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California has a veto-proof Democratic supermajority in both houses of its state legislature. One lawmaker willing to still attempt conservative legislation: Kevin Kiley of Rocklin.
“I think that there is a sort of latent coalition that is center-right in nature that can be called together and … improve the quality of life for people in the state,” Kiley told CalMatters in September 2020.
Kiley’s hopes haven’t translated to success yet on certain bills, such as a doomed effort to curtail Gov. Newsom’s executive authority. But he’s been popular in his solidly Republican district, winning election to the State Assembly in 2016 with nearly 30 percent of the vote and being re-elected twice with greater than 15 percent margins against Democratic challenger Jackie Smith.
He’s also gained more than 37,000 followers on Twitter, seemingly pulling from beyond his district with regular criticisms of Newsom, including announcing on Dec. 21 that he’d written a book urging the governor’s recall.
Background
A Sacramento-area native, the 35-year-old Kiley received degrees from both Harvard and Yale and worked as a teacher and prosecutor before being elected to the Assembly.
Kiley could have higher political aspirations, having run for a State Senate seat in a special election in 2019, losing by seven points to fellow Republican Assemblyman Brian Dahle.
Still single as of this writing, Kiley lives in Rocklin.
Select Legislation
AB 1864: Many people lamented that President Trump’s tax bill of 2017 eliminated the SALT (State and Local Area Tax) deduction. Kiley subsequently introduced the PEPPER (Prosperous Economy and Payer Protection through Equitable Rates) Act in early 2018, mandating that federal taxes be deductible from California state taxes. The bill failed three months later to advance beyond the Assembly’s Revenue and Taxation Committee, falling short by 5-3 vote.
CA ACR 155: Not everything Kiley has done in the legislature has followed a Republican playbook. In June, he was one of 79 sponsors of a successful effort to recognize February as Black History Month in California.
Committees
Education (vice chair)
Higher Education
Housing and Community Development
Judiciary
Privacy and Consumer Protection (vice chair)
Subcommittee 5 on Budget
Public Safety
Transportation
District boundaries and office locations
Kiley’s district covers parts of El Dorado, Placer, and Sacramento counties, including the communities of Cameron Park, El Dorado Hills, Fair Oaks, Folsom, Granite Bay, Lincoln, Loomis, Orangevale, Penryn, Rocklin, Roseville, and Sheridan.
● Capitol office: State Capitol, Suite 5128, Sacramento, CA 94249. (916) 319-2006.
● District office: 8799 Auburn-Folsom Rd, Suite A, Granite Bay, CA 95746. (916) 774-4430.
