We are live from the Orange County Republican Party Central Committee’s August meeting, where the committee is widely expected to pass a resolution calling on Assembly Republican Leader Chad Mayes (R-Yucca Valley) to resign.
Mayes survived an ouster effort by three votes earlier this evening and will face another leadership vote on Tuesday, August 29. He has been under fire from Republicans across the state for his role in supporting the controversial cap-and-trade bill.
The Lincoln Club of Orange County and OC GOP Chairman Fred Whitaker have already called for Mayes to step down. Tonight’s resolution will put the OC GOP Central Committee on record in calling for Mayes to resign.
Here is the full text of the proposed resolution (the fast-moving pace of Central Committee votes has increased the number of County Party Chairmen and Central Committees in favor of Mayes’s ouster since the resolution was drafted):
RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF ASSEMBLY REPUBLICAN LEADER CHAD MAYES RESIGNING HIS LEADERSHIP POSITION
August 21, 2017
WHEREAS, the Democrat controlled California Legislature rammed through a ten-year extension of Democrat Governor Jerry Brown’s disastrous Cap and Trade program, perpetuating needless economic devastation and imposing an enormous financial burden on the poor and middle class taxpayers of California;
WHEREAS, the Democrat led Cap and Trade extension will continue the exodus of small business from our state at a greater speed and in larger numbers while artificially increasing the costs of electrical generation and products that are made using fuel or electricity;
WHEREAS, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association projects that the Cap and Trade extension will increase fuel prices by 21 cents per gallon come 2022 and by 71 cents per gallon come 2030, in addition to the 19 cents per gallon hike passed by the Democrats last April;
WHEREAS, Assembly Republican Leader Chad Mayes turned his back on the Republican Party platform by proudly and publicly supporting the worst of Democratic Governor Jerry Brown’s far-left legislative agenda, and persuaded six of his fellow Assembly Republicans to join with him;
WHEREAS, Assembly Republican Leader Chad Mayes abandoned his mandate to elect more Assembly Republicans throughout the State of California by giving Democrats like Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva a free pass to vote against Cap and Trade and act more Republican than our leadership;
WHEREAS, Assembly Republican Leader Chad Mayes continues to be defiant, despite calls for his resignation from RNC National Committeeman Shawn Steel, RNC National Committeewoman Harmeet Dhillon, the Lincoln Club of Orange County, several other donor and volunteer groups, seventeen Republican Party County Chairmen and/or Central Committees throughout California, and the vote of the California Republican Party Board of Directors;
WHEREAS, Assembly Republican Leader Chad Mayes has irreparably harmed his ability to effectively fundraise on behalf of his Republican colleagues, elect Republicans in targeted districts throughout the state, and help lead the repeal of the recent Democrat led gas tax increase;
WHEREAS, Assembly Republican Leader Chad Mayes has inexcusably penalized Republican Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez for standing on sound Republican principle in opposition to this economically debilitating legislation that will direct billions of tax dollars to the high-speed rail boondoggle overwhelmingly opposed by Californians;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED:
The Republican Central Committee of Orange County respectfully requests Assembly Republican Leader Chad Mayes resign his leadership position immediately and allow another Republican to lead who will present a clear alternative to the Democrats’ crushing tax hikes and burdensome regulatory regime.
After the invocation and Pledge of Allegiance, RNC Committeeman Shawn Steel opens by stating there is a cancer growing in the Assembly. He blasts Chad Mayes for going against his caucus, losing his right to be leader, noting that 17 of 25 members voted against Mayes’s position on cap-and-trade and that Mayes lost three Republican Assembly seats in 2016. He notes that Mayes was proud of his photo with Governor Jerry Brown, Assembly Speaker Chad Mayes, and Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon celebrating the passage of the cap-and-trade bill.
Steel notes Mayes’s survival of tonight’s vote in Sacramento and that a new vote will take place next week. Steel notes Orange County has 5 Republican Assemblymembers, which goes a long way toward the 13. Assemblymen Travis Allen, Matthew Harper, and Steven Choi have been calling for Mayes’s ouster since the cap-and-trade vote. He states Assemblyman Bill Brough also supports electing a new leader, but has not yet picked which leader. Steel says Assemblyman Phillip Chen wants a smooth transition and wants to avoid a bloodbath. Steel calls on committee members who live in the 55th Assembly District to call Chen to pressure him.
Steel notes that Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez and Assemblyman Jay Obernolte are in the race. He says he spoke to Assemblyman Vince Fong, who decided today that he will run for Assembly Republican Leader.
Steel says he does not want to squander time fighting Republican leaders, as he would rather focus on fighting for other things, pointing to the example of his efforts for free speech on college campuses.
Steel thanks Fullerton Mayor Bruce Whitaker for helping with ensuring enough police to protect event goers at the upcoming Milo Yiannopolous speech at Cal State Fullerton on October 31.
Steel thanks Steven Choi for his help in ensuring enough police to protect event goers at the Milo Yiannopolous speech at UC Irvine last year.
Steel thanks Fred Whitaker for being the first County Party Chairman to call for Mayes to resign.
Steel inadvertently curses while blasting Nazis and white supremacists at Charlottesville. He says Trump stumbled and should have simply said, “I hate Nazis!”
Steel blasts white suprenacy as a disease as disgusting as anti-Semitism and speaks of William F. Buckley’s efforts to run the anti-Semites out of the conservative movement.
Steel calls white supremacists and Nazis “our endemic, enduring enemy.” He blasts the Ku Klux Klan. Steel speaks of Abraham Lincoln and the Radical Republicans who fought to end slavery.
Steel calls for the exposure and expulsion of white supremacists, just like Buckley exposed and expelled anti-Semites.
In Q&A, Mike Withrow asks Steel for his assessment of the Virginia Governor’s race.
Steel says the race is dead even despite Virginia’s shift toward Democrats in other ways. He says the New Jersey gubernatorial race is lost.
An audience member asks Steel about the alt-right.
Steel says he had never heard of the alt-right until Hillary Clinton blasted them last year. He blasts them for being totalitarians and white supremacists. He says true Republicans believe in limited government, not authoritarianism.
An audience member asks Steel about efforts to protect Congressman Dana Rohrabacher against six Democrat opponents.
Steel describes Rohrabacher’s campaign and how it is being taken as the most serious election of Rohrabacher’s career. Steel notes his wife is unopposed in her re-election as Supervisor but will still wage a campaign to help Rohrabacher.
Steel speaks of Congressman Ed Royce’s opponents, including the one who dumped in $2 million into the race and the one who won a $266 million lottery jackpot.
Steel notes that Orange County saved Congressman Darrell Issa’s seat in 2016, as Issa lost in San Diego County.
Robert Petrosyan asks Steel about Mayes’s re-election. Specifically, he asks Steel if the California Republican Party will support a primary opponent against Mayes.
Steel states that Gary Jeandron, who lost the primary to Mayes by 100 votes, is taking a hard look at running again. Steel says that Mayes justified socialism in small bites while speaking to the San Bernardino County Central Committee. He speaks of Mayes debating Melendez at the Riverside County Central Committee. Steel says Mayes is “insane.”
Chairman Fred Whitaker calls the roll to establish quorum and determine the number of members present in order to vote on the resolution.
The minutes from the July special meeting are approved.
Whitaker speaks of the various party regional headquarters being set up across Orange County. He says the SD-29 recall will take place in November. Whitaker notes all the Democrats’ efforts to change recall rules are because Democrats know they stepped over the line. Whitaker says this why it is critical to have good leadership in Sacramento. He blasts Mayes for “political malpractice” in giving Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva a “free pass” on cap-and-trade. Whitaker notes Quirk-Silva issued a press release attacking cap-and-trade and looked more conservative than Mayes.
Whitaker says that next week, there are four candidates for Assembly Republican Leader: Obernolte, Melendez, Fong, and Mayes. He calls on Mayes to drop out.
Todd Spitzer moves and John Briscoe seconds to suspend the rules to allow the consideration of the resolution on an urgency basis.
The suspension of the rules passes unanimously.
Whitaker reads the full text of the resolution calling for Mayes to resign.
Andy Whallon moves and Todd Spitzer seconds the resolution for discussion.
Spitzer moves and Mike Munzing seconds for an amendment to add “and demanding the Republican Caucus vacate his seat” in the title and change “respectfully requests” to “demands” in the final paragraph while also adding a demand that the Assembly Republican Caucus oust Mayes as Republican Leader.
The committee votes unanimously and without debate to adopt the resolution with the amendments.
AMENDED RESOLUTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.
Deborah Pauly asks Chairman Whitaker to distribute the resolution to all the Central Committee members to pass on to other Republicans and organizations. Whitaker enthusiastically supports Pauly’s suggestion.
OC GOP Secretary Peggy Huang announces the June Volunteer of the Month, summer intern Nicholas Kumamoto from Irvine, an undergraduate at Amherst College. Kumamoto thanks the OC GOP for the opportunity to volunteer. Whitaker, Huang, and Spitzer present certificates to Kumamoto.
Huang announces the July Volunteer of the Month, OCC College Republican Noah Ritter. Ritter thanks various College Republicans by name and thanks Orange County Republicans collectively. Whitaker, Huang, and the office of Congressman Dana Rohrabacher present certificates to Ritter.
OC GOP Parliamentarian Kermit Marsh admonishes Republicans who are running against each other to not commit ethics violations. He provides a shorthand of the rules: don’t lie about yourself, don’t lie about your opponent, and don’t use the Republican Party symbols without permission.
Various club announcements are made by audience members.
Whitaker notes the OC GOP headquarters volunteers will be on Fox News tomorrow.
Whitaker reads a resolution in memory of Ross Johnson, former FPPC Chair, former Senate Republican Leader, and former Assembly Republican Leader. The Johnson family asked for donations to Women’s Empowerment or the ASPCA.
The committee adjourns in memory of Ross Johnson at 8:18 PM.
The Lincoln Club of Orange County’s State PAC has endorsed the following candidates for the Republican Party of Orange County Central Committee:
It was a real honor to attend a reception in Santa Ana on Saturday night for Mexican presidential candidate 
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