Chad Mayes

Chad Mayes
Minority leader of the California State Assembly
In office
January 4, 2016 – September 15, 2017
Preceded by Kristin Olsen
Succeeded by Brian Dahle
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 42nd district
Assumed office
December 1, 2014
Preceded by Brian Nestande
Member of Yucca Valley Town Council
In office
2002–2011
Personal details
Born (1977-04-23) April 23, 1977
Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Nationality American
Political party Republican
Residence Yucca Valley, California, U.S.
Alma mater Liberty University
Occupation Politician
Profession Financial Advisor
Website https://ad42.assemblygop.com

Chad Mayes is an American politician currently serving in the California State Assembly. He is a Republican representing the 42nd district, encompassing parts of Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Prior to being elected to the State Assembly, he was a Yucca Valley City Councilman.

Background

Mayes earned a Bachelor of Science in Government from Liberty University.[1] Before entering public service, Mayes worked as a financial advisor and tax preparer.[2]

Personal life

The son of a pastor, Mayes grew up in Yucca Valley, graduating from Grace Christian School at 16.[2] After graduating from Liberty University, Mayes married his wife Shanon at 24.[3] Mayes currently plays guitar at his church, and performed with Kristin Olsen and David Chiu at the 54th Annual California Prayer Breakfast in Sacramento.

In July 2017, a web site called American Children First claimed that Mayes had been having an affair with Olsen, his predecessor as Assembly Republican Leader, who is also the Vice Chair of the California Republican Party and an elected member of the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors.[4][5][6] It was revealed that Olsen's husband had sent a letter to the office of Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon requesting a formal investigation into whether or not the pair has used taxpayer resources and staff time to carry out and/or conceal the extramarital affair.

On January 2, 2018 his divorce was finalized in San Bernardino County Superior Court.

Town council

Mayes served on the Yucca Valley Town Council from 2002–2011, and was twice elected by the council to serve as mayor.

In 2004, Mayes and then-councilman Paul Cook voted against a proposed 42-percent pay increase for town elected officials.[7] In his final budget as Mayor, Yucca Valley spent $8.7 million, a slight decrease from the previous year, and had over $5 million in reserves.[8]

In 2011, Mayes resigned as a member of the town council to focus on his responsibilities as Chief of Staff to San Bernardino County Supervisor Janice Rutherford, saying he found it "difficult to keep up with the basics of serving as a council member," and that "Yucca Valley deserves a council member who will give them 100 percent every day."[9]

State legislature

In 2014, Mayes ran for the California State Assembly to succeed term-limited Republican Brian Nestande, who ran unsuccessfully for Congress that year. Mayes was elected to the State Assembly in November 2014, with 57.3% of the vote.[10] He was appointed Vice Chair of the Assembly Human Services Committee and a member of the Committees on Governmental Organization, Insurance and Rules, as well as the Special Committee on Legislative Ethics.[11] Mayes was also appointed to the Select Committee on Renewable Energy Development and Restoration of the Salton Sea,[12] and was named Chief Republican Whip.[13]

Mayes was appointed by Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins to serve on the California Commission on Disability Access, which works to improve accessibility by fostering dialogue between the disabled and business communities.[14][15]

During his first year in office, he introduced AB 851, which provides an orderly process for municipal disincorporation, AB 1286, which would create a body to holistically examine the state's regulatory environment, and AB 1202, which would have reduced the California State Fire Prevention Fee for residents who also pay for fire prevention at the local level.[16] All three bills received unanimous bi-partisan support in their policy committee hearings.[17][18][19]

In July of 2017, Mayes led a handful of Republicans in the State Assembly to vote with the Democratic majority in favor of AB 398, which extended the state’s climate change program – colloquially referred to as “cap-and-trade” – for an additional 13 years. Mayes, along with six other Assembly Republicans and one Republican in the State Senate, voted for the bill alongside almost all of the Democrats in both chambers, and Governor Jerry Brown signed the bill into law.[20] The effort was viewed by conservative activists as a vote in favor of more government regulations and increased taxes, and after multiple county parties officially called on Mayes to step down as Assembly Minority Leader, the state board of the California Republican Party did the same.[21] On August 24, the Republican caucus announced the removal of Mayes as the Minority Leader, and he was succeeded by Brian Dahle on September 15.[22]

In January of 2018, Mayes formed a group called “New Way California,” with the purpose of advocating for a more moderate Republican Party.[23] The group has been publicly supported by former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger,[24] and both Mayes and Schwarzenegger - along with Ohio governor John Kasich - headlined the group’s inaugural summit in Los Angeles on March 21. The summit featured several other Republicans from the State Assembly who voted for cap-and-trade, including Rocky Chavez, Devon Mathis, and Jordan Cunningham.[25] The summit was criticized by some in the California Republican Party, including former chairman Ron Nehring, who described them as “elites talking down to grassroots voters.”[26]

Mayes has angered conservatives in other ways. In May 2017, the California Family Council criticized him for posting a tweet that endorsed Harvey Milk Day.[27]

Election results

2014

California's 42nd State Assembly district election, 2014
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Karalee Hargrove 22,973 37.8
Republican Chad Mayes 20,921 34.4
Republican Gary Jeandron 14,877 27.8
Total votes 60,771 100.0
General election
Republican Chad Mayes 56,517 57.3
Democratic Karalee Hargrove 42,082 42.7
Total votes 98,599 100.0

2016

California's 42nd State Assembly district election, 2016
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Chad Mayes (incumbent) 49,580 50.8
Democratic Greg Rodriguez 40,446 41.4
Libertarian Jeff Hewitt 7,601 7.8
Total votes 97,627 100.0
General election
Republican Chad Mayes (incumbent) 97,864 57.4
Democratic Greg Rodriguez 72,581 42.6
Total votes 170,445 100.0
Republican hold

References

  1. ↑ "Alumnus serves in California Assembly". Archived from the original on 2015-09-10.
  2. 1 2 "[Chad Mayes] Biography". Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  3. ↑ Vaughn, Courtney. "Yucca Valley native looks to state assembly". Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  4. ↑ Turner, Joseph (July 17, 2017). ""Never Trump" California GOP Leader Chad Mayes Having Affair with Colleague". American Children First. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  5. ↑ Olsen, Rod (April 24, 2017). "Letter from Rod Olsen to Speaker Anthony Rendon's Office" (PDF). American Children First. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  6. ↑ Koseff, Alexei (July 18, 2017). "Alleged affair between California Assembly Republican leaders fuels political attack". Sacramento Bee. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  7. ↑ Kelly, Jim. "Compensation equals consternation for council". Hi-Desert Star. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  8. ↑ "Town of Yucca Valley: Adopted Budget 2010-2011" (PDF).
  9. ↑ Unger, Rebecca. "Mayes resigns from town council". Hi-Desert Star. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  10. ↑ http://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2014-general/pdf/64-state-assemblymember.pdf
  11. ↑ Newkirk, Barrett. "Chad Mayes announces Assembly committees". The Desert Sun. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  12. ↑ "Members of the Select Committee on Renewable Energy Development and Restoration of the Salton Sea".
  13. ↑ "Assembly Republican Members". Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  14. ↑ "Asm. Chad Mayes on Twitter". Twitter.
  15. ↑ "Commission Members".
  16. ↑ "Legislation 2015-2016".
  17. ↑ "Bill Votes". ca.gov.
  18. ↑ "Bill Votes". ca.gov.
  19. ↑ "Bill Votes". ca.gov.
  20. ↑ Melanie Mason and Chris Megerian (July 17, 2017). "California Legislature extends state's cap-and-trade program in rare bipartisan effort to address climate change". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  21. ↑ Patrick McGreevy (August 24, 2017). "He rallied support for California's climate change fight. Now Chad Mays is out as Assembly Republican leader". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  22. ↑ Horseman, Jeff (August 24, 2017). "Republicans oust Inland Assemblyman Chad Mayes as GOP leader". The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  23. ↑ Jeff Horseman (January 9, 2018). "Chad Mayes forms "New Way California" to change the California GOP's message". Press Enterprise. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  24. ↑ Alexei Koseff (January 9, 2018). "Schwarzenegger joins New Way campaign for CA GOP". Sacramento Bee. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  25. ↑ New Way California. "New Way Summit Agenda". Twitter.
  26. ↑ Javier Panzar (March 22, 2018). "Schwarzenegger and Kasich back Republicans looking for a 'new way' for California's party". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Republicans' gay rights tweet upsets California Family Council". 30 May 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
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