Julian Castro

Julián Castro
16th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Incumbent
Assumed office July 28, 2014
President	Barack Obama
Deputy	Nani A. Coloretti
Preceded by	Shaun Donovan
Mayor of San Antonio
In office June 1, 2009 – July 22, 2014
Preceded by	Phil Hardberger
Succeeded by	Ivy Taylor
Personal details
Born	September 16, 1974 San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Erica Lira
Relations	Joaquín Castro (twin brother)
Children	Carina Cristián Julián
Parents	Maria "Rosie" Castro Jessie Guzman
Alma mater	Stanford University (B.A.) Harvard Law School (J.D.)
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Julián Castro (/ˌhuːliˈɑːn/ hoo-lee-AHN,^[1] Spanish pronunciation: [xuˈljan]; born September 16, 1974) is an American Democratic politician, who has been the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development since July 28, 2014.

From 2009 to 2014, Castro served as the mayor of his native San Antonio, Texas, until he was tapped by U.S. President Barack H. Obama to join the Cabinet in Washington, D.C.

Castro has been mentioned as a possible nominee for vice president in 2016 under Hillary Rodham Clinton, for whom he has actively campaigned.^[2]

Early life and family

Julián Castro^[3] was born in San Antonio, Texas, the son of Maria "Rosie" Castro and Jessie Guzman.^[4] He is the identical twin brother of current United States Representative Joaquín Castro.^[3] His mother was a Chicana political activist who helped establish the Chicano political party La Raza Unida,^[5] and who ran unsuccessfully for the San Antonio City Council in 1971.^[3] Castro once stated, "My mother is probably the biggest reason that my brother and I are in public service. Growing up, she would take us to a lot of rallies and organizational meetings and other things that are very boring for an 8-, 9-, 10-year-old".^[6] His father, Jessie Guzman, is a retired mathematics teacher and political activist. Never married, Rosie and Jessie separated when Castro and his brother were eight years old.^[5] Castro's Texan roots trace back to 1920, when his grandmother, Victoria Castro, joined extended family members there as a six-year-old orphan from northern Mexico.^[3]

In 2007, Castro married Erica Lira, an elementary school teacher. In 2009, their daughter Carina Castro was born.^[5] On December 27, 2014, Castro announced via Twitter the birth of the couple's second child, a son, Cristián Julián Castro.^[7]

Education

Castro attended Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio, where he played football, basketball and tennis; he also collected trading cards.^[8] He skipped his sophomore year^[9] and graduated in 1992,^[10] ranking ninth in his class.^[5] He had received an offer to play tennis at Trinity University, a NCAA Division III school in his hometown, but chose to attend Stanford University.^[11]

He graduated from Stanford in 1996 with a bachelor's degree in political science and communications. He said he began thinking about entering politics while at Stanford,^[5] where he and his brother launched their first campaigns and won student senate seats, tying for the highest number of votes.^[3] Castro has credited affirmative action for his admission into Stanford, telling The New York Times, "Joaquín and I got into Stanford because of affirmative action. I scored 1210 on my SATs, which was lower than the median matriculating student. But I did fine in college and in law school. So did Joaquín. I’m a strong supporter of affirmative action because I’ve seen it work in my own life".^[12] Between his sophomore and junior years, Castro worked as an intern at the White House during the presidency of Bill Clinton.^[13]

Castro entered Harvard Law School in 1997 and graduated with a Juris Doctor in 2000.^[14][15] His brother graduated from both schools with him.^[5] After law school, the two brothers worked for the law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld before starting their own firm in 2005.^[16]

Political career

San Antonio city council and mayor

Julian Castro and his twin brother Representative Joaquin Castro at the LBJ Presidential Library.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid meets with Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Nominee Julián Castro on July 7, 2014

In 2001, Castro was elected to the San Antonio City Council, winning 61 percent of the vote against five challengers. At age 26 he was the youngest city councilman in San Antonio history, surpassing Henry Cisneros, who won his council seat in 1975 at age 27. Coincidentally, Cisneros was also later elected San Antonio's mayor then appointed secretary of HUD. Castro represented District 7, a precinct on the city’s west side with 115,000 residents. The population was 70 percent Hispanic and included a large number of senior citizens.^[17] As a councilman from 2001 to 2005, he opposed a PGA-approved golf course and large-scale real estate development on the city’s outer rim.^[18]

Castro ran for Mayor of San Antonio in 2005 and was widely viewed as the front runner in a field that also included retired judge Phil Hardberger and conservative city councilman Carroll Schubert. He was defeated by approximately 4000 votes when Hardberger received 51.5% of the votes.^[19][20] Following his election defeat, Castro established his own law practice.^[13]

Castro ran for Mayor of San Antonio again in 2009, announcing his candidacy on November 5, 2008. Castro hired Christian Archer, who had run Hardberger's campaign in 2005, to run his own 2009 campaign.^[13] Castro won the election on May 9, 2009 with 56.23% of the vote, his closest opponent being Trish DeBerry-Mejia.^[21] He became the fifth Latino mayor in the history of San Antonio. He was the youngest mayor of a top-50 American city.^[22] Castro easily won re-election in 2011 and 2013, receiving 82.9% of the vote in 2011^[23] and 67% of the vote in 2013.^[24]

In 2010 Castro created SA2020, a community-wide visioning effort. It generated a list of goals created by the people of San Antonio based on their collective vision for San Antonio in the year 2020. SA2020 then became a nonprofit organization tasked with turning that vision into a reality.^[25] Castro also established Cafe College in 2010, offering college guidance to San Antonio-area students. In 2012 he led a voter referendum to expand pre-kindergarten education.^[22] Castro persuaded two of the most prominent businessmen in San Antonio, Charles Butt and Joe Robles, to lead an effort to pass a $30 million sales tax to fund the pre-kindergarten education program.^[13]

Castro gained national attention in 2012 when he was the first Hispanic to deliver the keynote address at a Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.^[26][27] Following the 2012 elections, Castro declined the position of United States Secretary of Transportation, partly with an eye on running for Governor of Texas after 2017.^[13] However, in 2014, Castro accepted President Barack Obama's offer of the position of United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.^[13] Castro resigned as mayor effective July 22, 2014, so that he could take up his duties in Washington. The San Antonio City Council elected councilmember Ivy Taylor to replace him.^[28]

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

Secretary Castro introducing President Obama at an event on the recovering housing sector in Phoenix, Arizona in January 2015.

On May 22, 2014 the White House announced Castro as the nominee to be the next Secretary of Housing and Urban Development by President Barack Obama. He was confirmed by the Senate on July 9, 2014, by a vote of 71-26 and replaced Shaun Donovan, who was nominated to be the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.^[29] He took office on July 28, 2014 as United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.^[30] Following the announcement, Castro was discussed as a potential 2016 Democratic Vice Presidential nominee.^[31][32]

On July 28, 2014, his first day in office, Castro was honored at a reception called "Celebrating Latino Cabinet Members" hosted by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute.^[33]

2016 Presidential election

On October 15, 2015, Castro endorsed Hillary Clinton for president. When Clinton was asked if Castro could be her pick for vice president, she said, "I am going to look really hard at him for anything, because that's how good he is."^[34]

Discussion of Castro as the best candidate to run on the Democratic ticket with Hillary Clinton increased markedly in January 2016, as the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries approached.^[35][36] In late January, Castro began to campaign for Clinton in Iowa, a move interpreted as a test of his appeal to the electorate.^[37]

In April 2016 Castro was criticized by various community, Democratic, and progressive political groups for facilitating the sale of thousands of foreclosed houses to Wall Street firms at steep discounts through HUD's Distressed Assets Stabilization Program (DASP).^[38] More than 98% of the recently-sold homes were sold to Wall Street firms. ^[39] Advocates sought a reduction of principal for troubled homeowners and a sale of mortgages to nonprofits instead of private equity firms.^[40]

The mortgage sale criticism has led to sparring between Democratic political figures. Forty-five members of Congress wrote a letter to Castro demanding reform of DASP.^[41] The criticism of Castro led to counter-criticism from some quarters, and a member of the board of American Family Voices, one of the groups critical of the HUD policies, resigned in protest.^[42]

Political positions

Castro has been an advocate for LGBT rights and as mayor opposed the law in Texas (later overturned by the US Supreme Court) that denied legal recognition to same-sex marriages.^[43]

References

1. Forsyth, Jim (July 31, 2012). "Democratic orator Castro symbolizes Hispanic rise". Reuters. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
2. Bill Lambrecht, "Stumping for Clinton, Castro spurs VP talk", San Antonio Express-News, January 30, 2016, pp. 1, A6
3. MacLaggan, Corrie (September 3, 2012). "For San Antonio mayor, reflections of American Dream in convention speech". Reuters. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
4. "Interview with Julian Castro". University of Texas San Antonio. November 9, 2005. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
5. Jefferson, Greg. "What makes Castro run? It depends who is asked". San Antonio Express-News. Archived from the original on March 22, 2009. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
6. Fernandez, Manny (September 3, 2012). "A Spotlight With Precedent Beckons a Mayor From Texas". The New York Times. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
7. "It's a Boy! HUD Secr. Julian Castro, Wife, Welcome Second Child". NBC News.
8. Baugh, Josh; Gary Martin (August 26, 2012). "Democrats view Castro as rising star". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
9. Lee, Oliver (August 1, 2012). "7 Things to Know About San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro". TakePart. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
10. Duel, Chris (September 1, 2012). "VIDEO & PHOTOS: Julián & Joaquín Castro’s Sendoff to Democratic National Convention". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
11. Garrett, Robert T. (September 3, 2012). "Texan Julián Castro brings life of contrasts to Democratic convention speech". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
12. Chafets, Zev (May 9, 2010). "The Post-Hispanic Hispanic Politician". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
13. Kroll, Andy (23 January 2015). "The Power of Two: Inside the Rise of the Castro Brothers". The Atlantic. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
14. Welch, Ben (2002). "Their Politics Is Local". Harvard Law Bulletin. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
15. "Speaker Biographies". Harvard Law School. August 27, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
16. "TRIBPEDIA: Julián Castro". "The Texas Tribune". Retrieved August 29, 2013.
17. Milanese, Marisa (2001). "Man on a Fast Track". Stanford Magazine. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
18. Russell, Jan Jarboe (May 1, 2010). "Alamo Heights". Texas Monthly. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
19. "New mayor sets high goals for San Antonio". Houston Chronicle. June 9, 2005. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
20. Welch, William M. (June 16, 2005). "San Antonio vote about issues". USA Today.
21. Bexar County, Texas Primary Runoff Election May 27, 2014 Statistics, www.bexar.org
22. "Mayor Julian Castro". Office of the Mayor. City of San Antonio. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
23. Bexar County, Texas Joint General & Special May 14, 2011, www.bexar.org
24. Baker, Brian (May 21, 2013). "Mayor of the Month for November 2012: Julian Castro Mayor of San Antonio, USA". CityMayors.com. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
25. "What is SA2020?". sa2020.org. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
26. Henderson, Nia-Malika (July 31, 2012). "Julian Castro, Latino mayor of San Antonio, to keynote DNC convention". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
27. Tau, Byron (July 31, 2012). "Julian Castro to deliver DNC keynote". Politico. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
28. Mendoza, Mariza. "Council members say goodbye to Julian Castro". ABC KSAT 12. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
29. Superville, Darlene (22 May 2014). "White House: Obama to Add Julian Castro to Cabinet". cnsnews.com.
30. Gillman, Todd J. (July 25, 2014). "Julián Castro to take office Monday as Housing secretary". Dallas News.
31. Cosman, Ben (May 23, 2014). "Obama Nominates Julián Castro for Cabinet Position, Fueling VP Speculation". The Wire. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
32. Fuller, Jaime (May 23, 2014). "The 10 things you need to know about Julian Castro". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
33. O'Keefe, Ed. "Newly sworn-in HUD Secretary Castro gets his first D.C. party". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
34. "Clinton to 'Look Hard' at HUD Secretary Julian Castro as Possible VP Pick". Newsweek. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
35. Dovere, Edward-Isaac (22 January 2016). "Ready for Julián?". Politico. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
36. "U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce endorses Julian Castro for vice president". Fox News Latino. 24 January 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
37. Linthicum, Kate (25 January 2016). "Julian Castro, campaigning for Hillary Clinton, embarks on a vice presidential test run in Iowa". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
38. Dovere, Edward-Isaac (12 April 2016). "Progressive groups target Julián Castro". Politico (Washington DC). Retrieved 14 April 2016.
39. Dayen, David (20 April 2016). "The Election is Blinding Us to a Wall Street Outrage". Salon. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
40. VW Staff (19 April 2016). "110,000 Petition Signatures Call For End To HUD “Wall Street Giveaway”". Value Walk. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
41. Bennett, Jared, "Members of Congress call for reforms to bulk mortgage sales"
42. Carrasquillo, Adrian, "Turmoil Among Progressive And Latino Groups After Attack On Julian Castro", BuzzFeed News, April 14, 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-14.
43. Forsyth, Jim. "EXCLUSIVE: Mayor Castro Says Texas Should Legalize Gay Marriage NOW". WOAI. Retrieved June 27, 2013.

External links

• Official website as Mayor of San Antonio
• Julian Castro profile in the New York Times Magazine from May 2010