Matthew Harper (June 27, 1974) served as the 59th

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Huntington Beach, California Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County, California, United States. The city was originally called Pacific City, but it was changed in 1903 to be named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 as of ...

(2013-2014). Harper was elected to three terms to the Huntington Beach Union High School District Board of Trustees (1998-2010), one term to the Huntington Beach City Council (2010-2014) and two terms to 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 ...

(2014-2018).

Early life

Harper was born in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

, and lived briefly in Colorado, but grew up in

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

and Huntington Beach. He is a graduate of Huntington Beach High School.

Education

Harper attended Orange Coast College in

Costa Mesa, California Costa Mesa (; Spanish language, Spanish for "coastal tableland") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to an urban area including ...

. Harper earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Policy and Management from

USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

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 ...

Career

Harper was first elected to the Huntington Beach Union High School District (HBUHSD) in 1998, re-elected with the most votes in 2002, and named to an uncontested third term in 2006. There are five governing board members, or trustees, that are each elected at-large by HBUHSD voters. The HBUHSD serves the secondary education needs of the Orange County communities of Huntington Beach, most of Westminster, most of Fountain Valley, a portion of Garden Grove and all of unincorporated Midway City. Four separate feeder elementary school districts serve the primary education needs of the territory served by the HBUHSD. High schools in the district include: Huntington Beach High School, Westminster High School, Marina High School, Fountain Valley High School, Edison High School, Ocean View High School, Valley Vista High School, Coast High School, Community Day School, and Huntington Beach Adult School. After completing his third term on the HBUHSD Board of Trustees, on November 2, 2010, Harper was elected to become a member of city council for Huntington Beach, California. Harper's campaign platform included public safety, infrastructure, economic development, administrative and fiscal accountability, property rights, personal freedom and opposition to higher taxes. In 2012, Harper was chosen by the mayors of the Second District to the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) Board of Directors. In 2013, Harper became the 59th Mayor of

, until 2014. As Mayor, Harper worked to complete the Vans Skate Park, broke ground on a new senior center, and sought to repeal several laws, including the 1987 ban on state-approved fireworks. In his four years on the Huntington Beach City Council, Harper "built a reputation as conservative, pro-business and unafraid." Matthew Harper subsequently served as member of the

for District 74, encompassing the coastal Orange County communities of Huntington Beach,

Costa Mesa Costa may refer to: Biology * Rib (Latin: ''costa''), in vertebrate anatomy * Costa (botany), the central strand of a plant leaf or thallus * Costa (coral), a stony rib, part of the skeleton of a coral * Costa (entomology), the leading edge o ...

Newport Beach Newport Beach is a coastal city of about 85,000 in southern Orange County, California, United States. Located about southeast of downtown Los Angeles, Newport Beach is known for its sandy beaches. The city's harbor once supported maritime indu ...

, Irvine, Laguna Woods, and Laguna Beach for two terms. From 2007–2011, Harper served as a policy advisor and deputy chief of staff to then-Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen. In 2011, Harper served as an appointee to the five-member Orange County Redistricting Committee. For two years, Harper was the elected Chairman for the Young Republican Federation of California (YRFC) and served on their state board for over ten years. Locally, Harper has been elected to several terms to the Orange County Republican Party Central Committee. Harper has served on the executive committee for the OCGOP. Statewide, Harper served as the elected Associate Representative to the California Republican Party. As Associate Representative, Harper was an ex-officio member of the state platform committee. In 2014, he was elected to the

, defeating

Mayor Keith Curry, a fellow Republican. He served two terms and was defeated in the 2018 General election by Democrat Cottie Petrie-Norris. Matthew Harper continues as a delegate to the California Republican Party. In 2020, Harper was a candidate for Huntington Beach city council and lost, placing 7th out of 15 candidates. In 2022, Harper was a candidate for the California Board of Equalization and lost, placing 4th out of 7 candidates in the top two primary. In the 2022 General election, Harper was a candidate for the Huntington Beach Union High School District school board and lost, placing 4th out of 8 candidates.

Election history

2014 California State Assembly

2016 California State Assembly

2018 California State Assembly

2020 Huntington Beach City Council Election

2022 California Board of Equalization

2022 Huntington Beach Union High School District Election

Personal life

In 2014, Harper married Elizabeth Byrne. Harper and his family live in

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harper, Matthew Republican Party members of the California State Assembly Living people Mayors of Huntington Beach, California USC Sol Price School of Public Policy alumni 1974 births Huntington Beach High School alumni 21st-century members of the California State Legislature