Devon John Mathis (born September 21, 1982) is an American politician who served as a member of 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 the 33rd district, which is located in Kings County, western

Tulare County Tulare County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 473,117. The county seat is Visalia. The county is named for Tulare Lake, once the largest freshwater lake west of the Great Lake ...

, and a small part of southern

Fresno County Fresno County (), officially the County of Fresno, is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 1,008,654. The county seat is Fresno, the fifth-most populo ...

. He served as the Caucus Operations Chair for the California State Assembly Republican Caucus.

Early life and education

Mathis was born in

Porterville, California Porterville is a city at the base of Southern Sierra Nevada mountains on the eastern side of San Joaquin Valley, in Tulare County, California, United States. It is part of the Visalia-Porterville metropolitan statistical area. Serving as the ...

. He earned an

Associate of Arts An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...

degree in

Social Sciences Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among members within those societies. The term was former ...

from Porterville College and

Bachelor of Arts 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 deg ...

Public Administration Public administration, or public policy and administration refers to "the management of public programs", or the "translation of politics into the reality that citizens see every day",Kettl, Donald and James Fessler. 2009. ''The Politics of the ...

from

California State University, Fresno California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers 60 ba ...

. Mathis graduated from

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

earning a Master of Professional Studies in Strategic Public Relations in 2021.

Career

Before joining the Assembly, Mathis served for 10 years as a Sergeant in the

Army National Guard The Army National Guard (ARNG) is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States Army. It is simultaneously part of two differen ...

, including two tours in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. During his second tour in Iraq, Mathis was severely injured in a roadside bomb attack, for which he was awarded a

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

. In 2014, he unexpectedly defeated Woodlake Mayor Rudy Mendoza, a fellow Republican who was better known and had more support from established Republicans. Mendoza sought a rematch in 2016, but Mathis defeated him again in the primary. Mathis, who had no previous political experience, ran on his status as a former Army National Guard sergeant and veterans advocate. In July 2017 Mathis, along with four other Republican assemblymen, voted "Yes" on AB 398 to extend California's

Cap and Trade Carbon emission trading (also called carbon market, emission trading scheme (ETS) or cap and trade) is a type of emissions trading scheme designed for carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHGs). A form of carbon price, carbon pricing ...

program. In 2018, Mathis faced a serious primary challenge, winning only 30% of the vote and narrowly eliminating Republican Visalia Mayor Warren Gubler. But in the November general election, he rallied and defeated Democratic Tulare

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...

man Jose Sigala with 58% of the vote. Mathis was not seriously challenged in 2020 or in 2022. He served as the Vice Chair of the Assembly Committee on Agriculture and the Vice Chair of the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife. Mathis also served on the Assembly Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Government Organization, the Committee on Military and Veteran Affairs, the Committee on Natural Resources, and the Utilities and Energy Committee. Mathis successfully authored 17 bills and 15 resolutions that were chaptered into state law; he was also listed as a joint author of 46 other measures and nine other resolutions. On November 27, 2023, Mathis announced that he would not be a candidate for re-election.

Personal life

Mathis lives in Porterville with his five children. He married Mistie Davis on October 6, 2023.

Elections

2014 California State Assembly

2016 California State Assembly

2018 California State Assembly

2020 California State Assembly

2022 California State Assembly

References

External links

*
Campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathis, Devon 1982 births Living people 21st-century members of the California State Legislature California National Guard personnel California State University, Fresno alumni George Washington University alumni People from Porterville, California People from Visalia, California Republican Party members of the California State Assembly United States Army personnel of the Iraq War United States Army soldiers