Devon John Mathis (born September 21, 1982) is an American
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
serving as a member of the
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento.
The A ...
from the newly drawn
33rd District, which is located in
Kings County, western
Tulare County
Tulare County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 473,117. The county seat is Visalia. The county is named for Tulare Lake, once the largest freshwater lake west of the Great Lakes. ...
, and a small part of southern
Fresno County
Fresno County (), officially the County of Fresno, is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 1,008,654. The county seat is Fresno, the fifth-most populous city in Cali ...
. He serves as the Republican Whip for the California State Assembly Republican Caucus.
Early life and education
Mathis was born in
Porterville, California
Porterville is a city in the San Joaquin Valley, in Tulare County, California, Tulare County, California, United States. It is part of the Visalia Metropolitan Area, Visalia-Porterville metropolitan statistical area.
Since its incorporation in 1 ...
. He earned an
Associate of Arts
An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree.
The fi ...
degree in
Social Sciences
Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of soci ...
from
Porterville College
Porterville College is a public community college in Porterville, California. It was established in 1927.
Notable alumni and faculty
* Wayne Hardin
Irving Wayne Hardin (March 23, 1926 – April 12, 2017) was an American football player and co ...
and
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
in
Public Administration
Public Administration (a form of governance) or Public Policy and Administration (an academic discipline) is the implementation of public policy, administration of government establishment (public governance), management of non-profit establ ...
from
California State University, Fresno
California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...
. Mathis graduated from
George Washington University
, mottoeng = "God is Our Trust"
, established =
, type = Private federally chartered research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.8 billion (2022)
, preside ...
earning a
Master of Professional Studies
Master or masters may refer to:
Ranks or titles
* Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans
*Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...
in Strategic Public Relations in 2021.
Career
Before joining the Assembly, Devon served for 10 years as a Sergeant in the
Army National Guard
The Army National Guard (ARNG), in conjunction with the Air National Guard, is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States A ...
, including two tours in
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
. During his second tour in Iraq, Devon was severely injured in a roadside bomb attack, for which he was awarded a
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...
.
In 2014, he unexpectedly defeated
Woodlake Mayor Rudy Mendoza, a fellow Republican who was better known and had more support from established Republicans. Mendoza sought a rematch in 2016, but Mathis defeated him again in the primary. Mathis, who had no previous political experience, ran on his status as a former
Army National Guard
The Army National Guard (ARNG), in conjunction with the Air National Guard, is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States A ...
sergeant and veterans advocate.
In July 2017 Mathis, along with four other Republican assemblymen, voted "Yes" on AB 398 to extend California's
Cap and Trade
Emissions trading is a market-based approach to controlling pollution by providing economic incentives for reducing the emissions of pollutants. The concept is also known as cap and trade (CAT) or emissions trading scheme (ETS). Carbon emission t ...
program.
In 2018, Mathis faced a serious Republican primary challenge, winning only 30% of the vote, narrowly defeating Republican
Visalia
Visalia ( ) is a city in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley of California. The population was 141,384 as per the 2020 census. Visalia is the fifth-largest city in the San Joaquin Valley, the 42nd most populous in California, and 192nd in ...
Mayor Warren Gubler. But in the November runoff, he rallied and defeated Democratic
Tulare City Council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
man Jose Sigala with 58% of the vote.
Mathis was not seriously challenged in 2020.
Devon Mathis currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Assembly Committee on Agriculture. He also serves on the Assembly Committee on Rules, the Budget Subcommittee Number 1 on Health and Human Services, the Committee on Military and Veteran Affairs, the Committee on Natural Resources, the Committee on Government Organization, and the Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials. To date, Mathis has successfully chaptered 17 bills and 15 resolutions; he is also listed as a joint author to 46 other measures and 9 other resolutions.
Personal life
Devon lives in Porterville with his five children.
Allegations of sexual assault
In October 2017 it was announced by the
Sacramento Police Department
The Sacramento Police Department (SPD) is the police department for the city of Sacramento, California. On August 11, 2017, Daniel Hahn was sworn in and became the city's first African American police chief.
History
The founding of the City of S ...
that Mathis was being investigated for an alleged sexual assault against a female member of his staff. A conservative political blog, American Children First, reported that sources had informed them that Mathis and several staff members had gone out drinking and returned to the home of one of the staff members. There, it was alleged and later disproven, an inebriated female staff member had gone into a bedroom and passed out on the bed, and Mathis was alleged to have "digitally penetrated" her while she was unconscious.
Regarding the incident, Mathis' office released this statement: “We have a policy of not responding to unsubstantiated, random social media posts.” A spokesman for the
Sacramento Police Department
The Sacramento Police Department (SPD) is the police department for the city of Sacramento, California. On August 11, 2017, Daniel Hahn was sworn in and became the city's first African American police chief.
History
The founding of the City of S ...
. said that “information of a possible sexual assault was brought to our attention. We are starting to follow up with the information we have." Following an investigation, none of the accusations were substantiated clearing Mathis of any wrongdoing regarding this event.
California Assembly officials required Mathis to take remedial sexual harassment training after a claim that he engaged in the utterance of coarse language (locker-room talk) and made sexual remarks about fellow lawmakers.
[https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article212132079.html ]
Elections
2014 California State Assembly
2016 California State Assembly
2018 California State Assembly
2020 California State Assembly
References
External links
*
Campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathis, Devon
Living people
People from Visalia, California
Republican Party members of the California State Assembly
21st-century American politicians
1982 births