Issa Tops List of Richest Members of Congress with $355M

San Diego County is home to two of the richest members of Congress, including the wealthiest, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, it was reported Tuesday.

The northern San Diego County representative, who represents Del Mar and whose company developed the Viper car security system before he went into politics, listed a net worth of at least $355 million in his financial disclosure forms, according to The Hill, a publication which covers Congress and other national politics.

Issa took over the top spot of the top 50 lawmakers this year from Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, who came in second with a net worth of at least $101 million. Rep. Scott Peters, D-San Diego, was eighth.

The Hill reported that Issa, who chairs the House Oversight Committee, removed $100 million in liabilities that were on his 2012 financial disclosure forms.

While Peters was a successful environmental attorney before joining the San Diego City Council, much of his $44.7 million in wealth comes from his wife, whose father is an industrialist and founder of a private equity company, The Hill reported.

Because the forms call for value ranges instead of exact figures, The Hill said calculations of the net worth of officeholders are estimates that err on the conservative side.

Of the top 50 list, 37 are members of the House and 29 are Republicans, according to the publication.

-City News Service