Politics & Government

Veteran Congressman for the Pass to Retire: Former Appropriations Chairman

In 2012 elections, Beaumont, Banning and Cabazon will be part of the new 36th Congressional District, which stretches east to the Colorado River.

Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands, who represents the west San Gorgonio Pass, announced Thursday he will retire at the end of this year after 46 years in elected office.

He has spent the past 33 years representing San Bernardino and Riverside counties in Congress.

Lewis, 77, is the longest-serving Republican member of Congress from California in history, and the first member from the state to chair the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

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Lewis issued the following statement on his retirement plans:

"I will not seek re-election to the Congress in 2012. After months of consultation with loved ones and family, my wife Arlene and I have decided to retire from public life. We are deeply grateful to so many who have provided their support over the years. I have worked hard to justify that support. Thank you all and may God continue to bless America."

Find out what's happening in Banning-Beaumontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Washington Post on Thursday ran an Associated Press summary of Lewis' influence that read in part:

"He made his mark in Congress by steering hundreds of millions of federal dollars over the years to a congressional district that includes portions of San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

"The Justice Department investigated whether Lewis improperly steered federal projects to clients of friends and a former colleague, but it closed its investigation in 2010 without taking any further action.

"Lewis had hoped the DOJ’s decision would help him retain the chairmanship of the Appropriations Committee when Republicans retained control of the House, but he lost that bid last year."

The AP report continued:

"While Lewis boasted of cutting wasteful spending, he was never shy about sending federal dollars to his home district for local hospitals, schools and an array of defense initiatives. In fiscal year 2010 alone, he secured nearly $100 million for his district and consistently ranked as one of the country’s leading earmark earners."

Lewis began his public service as a member of the San Bernardino Board of Education in 1965, and he was elected to the State Assembly in 1968.

While serving in the Legislature, Lewis authored bills creating the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the state’s early childcare system, and establishing the California Newsman’s Shield Law, according to his staff.

When Congresswoman Shirley Pettis announced her retirement in 1978, Lewis decided to run for the seat she vacated.

Lewis won the Republican nomination for the 35th Congressional District, which at the time included 27,000 square miles covering most of San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

Lewis was elected to Congress on Nov. 7, 1978 with 61 percent of the vote.

The current Congressional District – now the 41st - takes in the East San Bernardino Valley, the San Bernardino Mountains and a portion of the Mojave Desert, along with part of the San Jacinto Valley and Desert Hot Springs in Riverside County.

Redistricting has split the 41st District into the new 8th and 31st districts.

Beaumont, Banning and Cabazon will be part of the new 36th Congressional District, which stretches east to the Colorado River.

Lewis' staff cited numerous milestones in his career, including:

- From 1999-2005, Lewis was chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. Within a year, he reversed a decade-long decline in spending on our nation's defense, and guided legislation that provided a pay increase and other benefits for our military personnel. He was a primary supporter of weapons systems like the Predator unmanned aerial vehicle and the Army’s more agile modern force. He was also a congressional leader in supporting the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

- The dedication of the Seven Oaks Dam in 1999 completed a decades-long effort on a flood control project that protects millions of people’s lives and saves billions in potential flood damage to homes and businesses along the Santa Ana River. Working closely with the late Congressman George Brown, Lewis fought to ensure that the dam would receive first priority in the billion-dollar flood control project that stretches through four counties. The completion of this dam not only protects thousands of San Bernardino County homeowners from future floods, but has eliminated the annual cost of flood insurance for most of them.

- The elimination of more than a million dead trees to reduce fire danger in and around the San Bernardino National Forest. Responding to devastation caused to the forest by drought and bark beetles, Lewis placed special riders in a series of appropriations bills that sent nearly $100 million to the Forest Service, state and county to reduce the problem. He worked with Sen. Dianne Feinstein to secure $500 million more to eliminate fire dangers throughout Southern California. As a result of the work with San Bernardino County and Forest Service officials, fire danger has been reduced in the past few years.

A pdf copy of the new congressional districts in California, including the 36th, is attached to this report.


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