Cameron Smyth (born August 19, 1971) is a

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Republican politician, serving on the

Santa Clarita Santa Clarita (; Spanish for "Little St. Clare") is a city in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a 2020 census population of 228,673, it is the third-most populous city in Los Angeles County, the 17th-most populo ...

City Council since 2016 until he was no longer able to run due to redistricting, having previously served on the council from 2000 to 2006. He served as the city's mayor in 2003, 2005, 2017, and 2020. Smyth 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, Califor ...

from 2006 to 2012 when

term limit A term limit is a legal restriction on the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potential for monopoly, w ...

s required him to retire from the Assembly.

Early life and education

Born and raised in

, Smyth attended local public schools, graduating from William S. Hart High School and earned his

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

in Rhetoric and Communications from the

University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Davis, California, United States. It is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University ...

, where he was also a two-sport athlete.

Early career

Smyth began his career as a Field Representative for the

California Republican Party The California Republican Party (CAGOP) is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in the U.S. state of California. The party is based in Sacramento and is led by chair Corrin Rankin. As of October 2023, Republicans represent app ...

. In 1994 he was hired by the late State Assemblyman William "Pete" Knight. In 1996, Smyth served as campaign manager for Knight's successful State Senate campaign. Other than Garrett Biggs, who served as on-site manager for the late Assemblyman

Nao Takasugi Naoyuki "Nao" Takasugi ( ''Takasugi Naoyuki'', April 5, 1922 – November 19, 2009) was an American politician from California, a member of the Republican Party, and a survivor of the Japanese American internment camps. Early life Born and rais ...

's successful re-election campaign, Smyth was the youngest on-site manager for any state legislative race in California at that time. Upon winning the election, Knight promoted Smyth to the position of Deputy Chief of Staff. In 2000, Smyth moved to the private sector to operate his own consulting business.

Electoral career

Smyth was first elected to the Santa Clarita City Council in 2000 and re-elected in 2004. He served as Mayor in 2003 and again in 2005. In 2006, he was elected to the

, succeeding

Keith Richman Keith Stuart Richman (November 21, 1953 – July 30, 2010) was a California Republican politician. From 2000 to 2006, he served in the California State Assembly representing the 38th Assembly District based in Northwest Los Angeles County. Bor ...

who was

ed. Smyth was re-elected in 2008 and 2010, leaving in 2012 due to term limits. In 2016, Smyth was again elected to the Santa Clarita City Council and re-elected in 2020. He served as mayor in 2017 and again in 2020.

Personal

Smyth and his wife Lena are the parents of three children.

References

External links

Official City of Santa Clarita biographyCameron Smyth — State Assembly Member
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smyth, Cameron Republican Party members of the California State Assembly 1971 births Living people California city council members 21st-century mayors of places in California People from Santa Clarita, California University of California, Davis alumni 21st-century members of the California State Legislature