So I bought the almanac of american politics a while ago and one of the things that struck me was the degree to which congress is filled with interesting people we've never heard of. I though I'd use the AAP to spotlight some of them by opening the book at random with the caveat that I'm avoiding well-known figures though I'm not limiting myself to the house. This diary is the first of what, if peopel like it, will be an occaisional series. Our first congressperson is Rep Juanita Millender-McDonald (D) of California's 37th district.
Rep Miller-McDonald represents most of the Los Angeles suburb city of Long Beach as well as compton, an afircan american and lation neighborhood, carson a low-income suburb, and parts of south centeral including Watts home of the famous (and really really cool) watts towers. Long Beach is home to the nation's largest and most advanced port allthough it is not included in the 37th district.
Born September 1938 in birmingham alabama she raised a family carson and got a bachelors at 40. She taught in the Los Angeles Unified School district, worked on a national comission on teaching, was elected to the Carson City Council and then the state Assembly. When the previous congressman was arrested for extortion and tax fraud (when he was mayor of compton) she won his seat in a special election in 1996 that featured nine candidates against a better known candidate but with the support of EMILY's list.
In congress invited CIA director John Deutsch to public meetings in her district after allegations came out that the CIA had helped smuggle crack cocaine into LA. He accepted and the meetings that resulted were raucus to say the least.
On port issues she backed a bid to build a new container terminal but opposed PNTR with China because of human rights issues. She co-chaired the caucus on womens' issues and is led oppostion to the bill that made it a crime to harm a fetus during an attack on a pregnant woman. Second-ranking dem on small business comitee and opposed cuts on Small Business administration. On comitee on transportation and comitee on House Administration.
Recent legislation efforts include a bill that raised wages in federal prisons to half of the federal minimum wage and will raise them to the federal minimum wage by 2009. An ammendment to the $87 billion budget request provided 42 million for counseling for returning soldiers and their families. Chairwoman of the congressional black caucus's 2003 annual legislative caucus.
National Journal rankings
2001 LIB -- 2001 CONS 2002 LIB -- 2002 CONS
Economic 93% -- 7% 71% -- 28%
Social 81% -- 19% 83% -- 17%
Foreign 76% -- 24% 81% -- 19%
She voted against the Iraq war and against ANWR development. She is a solid democrat.