John Joseph Benoit (December 27, 1951 – December 26, 2016) was an American law enforcement officer and politician; serving in the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...

from 2002 to 2009 and the

Riverside County Riverside County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,418,185, making it the fourth-most populous county in California and the 10th-most populous in the Unit ...

Board of Supervisors from 2009 to 2016.

Personal life, education, and career

Born in

Kankakee, Illinois Kankakee ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. Located on the Kankakee River, as of 2020, the city's population was 24,052. Kankakee is a principal city of the Kankakee-Bourbonnais-Bradley, IL MSA, Kan ...

, Benoit graduated from Notre Dame High School in

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. As of the 2020 census, the city has a population of 314,998. It is the most populous city in th ...

, and went on to earn an

Associate degree 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 ...

Riverside Community College Riverside City College (RCC) is a public community college in Riverside, California. The college is part of the Riverside Community College District, as well as the larger California Community Colleges System. History RCC first opened in 1916 at ...

in 1974. In 1978, he earned a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

from

California State University, Los Angeles California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) is a public research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. Cal State LA offers 142 bachelor's degree programs, 122 m ...

, and in 1986 he graduated from the

FBI National Academy The FBI National Academy is a program of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Academy for active U.S. law enforcement personnel and also for international law enforcement personnel who seek to enhance their credentials in their field and to ...

. Benoit earned a

Master of Public Administration A Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a specialized professional graduate degree in public administration that prepares students for leadership roles, similar or equivalent to a Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the ...

from

California State University, San Bernardino California State University, San Bernardino (Cal State San Bernardino or CSUSB) is a public research university in San Bernardino, California. Founded in 1965, it is part of the California State University system. The main campus sits on in th ...

, in 1993. Benoit's law enforcement career spanned 31 years including two years with the

Corona, California Corona (Spanish language, Spanish for "Crown") is a city in northwestern Riverside County, California, United States, directly bordering Orange County, California, Orange and San Bernardino County, California, San Bernardino counties. Its curre ...

Police Department, and twenty-nine years with the

California Highway Patrol The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is the principal state police agency for the U.S. state of California. The CHP has primary jurisdiction, including patrol and Criminal investigation, investigations, over all California Controlled-access highw ...

. Benoit served as a member of the Desert Sands Unified School Board from 1999 to 2002. From 2002 to 2008 Benoit served as a Republican Party representative 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 ...

, and then served in the

California State Senate The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature (the lower house being the California State Assembly). The state senate convenes, along with the state assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. ...

in 2009. Benoit resigned from the California Senate on November 30, 2009, to serve on the

Board of Supervisors where he served from 2009 until his death in 2016. Benoit died at his home in

Bermuda Dunes, California Bermuda Dunes is a census-designated place (CDP) in Riverside County, California. The population was 8,244 at the 2020 census. Situated approximately east of Palm Springs, Bermuda Dunes is located in the mid-valley area of the Coachella Valley, ...

, from

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...

.JoinCalifornia.com.-John Benoit
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References

External links

Official Supervisorial web site

Official Campaign web siteJoin California John J. Benoit
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Benoit, John J. 1951 births 2016 deaths FBI National Academy graduates School board members in California County supervisors in California Republican Party California state senators Republican Party members of the California State Assembly People from Riverside, California Government of Riverside County, California California State University, Los Angeles alumni People from Kankakee, Illinois People from Bermuda Dunes, California California Highway Patrol Deaths from pancreatic cancer in California 21st-century members of the California State Legislature