California Republican Assembly leader ousted after cap-and-trade vote

August 25, 2017

More than a month after Assemblyman Chad Mayes broke rank and voted for a cap-and-trade bill, the Assembly Republican Caucus ousted him as its leader. [Mercury News]

The Assembly Republicans held a closed-door meeting Thursday in which they unanimously decided to replace Mayes with Assemblyman Brian Dahle, a farmer from Lassen County. Dahle voted against the cap-and-trade bill that set off a struggle within the California Republican Party.

On July 17, eight Republican legislators, including Central Coast Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham, broke rank and voted for a bill extending California’s cap-and-trade program. Launched in 2012, cap-and-trade is a controversial program designed to lower greenhouse gas emissions that requires many industrial companies to obtain permits for emission allowances.

Following the vote, anger toward the Republicans who supported the bill erupted at town halls and tea party gatherings. Also, activists accused Mayes of having an affair with former assemblywoman Kristin Olsen, who served as his predecessor as Republican Assembly leader. The allegation was supported by a letter to the Assembly written by Olsen’s estranged husband that requested an investigation into whether Mayes and/or Olsen used state resources to conceal their alleged affair.

In addition to anger over the cap-and-trade vote, there had been outcry over Mayes and other Republican legislators being photographed with Gov. Jerry Brown on the day the bill passed. Mayes posed for a photo that day in which he is seen smiling in between Brown and the Democratic leaders of both the Assembly and state Senate. Cunningham, too, was photographed with Brown, but he appeared to be engaged in conversation and was not smiling.

Mayes survived multiple challenges to his leadership position until Thursday, when mounting pressure from both activists and the state party resulted in his ouster.

The move to oust Mayes is seen as a sign the state Republican Party, which holds little power in California, values principles over pragmatism and bipartisanship. Mayes argued that embracing action on mitigating climate change is needed to help grow the state party, but conservative activists in California remained fiercely opposed to his strategy.

Gov. Brown, who relied on Mayes’ support to get the cap-and-trade bill passed, took to Twitter Thursday to criticize the Assembly Republican Caucus.

“Sad day when the Grand Old Party punishes a leader whose only flaw was believing in science & cutting regs, costs & taxes for Californians,” Brown said in a tweet.

Mayes had served as the Assembly Republicans’ leader since early 2016. He will remain the leader of the caucus through the end of the legislative session in September.