From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Cruz Miguel Bustamante (born January 4, 1953) is an American politician. He is currently the Lieutenant Governor of California and a member of the Democratic Party.
Bustamante was born in Dinuba, California and attended but dropped out from Fresno City College. He was elected to the California State Assembly in a special election in 1993. He became the Speaker of the Assembly in 1996. He has served as the Lt. Governor since 1999. He was the first Latino elected to statewide office in California in more than 120 years and the highest-ranking Latino officeholder in the United States. He earned his bachelor's degree via correspondence school at the California State University, Fresno in 2003.
He was the most prominent Democrat to run in the 2003 California recall election, and placed second to Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger, losing by approximately 1.3 million votes.
Bustamante has had an apparently icy relationship with Governor Gray Davis, a fellow Democrat, during his tenure. They reportedly had not talked in months before the recall election approached.
Bustamante drew some criticism during the election for his involvement with the Chicano organization MEChA in the 1970s. He also was accused of accecpting donations above the state's contribution cap by funneling money through former campaign accounts.
With his wife Arcelia, Bustamante has three daughters.
