BRIAN EDWARD SANDOVAL - REPUBLICAN, ELECTED

30th Nevada Attorney General

Term: January 6, 2003 - November 2, 2005

Brian Sandoval, the son of Ron Sandoval (an FAA maintenance supervisor) and Gloria Gallegos (a legal secretary), was born in Redding, California, on August 5, 1963. A longtime resident of Reno, Sandoval graduated from Bishop Manogue High School in 1981 and from the University of Nevada at Reno in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Economics. In 1984, Sandoval served on the Congressional staff of Senator Paul Laxalt and served as an extern to the Ohio Supreme Court in 1989. In 1989, Sandoval earned his Juris Doctorate from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and passed the bar exam in Nevada, California and the District of Columbia.

Sandoval’s exposure to the legal world came from his mother . . .

"There were no lawyers in our family. When I was young, my mom was a legal secretary and worked for U.S. Attorney Larry Semenza and a magistrate judge. That was my first exposure to the law," he says. "I would sit at the courthouse and wait for her to get off work. At 13, I worked at the cafeteria at the old federal courthouse in Reno. As I grew older, I became very interested in government and law. It was something I grew to be very passionate about. I had a dream that I never gave up on. I hope other Hispanics and young people will see if they work hard and stay in school they can achieve it as well."¹

In 1989, Sandoval worked at the law firm of McDonald, Carson, Wilson, and from 1991- 1993, at Robison, Belaustegui, Robb and Sharp.

In 1994, when Nevada Assemblyman Jim Gibbons decided to retire to run for Governor of Nevada, Sandoval ran for the seat. He won the open seat, and won re-election in 1996. During his tenure, Sandoval sponsored 14 bills that became law—including a bill that prevented felons from suing victims if they are injured committing a crime; a bill that increased the penalties for operating a boat under the influence of alcohol; and a bill that allowed indigent defendants to perform community service to defray their legal costs.²

In 1998, when he was appointed by then-Governor Bob Miller to serve on the Nevada Gaming Commission, Sandoval left the Assembly. He was the youngest person—age 35—ever to serve as Chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission. During his Chairmanship on the Nevada Gaming Commission, Sandoval fought national efforts to block betting on college sports events and worked on regulations limiting neighborhood gaming and regulations prohibiting slot machines with themes attractive to children.³ Sandoval served until 2001.

In 1999, Sandoval opened his own civil law firm in Reno. On October 11, 2001, Sandoval combined his interests in politics and the law when he announced his bid for Attorney General. Three-term Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa, was ineligible to run for reelection due to term limits. On November 5, 2002, Sandoval won the election and took office on January 6, 2003.

As Attorney General, Sandoval set up Nevada’s first Public Integrity Unit to investigate and prosecute officials who violated the public trust. He led the state’s legal fight against the storage of high-level nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain and sponsored important legislation strengthening Nevada’s laws against domestic violence, drug abuse, and human trafficking. He also chaired and was a member of several state boards and commissions, including the boards of Pardons, Prisons, Transportations, and Examiners; the Cyber-Crime Task Force; the Council for the Prevention of Domestic Violence; and the Advisory Council for Prosecuting Attorneys.

In 2004, U.S. Senator Harry Reid recommended to then-President George W. Bush that Sandoval be nominated for the U.S. District Court for Nevada. On October 24, 2005, the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Sandoval by 89-0 (with 11 senators not voting).

As the first Hispanic federal judge in Nevada, Sandoval served as a visiting judge on the Ninth Circuit Court and presided over multiple civil and criminal jury trials. He served on the federal bench until he resigned on September 15, 2009.

Sandoval won the 2010 gubernatorial election against Rory Reid, chair of Clark County Commission and son of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Sandoval became the first Hispanic elected as Governor in Nevada. In 2014, Sandoval ran for re-election and defeated his opponent, Bob Goodman, with over 70% of the vote.

Sandoval’s accomplishments as Governor include working to make Nevada the most veteran and military-friendly state in the nation, reconstructing Nevada’s approach to economic development, expanding health care coverage, implementing new, innovativegaming policy, and leading the effort for an unprecedented investment in and modernization of Nevada’s public education system.

During his inaugural legislative session in 2011, Sandoval transformed Nevada’s approach to economic development by bringing the duties directly under his authority and creating the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED). Since then, GOED successfully has partnered the state with cutting-edge companies and technology innovators and helped develop new industries across the Silver State.

Sandoval also directed regulation and innovation for gaming policy. By continuing to set the gold standard through pioneering legislation and state policy, Sandoval identified the potential for interactive gaming, skill-based games, and other developments in the ever-evolving industry.

The hallmark of Governor Sandoval’s administration has been his vision for modernizing and redefining Nevada’s education system. In 2015, Sandoval enacted an unprecedented investment to reform Nevada’s education system. The changes have delivered targeted programs to boost student achievement and equip students and teachers with the tools for success as innovators, job creators, and leaders in the new Nevada economy.

As part of the 2015 Legislative Session, Sandoval signed a comprehensive plan to provide additional support to military veterans and their families through educational, employment, and healthcare services. In addition to these policy changes, he also pursued substantial funding for veterans initiatives, including state-match funding for construction of the Northern Nevada Veterans Home.

Sandoval also has called two special sessions of the Nevada State Legislature as Governor. In 2014, Sandoval called a special session in order to bring Tesla to Nevada. As part of the Tesla deal, the company built a Gigafactory in Northern Nevada where it produces batteries. In 2016, Sandoval spearheaded a special session, which allowed for the creation of a 65,000-seat domed stadium, clearing the path for the relocation of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders to Las Vegas and an expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

During his tenure as Governor, Sandoval has driven record, economic growth. In the first quarter of 2018, State Policy Reports’ Index of State Economic Momentum—which ranks states based on personal income growth, employment growth, and population growth— ranked Nevada number one. In April of 2018, employment in Nevada was a record 1,376,000, continuing the pattern of Nevada’s job growth outpacing the nation for 69 months. Since becoming Governor, Nevada has seen a significant drop in underwater mortgages, from 65% in 2009 to 8.3% in 2017.

Sandoval actively serves as Chairman of several Boards and Commissions for the State of Nevada, including the Boards of Finance, Examiners, Prison Commissioners, Pardon Commissioners, Transportation, and Economic Development as well as the Commission on Homeland Security and the Gaming Policy Committee.

During his tenure, the Governor also has held several national positions, including chairmanships of the Western Governors Association, the Education Commission of the States and the Council of State Governments. He currently serves at the Chairman of the National Governors Association (NGA), an organization of which he also was selected by his peers to serve as the Vice Chairman of from 2015 to 2016. As Chairman of the NGA, Sandoval launched NGA Global, which creates opportunities for governors to convene and collaborate with their counterparts across the globe, including heads of state, global thought leaders, and foreign executives. Sandoval also spearheads the Ahead of the Curve initiative, which helps governors and those who govern to stay one step ahead of the rapidly advancing technologies that impact the daily lives of residents and businesses in all 50 states. The initiative focuses on the energy and transportation sectors as the two leading areas of innovation, and examines impacts on other sectors such as health, education, and public safety.

Sandoval’s gubernatorial term ends in January 2019.

Election of 2002

On November 5, 2002, Sandoval was elected as Nevada’s 30th Attorney General, and of the 478,002 votes cast, Sandoval (Republican) received 290,471 (60.77%) votes to John Hunt’s (Democratic) 167,513 (35.04%) votes and Jonathon Hansen’s (Independent American Party) 20,018 (4.19%) votes.⁴

Gubernatorial Election of 2010

On June 8, 2010, in the Republican Primary Election, Sandoval received 97,201 (55.53%) votes (a 49,585 margin of victory) to Jim Gibbons’ 47,616 (27.20%) votes; Michael L. Montandon’s 22,003 (12.57%) votes; Tony Atwood’s 2,440 (1.39%) votes; Stanleigh Harold Lusak’s 1,380 (0.79%) votes; and “None of These Candidates”’ 4,400 (2.51%) votes.5

General Election of 2010

On November 2, 2010, Sandoval was elected as Nevada’s 29th Governor, and of the 716,529 votes cast, Sandoval (Republican) received 382,350 (53.36%) votes to Rory Reid’s (Democratic) 298,171 (41.61%) votes; Eugene (“Gino”) DiSimone’s (Independent) 6,403 (0.89%) votes; Floyd Fitzgibbons’ (Independent American Party) 5,049 (0.70%) votes; Arthur Forrest Lampitt’s (Libertarian) 4,672 (0.65%) votes; Aaron Y. Honig’s (Independent) 3,216 (0.45%) votes; David Scott Curtis (Green) 4,437 (0.62%) votes; and “None of These Candidates”’ 12,231 (1.71%) votes.⁶

Election of 2014

On November 4, 2014, Sandoval was re-elected as Governor, and of the 547,349 votes cast, Sandoval (Republican incumbent) received 386,340 (70.6%) votes to Robert Goodman’s (Democratic) 130,722 (23.9%) votes; “None of these Candidates”’ 15,751 (2.9%) votes; and David Lory VanderBeek’s (Independent American Party) 14,536 (2.7%) votes.

Office Administration and Duties

The Nevada Attorney General’s Office operating budget for 2003-2005, as approved by the 72nd Session of the Nevada Legislature, included these appropriations “from funds other than the State Highway Fund or State General Fund”:

2003-2005 Operating Budgets and Salaries:

Statutes of Nevada 2003, Chapter 328, Section 1, Page 1845.

All funds were appropriated from the State General Fund:

Employee Salaries, 2003-2005: Statutes of Nevada 2003, Chapter 327, Section 4, Page 1830.

Statutes of Nevada 2003, Chapter 441, Section 1, Page 2663.

The 2003 Nevada State Legislature added the following duties to the Attorney General’s job:

• The Attorney General shall provide consultation to the Committee for the Statewide Alert System (Statutes of Nevada 2003, Chapter 41, Section 8, Page 394).
• The Attorney General shall assess the risk of recidivism of a juvenile sex offender (Statutes of Nevada 2003, Chapter 206, Section 188, Page 1081).
• The Attorney General may request access to the internal do-not-call registries of telephone solicitors (Statutes of Nevada 2003, Chapter 464, Section 15, Page 2882).
• The Attorney General shall act as attorney of the Real Estate Division of the Department of Business and Industry in all actions and proceedings brought against or by the Division (Statutes of Nevada 2003, Chapter 385, Section 18, Page 2210).
• If a child is adjudicated delinquent for an unlawful act that would have been a sexual offense if committed by an adult or is adjudicated delinquent for a sexually motivated act, the juvenile court shall notify the Attorney General so s/he may arrange for assessment of the risk of recidivism of the child pursuant to the guidelines and procedures for community notification (Statutes of Nevada 2003, Chapter 206, Section 188, Page 1081).
• As soon as practicable after a person is first appointed to serve as a member of an agency, board, or commission, which has the authority to regulate an occupation or profession, the person must be provided with training by the Attorney General for the duties and responsibilities associated with that person’s appointment (Statutes of Nevada 2003, Chapter 213, Section 9, Page 1185).

The 2005 Nevada State Legislature added the following duties to the Attorney General’s job:

• The Attorney General shall serve as the Chairman of the Nevada Council for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (Statutes of Nevada 2005, Chapter 263, Section 5, Page 940).
• The Attorney General is an ex officio voting member of the Advisory Commission on Sentencing and shall serve as the Chairman of the Commission. The Attorney General shall provide the Advisory Commission on Sentencing with such staff as is necessary to carry out the duties of the Commission (Statutes of Nevada 2005, Chapter 180, Section 1, Page 582).
• The Attorney General shall act as the attorney for the Real Estate Division of the Department of Business and Industry in all actions and proceedings brought against, or by, the Division, pursuant to the provisions of this chapter (Statutes of Nevada 2005, Chapter 494, Section 16, Page 2575).

[1] https://web.archive.org/web/20070825185135/http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/alumni/newsletter/ 006/april/sandoval.html.  Accessed December 28, 2017.
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Sandoval.  Accessed December 28, 2017.
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Sandoval.
[4] https://nvsos.gov/SOSelectionPages/results/2002General/ElectionSummary.aspx. Accessed December 28, 2017. 
[5] https://nvsos.gov/SOSelectionPages/results/2010StateWidePrimary/Election Summary.aspx.
[6] https://nvsos.gov/SOSelectionPages/results/2010StateWideGeneral/Clark.aspx.