Miss California USA is the beauty pageant that selects the representative for the state of California in the Miss USA pageant, and the name of the title held by that winner. The pageant is directed by Crown Diva Productions. California's most successful placements were in

1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

, and

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

, when Terry Huntingdon, Maria Remenyi,

Summer Bartholomew Robin Summer Bartholomew (born in Merced, California) is an American actress, television personality and beauty pageant titleholder who won the Miss USA 1975 pageant. Her first pageant experience came in 1973 when she won the Miss Heineken tit ...

, Julie Hayek,

Shannon Marketic Shannon LaRhea Marketic (born January 14, 1971), is an American actress and beauty pageant titleholder who was Miss California USA and Miss USA 1992. Biography Pageants Marketic was crowned Miss Arizona Teen USA 1989 but held the title for on ...

, and Alyssa Campanella, respectively, were crowned Miss USA. The current Miss California USA is Tiffany Johnson of Lancaster, California, who is crowned on June 5, 2022 at the Hyatt Regency Orange County. Johnson represented California for the title of Miss USA 2022, she placed at the Top 16.

History

The Miss California USA Pageant was produced by Carolee Munger. Prior to Ms. Munger, Guyrex Productions held the franchise for a number of years and produced successful televised pageants with over 100 participants. Before Guyrex, the pageant was produced by Dr. Leanord Stallcup, who took over the directorship after Faye Smith successfully led the way through the 1970s and 1980s. Also was produced by Top 10 Productions, Inc. San Diego-based. Top 10 was led by Pam Wilson and Alex Kuty, who have been involved in pageant and fashion production for many years. Top 10 took over for K2 Productions in 2013. K2 had a number of controversies but during its 9 years producing the pageant, it managed to be the top placing state at Miss USA, growing the entry numbers to the largest state pageant in the history of Miss USA and doing the first live television airing in over 10 years. In the beginning, K2 Productions was directed by former

Miss Teen USA 1995 Miss Teen USA 1995, the 13th Miss Teen USA pageant, was televised live from the Century II Convention Center in Wichita, Kansas on 15 August 1995. At the conclusion of the final competition, Keylee Sue Sanders of Kansas was crowned by outgoing ...

, Keylee Sue Sanders, and Keith Lewis. K2 Productions was later directed by Lewis and briefly co-produced by Miss USA 1995, Shanna Moakler. In October 2021, Kristen Bradford of Crown Diva Productions took over the directorship for California pageants. In 2009 Carrie Prejean was forced to resign after placing 1st runner-up at Miss USA 2009 after a

controversy Controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin ''controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an opposite d ...

developed regarding the answer she gave to her final interview question at the national pageant. Pageant organisers claimed she was fired due to contractual violations. California has produced a Miss USA every decade (except the 2000s) and is ranked second highest among states in terms of placements, after Texas. Shauna Gambill, who won the national Miss Teen USA crown in

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

, is the only Miss California USA who has previously held the Miss California Teen USA title. As Miss California USA in 1998, Gambill placed 1st Runner-Up to

Shawnae Jebbia Shawnae Nicole Jebbia (born September 13, 1971) is an American entertainer and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 1998. Jebbia won the Miss Massachusetts USA title in 1997, in her first attempt at a pageant title. She went on to repres ...

of Massachusetts. Three Miss California USA titleholders have also competed in the

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on competitors' talent performances and interviews. As ...

pageant while two were former winners of the Miss Teenage California Scholarship Pageant.

Gallery of titleholders

File:Erica Dann 2019 by Glenn Francis.jpg, Erica Dann, Miss California USA 2019 File:Nadia_Mejia_2015.jpg,

Nadia Mejia Nadia Grace Eicher Mejia (born 22 November 1995) is an American-Ecuadorian model and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss California USA 2016 and placed in the Top 5 at Miss USA 2016. Mejia is the daughter of Ecuadorian-born musician Gerardo M ...

, Miss California USA 2016 File:Natasha_Martinez_2013.jpg, Natasha Martinez, Miss California USA 2015 File:Cassandra_Kunze_2014.jpg,

Cassandra Kunze Cassandra or Kassandra (; Ancient Greek: Κασσάνδρα, , also , and sometimes referred to as Alexandra) in Greek mythology was a Trojan priestess dedicated to the god Apollo and fated by him to utter true prophecies but never to be believ ...

, Miss California USA 2014 File:Mabelynn Capeluj 2013.jpg, Mabelynn Capeluj, Miss California USA 2013 File:Natalie Pack 2 2012.jpg,

Natalie Pack Natalie Ann Pack (born March 30, 1989) is an American fashion model and real estate agent who held the title of Miss California USA 2012. She is also known for competing on ''America's Next Top Model, Cycle 12''. Early life Pack was born and ra ...

, Miss California USA 2012 File:Katie Blair 2010.jpg, Katie Blair, Miss California USA 2011 File:Alyssa Campanella 2010.jpg, Alyssa Campanella, Miss California USA 2011 and Miss USA 2011 File:Miss California 2010.jpg, Nicole Johnson, Miss California USA 2010 File:Tami Farrell 2 2009.jpg, Tami Farrell, Miss California USA 2009 File:Carrie Prejean Miss California.jpg, Carrie Prejean, Miss California USA 2009 File:Raquel Beezley 2011.jpg, Raquel Beezley, Miss California USA 2008 File:Meagan Tandy 2015.jpg, Meagan Tandy, Miss California USA 2007 File:TamikoNash.jpg,

Tamiko Nash Tamiko Pleshette Nash is an American actress, television host, model and beauty queen who has competed in the Miss USA 2006. Nash won the Miss California USA pageant in 2005, becoming only the third African American to hold the title. She went ...

, Miss California USA 2006 File:Ellen_Chapman_2015.jpg, Ellen Chapman, Miss California USA 2004 File:Julie Hayek Miss USA 1983.png, Julie Hayek, Miss California USA 1983 and

Miss USA 1983 Miss USA 1983 was the 32nd Miss USA pageant, televised live from the Knoxville Civic Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, on May 12, 1983. At the conclusion of the final competition, Julie Hayek of California was crowned Miss USA 1983 by outgoing titl ...

Results summary

*Miss USAs: Terry Huntingdon (1959), Maria Remenyi (1966),

(1975), Julie Hayek (1983),

(1992), Alyssa Campanella (2011) *1st Runners-Up: Pamela Stettler (1961), Susan Bradley (1967), Diana Magaña (1988), Shauna Gambill (1998), Brittany Hogan (2005),

(2006), Carrie Prejean (2009) *2nd Runners-Up: Kim Hobson (1972), Diane Schock (1991), Angelique Breaux (1999) *3rd Runners-Up: Donna Schurr (1955), Marilyn Tindall (1962), Gayle Gorrell (1974), Pamela Gergley (1977), Cynthia Kerby (1981), Meagan Tandy (2007) *4th Runners-Up: Francine Herack (1963), Troas Hayes (1969), Kelly Parsons (1986) *Top 5: Nadia Mejía (2016) *Top 10/12: Karin Morrell (1971), Carol Herrema (1973), Joni Pennock (1976), Donna Adrain (1978), Linda Fogarty (1979), Christina Faust (1989), Jane Olvera (1993), Tarah Peters (2002), Nicole Johnson (2010), Cassandra Kunze (2014), India Williams (2017),

Kelley Johnson Kelley Elizabeth Johnson (born October 22, 1992) is an American nurse, TV host and beauty pageant titleholder. In addition to being a Chief Nurse Advocate, she is also a doctoral student, keynote speaker and national spokeswoman. Kelly Johnson ...

(2018), Allyshia Gupta (2020) *Top 15/20: Marcella Roulette (1953), Sandra Constance (1954), Peggy Jacobson (1957), Donna Brooks (1958), Teri Janssen (1960), Jeanne Venables (1964), Kathryn Hage (1965), Suzanne Fromm (1968), Linda Hall (1970), Raquel Beezley (2008), Mabelynn Capeluj (2013), Tiffany Johnson (2022) California holds a record of 51 placements at Miss USA, second overall behind Texas and ahead of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and South Carolina.

Awards

*Miss Congeniality: Jeanne Venables (1964), Cynthia Kerby (1981), Lori Dickerson (1987) *Miss Photogenic: Maria Remenyi (1966), Cynthia Kerby (1981),

(1992), Cassandra Kunze (2014) *Best State Costume: Suzanne Fromm (1968)

Winners

;Color key

Notes

References

External links

Official Miss California USA website
* {{State pageantry, State=California California California culture Women in California 1952 establishments in California