by Peter Bernhard
Preceded by Bill Curran	Chair of the Nevada Gaming Commission 1999–2001
Legal offices
Preceded by Frankie Sue Del Papa	Attorney General of Nevada 2003–2005	Succeeded by George Chanos
Preceded by Howard D. McKibben	Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nevada 2005–2009	Succeeded by Gloria Navarro
Party political offices
Preceded by Jim Gibbons	Republican nominee for Governor of Nevada 2010, 2014	Succeeded by Adam Laxalt
Political offices
Preceded by Jim Gibbons	Governor of Nevada 2011–2019	Succeeded by Steve Sisolak
Preceded by Terry McAuliffe	Chair of the National Governors Association 2017–2018	Succeeded by Steve Bullock