Ed Pastor

Ed Pastor

Template:TOCnestleft Ed Pastor was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the 4th district of Arizona.

Ed Pastor is married to Verma Mendez Pastor.

Early life/career

Pastor was born in Claypool, Arizona, as the oldest of three children. After high school, he was educated at Arizona State University. He became a chemistry teacher at North High School in Phoenix and later went on to work as deputy director of the community service group Guadalupe Organization Inc. After returning to ASU to earn a law degree, he became an assistant to Arizona Governor Raul Castro. In 1976, Pastor was elected to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, and he served three terms in that role as a county executive.

Congress

Since being elected to the United States House of Representatives, Congressman Pastor has served on the House Appropriations Committee, the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, the Education and Labor Committee, and the Committee on Small Business. Currently, in the 111th Congress, Ed serves on the House Appropriations Committee and sits on three subcommittees: the Subcommittee of Energy and Water Development, the Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies, and the Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. Ed also serves on the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee and is a Chief Deputy Whip in the Democratic Leadership.

Communist Party support

Arizona Communist Party USA chair Lorenzo Torrez was a pioneer in the struggle for Mexican American political representation. According to fellow party member Steve Valencia. "I always say: Before Ed Pastor and Raul Grijalva, there was Lorenzo Torrez."

Pastor and Grijalva are Arizona's first two Mexican Americans members of the U.S. Congress. But Torrez ran for Congress before they ran, and also boldly ran against Republican Senator Barry Goldwater.

"Lorenzo told us it is time for these majority Latino districts to be represented by a Mexican American," said Valencia. "He wanted voters to see a Latino name on the ballot."

When Pastor declared his candidacy, Torrez rallied the Tucson CP club to join in the effort. Pastor's victory in 1991 set the stage for Grijalva's election in 2002. Ed Pastor and Raul Grijalva both became members of the far left Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Martinez Jobs Bill

In 1994, the Communist Party USA backed Martinez Jobs Bill (HR-4708), was co-sponsored by Democratic Party California Reps Howard Berman, Xavier Becerra, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Robert Scott (Va), Tom Foglietta (Pa), Bennie Thompson (Miss), John Lewis (Ga) and Ed Pastor (Az). Maxine Waters of California was a principal co-sponsor.

DSA endorsement

In July 1996, the Democratic Socialists of America Political Action Committee endorsed Ed Pastor, Arizona, 2 in that year's Congressional elections.

Congressional Progressive Caucus

In 1998 Ed Pastor Democrat was listed as a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

As of February 20 2009 Ed Pastor was listed as a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Congressional Hispanic Caucus

In 2013 Ed Pastor was a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Colombia Support Network letter

In 2002, the Colombia Support Network organized a :dear colleague" letter to President Andres Pastrana Arango, of Colombia, through Ned Steiner, a staffer in Rep. Sam Farr's office.

The letter called on President Pastrana to end a military blockade on the Colombian town of San Jose de Apartado, a sister community of Madison Wisconsin, where the Colombia Support Network is based.

We write to you to bring your attention to the humanitarian crisis facing the civilian population of the Peace Community San Jose de Apartadó and its outlying settlements.

We urge the appropriate authorities of your government to dismantle the paramilitary checkpoint on the road between San Jose and Apartadó, ensure the continued safety of the road, and fully investigate recent threats and attacks on the Peace Community.

The Peace Community San Jose de Apartadó and its settlements, including the village of La Union, receive the permanent accompaniment of international organizations.

These include Peace Brigades International (PBI), as well as the U.S. Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), which currently has two US citizens in La Union. We support the work of these two respected organizations as well as the Peace Community in its effort to build a non-violent alternative to the conflict.

Representatives who signed the Colombia Support Network inspired letter in 2001 included Ed Pastor.

Posada letter

In 2005 several far left Congressmembers wrote to President Bush urging him to extradite alleged terrorist Luis Posada Carriles to Venezuela to face justice.

We are writing to urge you to oppose the application for asylum by Luis Posada Carriles, and to support the request for extradition to Venezuela, where he is a fugitive from justice.

Signatories were; Dennis Kucinich, Barbara Lee, Cynthia McKinney, John Olver, James McGovern, Donald Payne, Lane Evans, Carolyn Maloney, Tammy Baldwin, Lynn Woolsey, Jose Serrano, Raul Grijalva, Maurice Hinchey, Bobby Rush, Edolphus Towns, Sam Farr, Bennie Thompson, Ed Pastor, Sheila Jackson Lee, Maxine Waters.

PDA connection

Jim Hannley, Ron Barber

In 2013 Progressive Democrats of America assigned activists to deliver their material to almost every US Congressman and several Senators. Dan O'Neal, was assigned as contact for Rep. Pastor.

External links

• Pastor's website with the House of Representatives

References

Template:Reflist