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. He went on to take courses at Copper Mountain College before graduating from Liberty University. While attending Liberty he interned for John Ashcroft in Washington, D.C.
Mayes earned a Bachelor of Science in Government from Liberty University. Mayes became a businessman at 23, working as a stockbroker at the Edward Jones office he opened.
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. 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.
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."
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. 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. Mayes was also appointed to the Select Committee on Renewable Energy Development and Restoration of the Salton Sea, and was named Chief Republican Whip.
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. 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.
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. All three bills received unanimous bi-partisan support in their policy committee hearings.
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. 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". To promote his assertion, Mayes placed professionally produced advertisements that were delivered digitally throughout California.
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. 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.