Sam Blakeslee
Sam Blakeslee is a former Republican member of the California State Senate, representing District 15 from 2010 to 2012. He previously served in the California State Assembly from 2005 to 2010.
In 2010, Blakeslee ran against Democratic opponent John Laird of Santa Cruz to fill the seat vacated by Abel Maldonado upon Maldonado's confirmation as lieutenant governor of California. Blakeslee won the August 17, 2010, special election to fill the seat, garnering 48.8% of the vote to Laird's 44.1%.[1] Blakeslee finished the remainder of Maldonado's term that expired in 2012.[1]
Biography
Blakeslee earned his B.S. and M.S. in geophysics from the University of California-Berkeley and his Ph.D. from the University of California-Santa Barbara. His professional experience includes working as the president of the investment firm Blakeslee & Blakeslee and as a research scientist/strategic budget planner for Exxon.[2]
Committee assignments
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Blakeslee served on these committees:
- Banking and Financial Institutions, Vice Chair
- Bildung
- Environmental Quality Committee, California State Senate
- Health Committee, California Senate
- Judiciary Committee, California Senate
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Blakeslee served on these committees:
- Rules Committee, California Legislature
- Select Committee on Youth Violence Prevention
Issues
Sponsored legislation
Blakeslee's sponsored legislation includes:
- AB 42 - Electricity: Pacific Gas and Electric Company
- AB 45 - Distributed generation: small wind energy systems
- AB 1111 - Energy: California Alternative Energy
For details and a full listing of sponsored bills, see the House site.
Elections
2014
- See also: State executive official elections, 2014
Blakeslee filed a "Statement of Intention" to run for California State Treasurer in the 2014 elections.[3]
2012
Blakeslee initially indicated that he would seek re-election to the State Senate in 2012. John Laird, who Blakeslee defeated in 2010, also filed a statement that he will once again challenge Blakeslee.[4] Blakeslee has since decided to retire, citing redistricting and the result of his district shifting in favor of Democrats. However, he has stated that he may change his mind, should courts rule against the current map.[5]
2010
Blakeslee won election to the California State Senate in a special election on August 17, 2010. Blakeslee ran to fill California Senate District 15 which was vacated by Abel Maldonado upon confirmation as lieutenant governor of California. Blakeslee ran against John Laird.
2008
In 2008, Blakeslee was re-elected to the California State Assembly District 33. Blakeslee (R) finished with 114,316 votes while his opponent Robert Cuthbert (D) finished with 64,740 votes.[6]
| California State Assembly District 33 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
 Sam Blakeslee (R)
|
114,316 | |||
| Robert Cuthbert (D) | 64,740 | |||
| California State Senate District 15 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Sam Blakeslee (R)
|
77,107 | |||
| John Laird (D) | 69,649 | |||
Campaign finance summary
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Legislative scorecard
Capitol Weekly, California's major weekly periodical covering the state legislature, publishes an annual legislative scorecard to pin down the political or ideological leanings of every member of the legislature based on how they voted on an assortment of bills in the most recent legislative session. The 2009 scores were based on votes on 19 bills, but did not include how legislators voted on the Proposition 1A (2009). On the scorecard, "100" is a perfect liberal score and "0" is a perfect conservative score.[7][8]
On the 2009 Capitol Weekly legislative scorecard, Blakeslee ranked as a 19.[9]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Sam + Blakeslee + California + Senate
See also
- California State Legislature
- California State Senate
- California Senate Committees
- California state legislative districts
External links
- Official website of Sam Blakeslee
- Legislative profile of Sam Blakeslee on Project Vote Smart
- Biographical profile of Sam Blakeslee on Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions: 2008, 2006, 2004
- Sam Blakeslee on Facebook
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 California Secretary of State, "Senate District 15 Special Election," accessed December 9, 2014
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Biography," accessed December 9, 2014
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance:Statement of Intention," accessed November 27, 2012
- ↑ San Jose Mercury News, "Redistricting complicates politicians' 'musical chairs' game," February 6, 2011
- ↑ "Without district changes mandated by court, Sam Blakeslee is out of race for State Senate," santacruzsentinel.com, January 4, 2012
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official 2008 General election results," accessed March 13, 2014
- ↑ Capitol Weekly, "Capitol Weekly's Legislative Scorecard," December 17, 2009
- ↑ Fox and Hounds Daily, "Random Thoughts on the Political Scene," December 18, 2009
- ↑ Capitol Weekly, "2009 Capitol Weekly State Legislative Scorecard (Archived)," accessed March 13, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Abel Maldonado (R) |
California State Senate District 15 August 23, 2010 – present |
Succeeded by James Beall Jr. (D) |
| Preceded by Abel Maldonado (R) |
California State Assembly District 33 2004 – August 23, 2010 |
Succeeded by K.H. Achadjian (R) |
