Thomas John Umberg (born September 25, 1955) is an American politician currently serving in the California State Senate. A Democrat, he represents the 34th district, which encompasses parts of northern Orange County and a small portion of unincorporated Los Angeles County. Previously, he served in the California State Assembly, representing the 69th District. He is a partner at Umberg Zipser LLP in Orange County.
Early life, education, and military service Born in Cincinnati, Ohio of German ancestry, Umberg graduated with honors from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1977. He was commissioned Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, then promoted to captain. Umberg served with the 2nd Infantry Division in South Korea and with NATO forces in Italy during his time in the army. Umberg also served as a paratrooper with the US Army Special Operations Command, US Army Special Warfare Center and the XVIIIth Airborne Corp. Umberg completed the Harvard University, Kennedy School of Public Policy, Program for Senior Executives in National Security. He was also awarded a master's degree in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. Umberg remained in the U.S. Army Reserve, rising to the rank of colonel. Umberg's military decorations include: the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal (2d award), the US Coast Guard Distinguished Public Service Award, the Army Commendation Medal (2d award), the Army Achievement Medal.
Early career After receiving his Juris Doctor degree from UC San Francisco, College of the Law in 1980, he was appointed an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Orange County. He had a 100% conviction rate prosecuting drug dealers, gang members, white collar criminals, and civil rights cases. He also served as a military prosecutor between 1980 and 1985. As a federal prosecutor, Umberg tried several high-profile cases including “Uranium for Tax Dollars,” “Marco Numismatics” (a nationwide fraud on seniors), and the last cross-burning case in Orange County.La Ganga, Maria L. "U.S. Indicts 6 on Fraud Charges in Coin Dealings". Los Angeles Times. Published September 14, 1988. Retrieved December 15, 2025. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-09-14-fi-1813-story.htmlHadad, Annette. "Man convicted in cross-burning incident". UPI. Published January 4, 1989. Retrieved December 15, 2025. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/01/04/Man-convicted-in-cross-burning-incident/2587599893200/
Political career
Santa Ana poll guard controversy As the federal prosecutor on duty in 1988 for the U.S. Attorney's office on Election Day, Umberg received reports that police officers were preventing Latinos from voting in Santa Ana. Umberg and another attorney responded to the location of the report, and identified a woman dressed in attire that made her appear as a police officer with a sign that said "Non-Citizens Can't Vote". Umberg noted that when he arrived the woman spoke with a Latino couple that came to vote, and after their discussion, they walked away. The Orange County Republican Party allegedly organized the effort to protect one of their incumbents, who went on to win the election by 1,000 votes.Steve Chiotakis. "What Happened When Poll Guards Showed Up In Heavily Latino OC Districts In 1988. Published October 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2025. https://www.kcrw.com/shows/greater-la/stories/voter-intimidation-oc-1988 Umberg resigned his position from the U.S. Attorney's office to run for the Assembly, citing the incident as his reason for running. First stint in state Assembly Umberg was first elected to the California State Assembly in 1990, defeating incumbent Republican Curt Pringle, who was identified as the beneficiary of the previous poll guard effort.Catherine Gewertz. "U.S. Judges Restore Suit Accusing State GOP of Poll Guard Conspiracy : Appeal: Ruling revives charge that Republican Party tried to intimidate Latinos by posting uniformed monitors in Santa Ana in 1988. Published July 27, 1991, Retrieved December 5, 2025. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-07-27-me-289-story.html Umberg was re-elected in 1992. While in the Assembly he served as Chairman of the Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee. Instead of seeking a third term in 1994, Umberg ran for Attorney General of California but lost to Republican Dan Lungren in the general election. Umberg then joined the law firm of Morrison & Foerster LLP in 1995 as a partner. He was the Managing Partner of Morrison & Foerster's Orange County Office from 2003 until 2005.
Deputy Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy During the 1996 presidential election, he served as the Director of the Clinton re-election campaign in California. Clinton appointed and the Senate confirmed Umberg as the Deputy Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (colloquially known as the Office of the Drug Czar) in 1997 where he served until 2000 directly under Director and retired U.S. Army General Barry McCaffrey.Jean O. Pasco. "Clinton Picks Umberg For Drug Control Office". Los Angeles Times. Published August 7, 1997. Retrieved December 14, 2025. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-aug-07-me-20351-story.html In this capacity he was responsible for the development and coordination of United States policy to reduce the supply of illegal drugs, including interdiction, counter-drug intelligence, negotiation and coordination with foreign governments. Umberg held the highest level of U.S. security clearance, granting access to Top Secret information in addition to specialized Sensitive Compartmented Information. Tom also served as a senior member to the U.S./Mexico High Level Contact Group and as a member of the U.S. Delegation to the Summit of the Americas in Santiago, Chile.Thomas J. Umberg. "About". https://www.umbergzipser.com/profiles/thomas-j-umberg/
Second stint in state Assembly In 2004, Umberg was re-elected to the Assembly to represent the 69th District. During his third term, Umberg chaired the Elections and Redistricting Committee. While in the legislature, Umberg authored over 60 measures which became law. These laws include measures dealing with hate crimes, white collar crime, campaign finance reform, high-speed rail transport, and school meal programs.. In 2005, Umberg was the 41st, and decisive, vote on AB 849 to legalize same-sex marriage in California. During the floor debate, Umberg stated, "It's always a dilemma whether to follow or lead. This is one of those times history is looking to us to lead," and that of all the constituents who contacted him on the bill, he had ultimately looked to his three children. "I wanted them to look back and see where I was when we could make a difference, if I stood with those who took a leadership role in terms of tolerance, equity and fairness. And I'll be proud to say I did."Lynda Gledhill. "Gay marriage up to governor now / Landmark legislation clears Assembly by narrowest of margins on second try". Published September 7, 2005. Retrieved December 5, 2025. https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Gay-marriage-up-to-governor-now-Landmark-2610923.php.
2006 state Senate campaign Umberg sought the seat of retiring State Senator Joe Dunn (D) in the 2006 elections. Orange County Supervisor and former Assemblyman Lou Correa jumped in the race in January 2006 as well. Correa received pressure from the local Democratic party for him to stay out but was pressured by the state Democratic party for him to jump in and stating that he was running in part because of the allegations about Umberg's residency. Aside from other negative articles, Umberg also received criticism that he voted to legalize gay marriage. Umberg attempted to get Correa off the ballot because Correa submitted more than the number of signatures required to qualify for the ballot, but ultimately failed. Umberg also claimed that an alliance between Correa and State Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata to funnel funds to Correa's campaign was illegal. Umberg was defeated by Correa by a 60% to 40% margin, and Correa went on to narrowly win the general election.
Orange County Supervisorial campaign After Correa won the general election for the state Senate by a 1% margin, Umberg entered the race to replace Correa on the Orange County Board of Supervisors, representing the 1st Supervisorial District. 52% of 1st Supervisorial District voters are also voters in the 69th Assembly District, formerly represented by Umberg. 73% of 1st Supervisorial District voters are also 34th Senate District voters, so Umberg was believed to be the favorite. On 6 February 2007, Umberg received 21.4%, coming in third, far less than he had been expected to poll. The winner was Garden Grove City councilwoman Janet Nguyen.
State Senate In 2018, Umberg entered the race for California's 34th Senatorial District, setting up a rematch against State Senator Janet Nguyen, who had won the seat in 2014 and was seeking reelection. A priority race for the legislature, Umberg received widespread support from officials across Orange and Los Angeles Counties, including U.S. Congressmembers Adam Schiff and Lou Correa. Umberg initially trailed by 19 points on election night, but steadily gained in the days following to prevail by 3,200 votes in an election where over 260,000 had voted, and was the last race to be called in California for that cycle.Kopetman, Roxanna. "Election 2018: Tom Umberg pulls ahead of Janet Nguyen in state Senate race." Orange County Register. Published November 19, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2025. https://www.ocregister.com/2018/11/19/election-2018-tom-umberg-pulls-ahead-of-janet-nguyen-in-state-senate-race/ Nguyen requested a partial recount of precincts in Santa Ana, but this did not change the outcome.The Associated Press. "Nguyen asks for partial recount after losing state senate seat to Democratic challenger". Long Beach Post. Published December 6, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2025.https://lbpost.com/news/politics/janet-nguyen-recount-state-senate/ Nguyen never conceded to Umberg.
After being sworn in, Umberg was named Chair of the Senate Committee on Elections and Constitutional Amendments by President pro tempore of the California State Senate, Toni Atkins. In 2021, Umberg was appointed Chair of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary and, as Chair, held a seat on the Judicial Council of California. Umberg was reappointed Judiciary Chair by Mike McGuire after he succeeded Atkins as Pro Tem. During Umberg's tenure in the Senate, he was praised for his bipartisanship and strong record of introducing and passing legislation.Sabalow, Ryan. "Bipartisanship is rare in the California Legislature. Here are the bills breaking the divide". CalMatters. Published March 10, 2025. Retrieved December 14, 2025. https://calmatters.org/politics/2025/03/bipartisan-legislation-california-politics/ Umberg was considered a finalist by Governor Gavin Newsom to be appointed California Attorney General following the appointment of Xavier Becerra in the Biden Administration.Staggs, Brooke. "Several Southern California lawmakers considered contenders for state Attorney General appointment". Orange County Register. Published December 7, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2025. https://www.ocregister.com/2020/12/07/several-southern-california-lawmakers-considered-contenders-for-state-attorney-general-appointment/