Assemblymember Mayes To Face Contender Rodriguez in November Election

PHOTOS from left: Assemblymember Chad Mayes; Greg Rodriguez.

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PALM SPRINGS, CA --- Assemblyman Chad Mayes, R-Yucca Valley, will square off in November against Democrat Greg Rodriguez in his bid for reelection, with the pair easily outdistancing a third opponent for the right to advance in the race.

Mayes was elected to the 42nd Assembly District in 2014 and just 10 months later, his fellow Assembly Republicans chose him to head the caucus, replacing Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen.

Mayes also is vice chair of the Assembly Human Services Committee and a member of the Governmental Organization, Insurance and Rules committees, the Special Committee on Legislative Ethics, the Select Committee on Renewable Energy Development and the Restoration of the Salton Sea committee.

Before his election to the Assembly, Mayes served almost a decade on the Yucca Valley Town Council, including two stints as mayor. He also was a member of the San Bernardino Associated Governments and sat on the Board of Directors for the League of California Cities.

Mayes' focus in the Assembly has been on quality of life issues such as reducing poverty and homelessness through education and boosting the economy.

Rodriguez is a Palm Springs resident who served as district director for Rep. Raul Ruiz from 2013-2015.

Rodriguez, 50, also has been a member of several community organizations, including being president of the Foundation for the Palm Springs Unified School District, a Desert AIDS Project board member, the first vice chair of the Palm Springs Human Rights Commission and chair of the school district's Bond Oversight Committee.

Rodriguez has identified education, water and mental health issues as his primary focus, advocating for an expansion in career technical education, better water conservation measures and more funding for mental health issues.

Rodriguez told City News Service that the 42nd Assembly District requires better representation for what he said was "the fastest growing region in the state over the next 10 years."

"This is not just a political rung on the ladder for me," Rodriguez said. "I want to go to Sacramento because I want to get things done."

Calimesa Mayor Jeff Hewitt, a Libertarian, was the third candidate on Tuesday's ballot, but he was handily defeated. Hewitt, 62, was appointed to the Calimesa Planning Commission in 2004. He was elected to the City Council in 2010 and was voted unanimously to take over as mayor in 2015.

According to the latest voter registration data from the Riverside County Registrar's office, Republicans outnumbered Democrats among registered voters within the district by about 3,000 voters. The district is also home to nearly 29,000 no-party preference voters.

Also see:

• REAL-TIME RESULTS: Riverside County's 2016 Primary Election Races
• Homicide Prosecutor Secures RivCo Judicial Seat
• Rep. Ruiz, Sen. Stone To Face Off In November Runoff For 36th-District Congress Seat

--City News Service/Images courtesy of Assemblymember Chad Mayes and Greg Rodriguez for State Assembly on Facebook