Rocky John Chávez (born May 12, 1951) is an American

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who 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 ...

. A Republican, he represented the 76th district, encompassing parts of northern coastal

San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of California, north to its border with Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634; it is the second-most populous ...

. He was a candidate for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, having run in the 2018 midterm election in

California's 49th congressional district California's 49th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. The district is represented by Mike Levin. The district currently covers the North County (San Diego area), northern coastal areas of San D ...

to replace

Darrell Issa Darrell Edward Issa ( ; born November 1, 1953) is an American businessman and politician serving as the U.S. representative for California's 48th congressional district. He represented the 50th congressional district from 2021 to 2023. A memb ...

, but he failed to place in the top two during the primary election.

Early life and career

Chávez was born on May 12, 1951, in

Los Angeles, California 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, ...

. He graduated from

Torrance High School Torrance High School is a high school located in Torrance, California. Founded in 1917, it is one of the oldest high schools in continuous use in California and is the oldest of the five high schools in the Torrance Unified School District. Four ...

in 1969 where he was a varsity wrestler. He qualified for the US Olympic trials in 1968 and 1972. After graduating high school, Chávez attended

El Camino Junior College El Camino College (Elco or ECC) is a public community college in Los Angeles County, California. Most of it is in Alondra Park,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 ...

. He then attended

Chico State California State University, Chico (Chico State) is a public university in Chico, California. It was founded in 1887 as one of about 180 "normal schools" founded by state governments in the 19th century to train teachers for the rapidly growing ...

, where he earned a

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 ...

degree in English in 1973. Chávez helped his family during grade school and college by working in agriculture, including summers picking grapes in

Fresno County, California 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 popu ...

, working at a packing plant in

Chico, California Chico ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "little") is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. Located in the Sacramento Valley region of Northern California, the city had a population of 101,475 in the 2020 United Sta ...

and gathering almonds in

Hamilton City, California Hamilton City (formerly, Hamilton) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Glenn County, California, United States. The population was 1,759 at the 2010 census, down from 1,903 at the 2000 census. Hamilton City is located east of Orland, and 10 mi ...

near Chico.

Military career

Chávez began his career in public service after graduating from Chico State when he joined the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

. Chávez served in the USMC for 28 years, rising to the rank of Colonel. Chávez served in all four active Marine divisions, including serving as Chief of Staff for the

4th Marine Division The 4th Marine Division is a reserve division in the United States Marine Corps. It was raised in 1943 for service during World War II, and subsequently fought in the Pacific against the Japanese. Deactivated after the war, the division was re ...

Post-military career

Chávez continued his career in public service after retiring from the Marine Corps. by founding the School of Business and Technology, a charter High School located in the

Oceanside Unified School District Oceanside Unified School District is a public school district based in Oceanside in San Diego County, California. There are 23 schools in the district, including 16 K-5 schools, 4 middle schools, 2 comprehensive high schools, and 1 alternative h ...

. Chávez served as the school’s director from 2002-2008. Chávez was elected to the

Oceanside Oceanside may refer to: Places United States *Oceanside, California ** Oceanside Transit Center *Oceanside, New York Oceanside is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the southern part of the town of Hempst ...

City Council in November, 2002. He served on the Council for seven years, focusing on economic development, public safety, and good governance. Chávez was selected as the

Deputy Mayor The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor and assistant mayor) is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many local governments. Duties and functions Many elected deputy mayors are members of the loca ...

of Oceanside in 2004. Chávez was appointed as the

Undersecretary Undersecretary (or under secretary) is a title for a person who works for and has a lower rank than a secretary (person in charge). It is used in the executive branch of government, with different meanings in different political systems, and is a ...

of the California Department of Veteran Affairs by Governor

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...

in 2009. In January, 2011, Chávez was appointed Acting Secretary. During his time working at the California Department of Veteran Affairs, Chávez focused on streamlining procedures and increasing services for veterans. Chávez was elected to the

to represent 76th District on November 6, 2012. He ran on a campaign of education, veteran’s issues and good governance. The 76th District includes

Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Diego County and is bordered by O ...

and the cities of

Carlsbad Carlsbad may refer to: Geographical locations * Carlsbad, California, San Diego County, United States ** Carlsbad Santa Fe Depot, NRHP ID No. 93001016 * Carlsbad, New Mexico, United States ** Carlsbad Caverns National Park ** Carlsbad Irriga ...

Encinitas Encinitas (Spanish language, Spanish for "Small Oaks") is a beach city in the North County (San Diego area), North County area of San Diego County, California, United States. Located in Southern California, it is approximately north of San Di ...

and

Vista Vista may refer to: Software *Windows Vista, the line of Microsoft Windows client operating systems released in 2006 and 2007 * VistA, (Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture) a medical records system of the United States ...

. Chávez served as Vice-Chair of the Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee and the Higher Education Committee. He was a member of the Rules, Education, Budget, Utilities and Commerce and Health committees. Chávez also served on a number of select committees, joint committees, and caucuses tackling issues ranging from justice reinvestment to environmental issues and K-12 education.

2014 California State Assembly

2016 Senate run

Chávez briefly ran for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

to replace the retiring

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

Barbara Boxer Barbara Sue Boxer (née Levy; born November 11, 1940) is a retired American politician, lobbyist, and former reporter who served in the United States Senate, representing California from 1993 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United St ...

. On KOGO, before a radio debate, he announced he was no longer going to run.

2016 California State Assembly

2018 United States House of Representatives

Chávez was a candidate for the

, having run in the 2018 midterm election in

to replace

. He failed to place in the top two during the primary election, finishing sixth in a field of sixteen candidates.

Primary for U.S. House California District 49

The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. House California District 49 on June 5, 2018.

Personal life

Chávez and his wife Mary live in

Oceanside, California Oceanside is a beach city in the North County (San Diego area), North County area of San Diego County, California, United States. The city had a population of 174,068 at the 2020 United States census, making it the most populous city in the Nort ...

. They have three children and five grandchildren. Mary studied at the University of New Orleans and also holds an

M.B.A. A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...

from

California State University, San Marcos California State University, San Marcos (CSUSM or Cal State San Marcos) is a public university in San Marcos, California, United States. It was founded in 1989 as the 21st campus in the California State University (CSU) system. CSUSM offers 43 ...

. His son Temujin Tom is a physician in South Carolina. Chávez's daughter Regina Ann Shepperson and youngest son Sage John are both college graduates. Chávez is Catholic.

References

External links

Campaign website

Exploratory Committee website

Join California Rocky Chavez
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chavez, Rocky 1951 births Living people Politicians from Los Angeles People from Oceanside, California El Camino College alumni California State University, Chico alumni United States Marine Corps colonels California city council members Republican Party members of the California State Assembly American politicians of Mexican descent Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in California Catholics from California Military personnel from California Torrance High School alumni Candidates in the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections 21st-century members of the California State Legislature