Chad Mayes
Minority Leader of the California Assembly
In office
January 4, 2016 – September 15, 2017
Preceded byKristin Olsen
Succeeded byBrian Dahle
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 42nd district
In office
December 1, 2014 – December 5, 2022
Preceded byBrian Nestande
Succeeded byJacqui Irwin
Personal details
Born
Chad Jeffrey Mayes

(1977-04-23) April 23, 1977
Lebanon, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyRepublican (before 2019)
Independent (2019–present)
EducationLiberty University (BA)

Chad Jeffrey Mayes (born April 23, 1977) is an American politician who served in the California State Assembly. He was an independent 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 Town Councilman.

Early life and education

The son of a pastor, Mayes grew up in Yucca Valley, graduating from Grace Christian School at 16.[1] He went on to take courses at Copper Mountain College before graduating from Liberty University.[2] While attending Liberty he interned for John Ashcroft in Washington, D.C.[2]

Mayes earned a Bachelor of Science in Government from Liberty University.[3] Mayes became a businessman at 23, working as a stockbroker at the Edward Jones office he opened.[2]

Yucca Valley 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.[4] 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.[5]

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."[6]

California State Assembly

First term

In 2014, Mayes ran for the California State Assembly to succeed term-limited Republican Brian Nestande, who ran unsuccessfully for Congress that year. Mayes defeated former Palm Springs Police Chief Gary Jeandron in the primary and was elected to the State Assembly in November 2014, with 57.3% of the vote.[7] 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.[8] Mayes was also appointed to the Select Committee on Renewable Energy Development and Restoration of the Salton Sea,[9] and was named Chief Republican Whip.[10]

He was appointed to the Little Hoover Commission by former Speaker of the Assembly Toni Atkins in September 2015 and reappointed by Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon in January 2018.[11] Mayes was also appointed by 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.[12][13]

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.[14] All three bills received unanimous bi-partisan support in their policy committee hearings.[15][16][17]

Assembly Republican Leader

Mayes was selected by his colleagues to serve as Assembly Republican Leader on September 1, 2015 succeeding Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen. Mayes became Assembly Republican Leader effective January 4, 2016.[18] Mayes was the Member who challenged the notion of poverty in California by stating that "California has the highest poverty rate in the nation." The fact checking website Politifact.com labeled Mayes statement as "True".[19] To promote his assertion, Mayes placed professionally produced advertisements that were delivered digitally throughout California.[20][21]

As one of his first actions as Leader, Mayes took the entire Assembly Republican Caucus to visit St. John's Program for Real Change to meet with mothers who have emerged from abuse, poverty and homelessness.[22] Later, Mayes negotiated with Governor Brown and legislative Democrats to craft a health plan tax package designed to draw down in more than a billion dollars in matching federal money. In exchange for Republican support, Mayes secured language to provide more money to help people with autism and other developmental disabilities and forgiving a budget debt owed by skilled-nursing facilities.[23][24]

In May 2017, the California Family Council criticized Mayes for posting a tweet that endorsed Harvey Milk Day.[25] In July 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.[26] 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.[27] 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.[28]

Wildfire catastrophe fund

Following a series of devastating wildfires caused by electric utility equipment, including the 2018 Camp Fire, Mayes was among the first to call for the creation of a wildfire catastrophe fund. Under California's unusual inverse condemnation liability standard, utility Pacific Gas & Electric was expected to be liable for $30 billion in damages resulting from fires caused by its equipment; this led the utility to file for bankruptcy, calling into question whether the utility would be able to pay claims.[29] Recognizing the need to protect both fire victims and utility ratepayers, Mayes’s plan would create a fund to pay claims to victims following a catastrophic event.[30] In 2019, Mayes authored AB 235, the first legislation introduced to create a wildfire catastrophe fund, and also authored AB 1054, which created a $21 billion fund to pay claims following a major wildfire.[31]

Independent

On December 6, 2019, Mayes left the Republican party and filed for re-election as an independent.[32]

New Way California

In January 2018, Mayes formed "New Way California," aiming to broaden the appeal of the Republican Party by advocating for "individual freedom, shared responsibility, educational excellence, environmental stewardship, efficient government and an open economy."[33] The group has been publicly supported by former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger,[34] 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, including Rocky Chávez, Devon Mathis, and Jordan Cunningham.[35] 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.”[36]

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

2018

California's 42nd State Assembly district election, 2018
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic DeniAntionette Mazingo 33,586 35.6
Republican Chad Mayes (incumbent) 30,880 32.8
Republican Gary Jeandron 15,032 16.0
Republican Andrew F. Kotyuk 11,572 12.3
Green Carol Bouldin 3,166 3.4
Total votes 94,236 100.0
General election
Republican Chad Mayes (incumbent) 86,333 55.3
Democratic DeniAntionette Mazingo 69,747 44.7
Total votes 156,080 100.0
Republican hold

2020

California State Assembly election, 2020
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
No party preference Chad Mayes (incumbent) 42,717 35.0
Republican Andrew F. Kotyuk 40,893 33.5
Democratic DeniAntionette Mazingo 38,492 31.5
Total votes 122,102 100.0
General election
No party preference Chad Mayes (incumbent) 120,359 55.6
Republican Andrew F. Kotyuk 96,172 44.4
Total votes 216,531 100.0

References

  1. ↑ "[Chad Mayes] Biography". Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Vaughn, Courtney. "Yucca Valley native looks to state assembly". Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Alumnus serves in California Assembly". Archived from the original on September 10, 2015.
  4. ↑ Kelly, Jim. "Compensation equals consternation for council". Hi-Desert Star. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Town of Yucca Valley: Adopted Budget 2010–2011" (PDF). Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  6. ↑ Unger, Rebecca. "Mayes resigns from town council". Hi-Desert Star. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Member of the State Assembly 2014" (PDF). cdn.sos.ca.gov. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  8. ↑ Newkirk, Barrett. "Chad Mayes announces Assembly committees". The Desert Sun. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Select Committee on Renewable Energy Development and Restoration of the Salton Sea | Assembly Internet". www.assembly.ca.gov.
  10. ↑ "Assembly Republican Members". Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Assemblymember Chad Mayes". Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Asm. Chad Mayes on Twitter". Twitter.
  13. ↑ "California Commission on Disability Access". www.dgs.ca.gov. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Legislation 2015–2016".
  15. ↑ "Bill Votes". ca.gov.
  16. ↑ "Bill Votes". ca.gov.
  17. ↑ "Bill Votes". ca.gov.
  18. ↑ Jeff Horseman (September 1, 2015). "Inland man picked to lead Assembly GOP". The Press-Enterprise.
  19. ↑ Chris Nichols. "True: California has the nation's highest poverty rate, when factoring in cost-of-living". Politifact.com.
  20. ↑ Taryn Luna (February 24, 2017). "California Republicans see a way out of irrelevance in the era of Trump". The Sacramento Bee.
  21. ↑ Laurel Rosenhall (August 30, 2017). "Ousted leader's advice to fellow Republicans: Stop 'repelling' Californians". CalMatters.
  22. ↑ Laurel Rosenhall (March 9, 2016). "New GOP leader wants to give 'a hand up'". CalMatters.
  23. ↑ Jim Miller and Jeremy B. White (February 29, 2016). "California Legislature approves bills on taxing health plans". The Sacramento Bee.
  24. ↑ Chad Mayes (February 29, 2016). "Bipartisanship produced a good fix for health tax". The Sacramento Bee.
  25. ↑ "Republicans' gay rights tweet upsets California Family Council". May 30, 2017. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  26. ↑ 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.
  27. ↑ Patrick McGreevy (August 24, 2017). "He rallied support for California's climate change fight. Now Chad Mayes is out as Assembly Republican leader". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  28. ↑ Horseman, Jeff (August 24, 2017). "Republicans oust Inland Assemblyman Chad Mayes as GOP leader". The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  29. ↑ DiNapoli, Jessica; Spector, Mike; DiSavino, Scott (January 15, 2019). "PG&E Restructuring Highlights California's Inverse Condemnation Rule". Insurance Journal. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  30. ↑ Mayes, Chad (January 8, 2018). "Assemblyman Mayes to Introduce Wildfire Catastrophe Fund | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  31. ↑ Luna, Taryn (July 12, 2019). "How Gov. Gavin Newsom's new California wildfire fund for utilities will work". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  32. ↑ "Inland Assemblyman Chad Mayes leaves GOP, will seek re-election as independent". Press Enterprise. December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  33. ↑ Jeff Horseman (January 9, 2018). "Chad Mayes forms "New Way California" to change the California GOP's message". Press Enterprise. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  34. ↑ Alexei Koseff (January 9, 2018). "Schwarzenegger joins New Way campaign for CA GOP". Sacramento Bee. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  35. ↑ New Way California. "New Way Summit Agenda". Twitter.
  36. ↑ 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.
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