Senator Tom Umberg - Santa Ana

Senator
Senate District
34

State Senator Tom Umberg is a retired U.S. Army Colonel, former federal criminal prosecutor, three term state legislator, small business owner and Deputy Drug Czar for President Clinton.

Senator Umberg began his military service at the Korean DMZ and served three overseas tours. Umberg served active military duty in 2009, leading the U.S. military effort to attack corruption within the Afghan Army and Police, for which he was awarded a Bronze Star for meritorious service in a combat zone.

As a federal criminal prosecutor, Senator Umberg had a 100% conviction rate, trying numerous white collar, civil rights and gang cases. He successfully tried over 100 cases to verdict or judgment.

Senator Umberg served three terms in the State Assembly, Umberg representing central Orange County. He worked across party lines, authoring 76 laws and bringing more than $563 million in funds to Orange County. Senator Umberg founded and built a successful veteran-owned small business in Orange County, recognized as one of California’s preeminent boutique law firms by “Best Lawyers” and “The Daily Journal.” Senator Umberg is a strong advocate for local small businesses, cutting red tape and unnecessary regulation.

Senator Umberg served as Deputy Drug Czar for President Bill Clinton where he was responsible for foreign drug interdiction, counter-drug intelligence and international drug policy. Umberg has a deep understanding of the strategies and resources we need to stop the current opioid epidemic and to put an end to senseless gun violence in our communities.

Since his arrival in the State Senate in 2018, Senator Tom Umberg has chaired the Senate Elections Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee. He is committed to ensuring that every Californian has equal access to both our democratic process and our court system. In pursuit of these goals, he has authored 17 new laws in the State Senate, fostering greater inclusiveness in these systems. Since 2020, Senator Umberg has served as a Trustee for the Judicial Council of California, the constitutionally created policy making body of the California courts.

Senator Umberg lives in Orange County with his wife Robin, who is a Retired Brigadier General. They have three adult children and four grandchildren.

Latest Press Releases

(Sacramento, CA) – Senator Thomas J. Umberg (D-Santa Ana), Chair of the California Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the statement below in response to today’s State of the Judiciary.

(Sacramento, CA) – Senator Thomas J. Umberg (D-Santa Ana) announced today that he is re-introducing legislation to enhance substance use disorder treatment facilities’ accountability and service quality across California. Senator Umberg’s Senate Bill 35 focuses on reinforcing the regulations surrounding the operation of sober living homes and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment facilities. It is a reintroduction of last year’s Senate Bill 913, which died in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

(Sacramento, CA)— Earlier today, Senator Thomas J. Umberg (D-Santa Ana), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced his introduction of Senate Bill 44, the Neural Data Protection Act.