Steve Gallardo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors from the 5th district | |
| Assumed office January 5, 2015 | |
| Member of theArizona Senate from the29th district | |
| In office January 10, 2013 – January 5, 2015 | |
| Succeeded by | Martín Quezada |
| Member of theArizona Senate from the13th district | |
| In office January 10, 2011 – January 5, 2013 | |
| Member of theArizona House of Representatives from the13th district | |
| In office January 12, 2003 – January 12, 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Gabby Giffords |
| Succeeded by | Anna Tovar |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1968-10-25)October 25, 1968 (age 56) Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
Steve Michael Gallardo (born October 25, 1968) is an American politician from the state ofArizona. A member of theDemocratic Party, Gallardo serves on theMaricopa County Board of Supervisors representing the 5th district. He previously served in theArizona State Senate, representing the 13th district from 2011 through 2015 and in theArizona House of Representatives from 2003 through 2009.
Gallardo, a fourth generation Arizonan,[1] was born on October 25, 1968, to Jose Luis Gallardo and Alice Carrillo. He grew up inMaryvale, Arizona. He attended grade school atStarlight Park Elementary School in theCartwright Elementary School District andTrevor G. Browne High School in thePhoenix Union High School District. He continued his education atRio Salado Community College. Gallardo served asMaricopa County Campaign Finance Director and Training Officer for 14 years.[2]
Janet Napolitano, formerGovernor of Arizona, appointed Gallardo to the Arizona Civil Rights Advisory Board, where he served from 1998 through 2002. In 2001, Gallardo was appointed to theMaryvale Village Planning Committee by thePhoenix City Council.[2] Gallardo served on the Governing Board of theCartwright Elementary School District beginning in 2001.[3] He served through 2004, and was elected in 2010 to another four-year term. He also served on the Governing Board of thePhoenix Union High School District from 2004 through 2008.[citation needed]
In February 2002, Gallardo resigned from Maricopa County Election Department and announced his candidacy for the Arizona House of Representatives. He was elected in November 2002 to represent Legislative District 13 covering areas of Maryvale, Glendale, Tolleson, Cashion, and Avondale.[citation needed] Gallardo was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008. In January 2009, Gallardo stepped down from the Arizona House of Representatives to work for a consulting firm.[4] Shortly after the enactment ofArizona SB 1070, the broadest and strictest anti-illegal immigration measure in the U.S., he announced his candidacy for Arizona State Senate for Legislative District 13. He was elected in November 2010 and reelected in 2012.[5] In 2012, he sponsored legislation to repeal the anti-immigration legislation.[6]
In 2011, Gallardo was one of more than two dozen Arizona politicians who accepted free tickets to attendcollege football games, known locally as theFiesta Bowl. He also accepted free tickets toNASCAR'sPhoenix International RacewaySubway 500. He then became a crusader to ban legislators from accepting such gifts from lobbyists, though defended the practice in the absence of the law's enactment.[7]
In January 2013, Gallardo introduced a series of bills to enhance the rights of LGBT persons by ending the state's ban on same-sex marriage, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in employment, and ending the state's preference for married persons over single persons in adoption.[8] In October 2013, Gallardo was elected Minority Whip of the Arizona Senate by his Democratic colleagues.[9]
In December 2013, Gallardo became one of the plaintiffs inGallardo v. Arizona, a lawsuit that challenges the addition of two at-large seats to the Maricopa Community College District as a violation of the state constitution.[10]
In 2014, Gallardo again introduced legislation to repeal Arizona's anti-immigration law. He noted that the legislation he wanted to repeal took four years to pass and "It may take us longer to get it repealed. But we are not going to stop until we get it repealed."[11]
Following the passage ofArizona SB 1062 in February 2014, which sought to allow businesses to deny services toLGBT people, especiallysame-sex couples, based on religious beliefs, and its veto by GovernorJan Brewer, Gallardocame out as gay.[12] He referred to the bill as a "game changer," and noted the national controversy surrounding its passage, as prompted his decision to come out.[5]
Gallardo was a candidate for theUnited States House of Representatives forArizona's 7th congressional district in the2014 elections, following the retirement ofincumbentEd Pastor.[5] He then withdrew from the race in May to stand for the seat vacated by fellow house candidateMary Rose Wilcox on theMaricopa County Board of Supervisors.[13]