Rocky John Chávez (born May 12, 1951) 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 ...

who served in 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 ...

. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, he represented the 76th district, encompassing parts of northern coastal

San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the fi ...

. He was a candidate for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, having run in the 2018 midterm election in

California's 49th congressional district California's 49th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. The district is represented by Mike Levin. The district currently covers the northern coastal areas of San Diego County, including Oceansid ...

to replace

Darrell Issa Darrell Edward Issa ( ; born November 1, 1953) is an American businessman and politician who has served as the U.S. representative for California's 50th congressional district since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served i ...

, but he failed to place in the top two during the primary election.

Early life and career

Chávez was born on May 12, 1951, in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. He graduated from

Torrance High School Torrance High School is a high school located in Torrance, California. Founded in 1917, it is one of the oldest high schools in continuous use in California and is the oldest of the four high schools in the Torrance Unified School District. Four of ...

in 1969 where he was a varsity wrestler. He qualified for the US Olympic trials in 1968 and 1972. After graduating high school, Chávez attended

El Camino Junior College El Camino College (Elco or ECC) is a two-year public community college located in the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County known as Alondra Park.associate degree 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 ...

. He then attended Chico State, where he earned a

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 ...

degree in English in 1973. Chávez helped his family during grade school and college by working in agriculture, including summers picking grapes in

Fresno County, California 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 ...

, working at a packing plant in

Chico, California Chico ( ; Spanish for "little") is the most populous city in Butte County, California. Located in the Sacramento Valley region of Northern California, the city had a population of 101,475 in the 2020 census, reflecting an increase from 86,18 ...

and gathering almonds in

Hamilton City, California Hamilton City (formerly, Hamilton) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Glenn County, California, United States. The population was 1,759 at the 2010 census, down from 1,903 at the 2000 census. Hamilton City is located east of Orland, and 10 mil ...

near Chico.

Military career

Chávez began his career in public service after graduating from Chico State when he joined the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

. Chávez served in the USMC for 28 years, rising to the rank of Colonel. Chávez served in all four active Marine divisions, including serving as Chief of Staff for the

4th Marine Division The 4th Marine Division is a reserve division in the United States Marine Corps. It was raised in 1943 for service during World War II, and subsequently fought in the Pacific against the Japanese. Deactivated after the war, the division was re-fo ...

Post-military career

Chávez continued his career in public service after retiring from the Marine Corps. by founding the School of Business and Technology, a charter High School located in the

Oceanside Unified School District Oceanside Unified School District is a public school district serving the city of Oceanside in San Diego County, California, United States. The district's vision is that "all students graduate college and career ready, prepared to be responsible ...

. Chávez served as the school’s director from 2002-2008. Chávez was elected to the Oceanside City Council in November, 2002. He served on the Council for seven years, focusing on economic development, public safety, and good governance. Chávez was selected as the

Deputy Mayor The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor, assistant mayor, or mayor ''pro tem'') is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many, but not all, local governments. Duties and functions Many elected dep ...

of Oceanside in 2004. Chávez was appointed as the

Undersecretary Undersecretary (or under secretary) is a title for a person who works for and has a lower rank than a secretary (person in charge). It is used in the executive branch of government, with different meanings in different political systems, and is al ...

of the California Department of Veteran Affairs by Governor

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...

in 2009. In January, 2011, Chávez was appointed Acting Secretary. During his time working at the California Department of Veteran Affairs, Chávez focused on streamlining procedures and increasing services for veterans. Chávez was elected to the

to represent 76th District on November 6, 2012. He ran on a campaign of education, veteran’s issues and good governance. The 76th District includes

Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Diego County and is bordered by Oc ...

and the cities of

Carlsbad Carlsbad may refer to: *Carlsbad, California, United States *Carlsbad, New Mexico, United States *Carlsbad, Texas, United States *Karlovy Vary Karlovy Vary (; german: Karlsbad, formerly also spelled ''Carlsbad'' in English) is a spa town, spa ...

Encinitas Encinitas (Spanish for "Small Oaks") is a beach city in the North County area of San Diego County, California. Located within Southern California, it is approximately north of San Diego, between Solana Beach and Carlsbad, and about south o ...

, Oceanside and

Vista Vista usually refers to a distant view. Vista may also refer to: Software *Windows Vista, the line of Microsoft Windows client operating systems released in 2006 and 2007 *VistA, (Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture) ...

. Chávez served as Vice-Chair of the Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee and the Higher Education Committee. He was a member of the Rules, Education, Budget, Utilities and Commerce and Health committees. Chávez also served on a number of select committees, joint committees, and caucuses tackling issues ranging from justice reinvestment to environmental issues and K-12 education.

2014 California State Assembly

2016 Senate run

Chávez briefly ran for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

to replace the retiring

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Barbara Boxer Barbara Sue Boxer (née Levy; born November 11, 1940) is an American politician and lobbyist who served in the United States Senate, representing California from 1993 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as the U.S. ...

. On KOGO, before a radio debate, he announced he was no longer going to run.

2016 California State Assembly

2018 United States House of Representatives

Chávez was a candidate for the

, having run in the 2018 midterm election in

to replace

. He failed to place in the top two during the primary election, finishing sixth in a field of sixteen candidates.

Primary for U.S. House California District 49

The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. House California District 49 on June 5, 2018.

Personal life

Chávez and his wife Mary live in

Oceanside, California Oceanside is a city on the South Coast (California), South Coast of California, located in San Diego County, California, San Diego County. The city had a population of 167,086 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The city is a popular ...

. They have three children and five grandchildren. Mary studied at the University of New Orleans and also holds an

M.B.A. A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

from

California State University, San Marcos California State University San Marcos (CSUSM or Cal State San Marcos) is a public university in San Marcos, California. It was founded in 1989 as the 21st campus in the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system. CSUSM offers 43 bachel ...

. His son Temujin Tom is a physician in South Carolina. Chávez's daughter Regina Ann Shepperson and youngest son Sage John are both college graduates. Chávez is Catholic.

References

External links

Campaign website

Exploratory Committee website

Join California Rocky Chavez
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chavez, Rocky 1951 births Living people Politicians from Los Angeles People from Oceanside, California El Camino College alumni California State University, Chico alumni United States Marine Corps colonels California city council members Republican Party members of the California State Assembly American politicians of Mexican descent Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in California Catholics from California 21st-century American legislators Military personnel from California Torrance High School alumni 21st-century California politicians Candidates in the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections