Jeff Gorell
Jeff Gorell is a former Republican member of the California State Assembly, representing District 44 from 2010 to 2014. Gorell was the first California legislator called to active duty since WWII. During his service, fourteen bills were sponsored in his name.[1]
Gorell won re-election to the California State Assembly in 2012. He returned to California in March, following a year of active duty in Afghanistan.[2]
Gorell ran for election to the U.S. House in 2014, representing California's 26th Congressional District.[3] He was defeated by incumbent Julia Brownley in the general election on November 4, 2014. The race remained uncalled for over a week following the general election.[4]
Biography
Gorell earned his bachelor's degree in history from the University of California Davis, his certificate in International Law from the University of Salzburg in Austria, and his J.D. from the McGeorge School of Law at University of the Pacific.
His professional experience includes working as a teacher at California Lutheran University. From 1992 to 1996, he was a writer/deputy press secretary for the Office of Governor Pete Wilson. He then worked as advocate/director of communications for the California Manufacturers and Technology Association from 1996 to 1999. Gorell was employed as deputy district attorney for Ventura County from 1999 to 2006. He has served in the United States Navy Reserves as a Commander, a rank he was promoted to on June 20, 2014.[5] He has also been co-owner of Paladin Principle Limited Liability Company. Gorell has also worked as an adjunct professor of Public Policy at California Lutheran University.
Committee assignments
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Gorell served on the following committees:
| California committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Accountability and Administrative Review |
| • Budget, Vice chair |
| • Judiciary |
| • Labor and Employment |
| • Utilities and Commerce |
| • Legislative Budget |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Gorell served on these committees:
| California committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Education |
| • Judiciary |
| • Labor and Employment |
| • Utilities and Commerce |
| • Veterans Affairs |
Issues
Roll Call calls Gorell a moderate Republican.[6] In 2014, he introduced paperwork to begin a ballot measure that would end the high-speed rail development in California, stating that “California cannot afford to pay for a high-speed train system that will cost more than $100 billion at a time when prisoners are being released from prisons and taxpayers are being asked to dig deeper into their own pockets to pay for basic service.”[7]
Gorell also introduced the Unmanned Aircraft Systems bill, which would ban police drone spying without a warrant. The bill passed both houses of the California legislature in August 2014, and is awaiting Governor Jerry Brown's signature.[8]
2012
Gorell's opponent in the 2012 election, Eileen MacEnery (D), criticized Gorell for his absence from the legislature while serving in the Navy. Gorell is a reservist who was called up near the time of his election. He was the first assemblyman called to active duty since WWII.[1] While serving, fourteen bills were introduced in his name during his year-long tour of duty.[9]
Elections
2014
Gorell ran in the 2014 election for the U.S. House to represent California's 26th District. Gorell and Julia Brownley (D) advanced past the blanket primary on June 3, 2014, defeating Rafael Dagnesses (R) and Douglas Kmiec (I).[10] Gorell was defeated by Brownley in the general election on November 4, 2014. The race remained uncalled for over a week following the general election.[4]
After the blanket primary, Cook Political Report shifted the rating of this race from Lean D to Toss-up. The Republican candidates in the race received over 50% of the primary vote, a concerning fact for incumbent Julia Brownley (D).[11]
Stuart Rothenberg of Roll Call reported that Gorell is pro-choice, believes the Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional, and supports immigration reform, including paths to citizenship for those already here.[12]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Julia Brownley Incumbent |
51.3% | 87,176 | |
| Republican | Jeff Gorell | 48.7% | 82,653 | |
| Total Votes | 169,829 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |
Julia Brownley Incumbent |
45.5% | 38,854 | |
| Republican | Jeff Gorell |
44.5% | 38,021 | |
| Republican | Rafael Dagnesses | 7.7% | 6,536 | |
| Independent | Douglas Kmiec | 2.3% | 1,980 | |
| Total Votes | 85,391 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State |
||||
Endorsements
Gorell was endorsed by Tony Strickland, the Republican candidate for the seat in 2012.[3]
2012
Gorell won re-election in the 2012 election for California State Assembly District 44. Due to redistricting following the 2010 census, he was displaced from District 37. He advanced past the blanket primary on June 5, 2012, defeating Thomas Mullens (D). Gorell defeated Eileen MacEnery (D) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[13][14][15]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jeff Gorell Incumbent |
52.9% | 86,132 | |
| Democratic | Eileen MacEnery | 47.1% | 76,805 | |
| Total Votes | 162,937 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |
Eileen MacEnery |
23.3% | 15,343 | |
| Democratic | Thomas Mullens | 18.6% | 12,226 | |
| Republican | Jeff Gorell Incumbent |
58.1% | 38,263 | |
| Total Votes | 65,832 | |||
2010
Gorell defeated Robert W. Howell in the June 8th, 2010 Primary Election earning 89% of the vote[16]. He then defeated Democrat Ferial Masry in the November 2 general election.[17]
| California State Assembly, District 37 General Election (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Jeff Gorell (R)
|
90,649 | |||
| Ferial Masry (D) | 64,413 | |||
| California House of Representatives, District 37 Republican Primary (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Jeff Gorell (R)
|
39,281 | |||
| Robert W. Howell (R) | 4,632 | |||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of California scorecards, email suggestions to [email protected].
2014
In 2014, the California State Legislature was in session from January 6 to August 30.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the chamber.
- Legislators are scored by the California Civil Liberties Council on their votes on "bills related to due process, privacy rights, equal protection, and criminal justice."
- Legislators are scored by California Clean Money Action on their votes on bills "to limit the undue influence of Big Money in politics in California."
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on issues related to labor.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to water policy.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills that relate to senior issues
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to consumers.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported by the organization.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on taxpayer-related issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the organization.
- Legislators are scored on their stances on secular policy.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental policy.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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|
In 2013, the California State Legislature was in session from December 3, 2012, to September 13, 2013
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2012, the California State Legislature was in session from January 4 to August 31.
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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Jeff has two children: Ashley and Jack. He lives in Camarillo.[18]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Jeff + Gorell + California + Legislature
See also
- California State Legislature
- California State Assembly
- California Assembly Committees
- California State Assembly District 44
External links
- Jeff Gorell's campaign website
- Profile from Open States
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Legislative Profile from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions: 2010
- Jeff Gorell on Facebook
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 [http://www.vcstar.com/news/gorell-expects-deployment-to-afghanistan Ventura County Star, "Candidate for 37th Assembly District expects deployment to Afghanistan," October 30, 2010
- ↑ LA Times, "California lawmaker to seek re-election after year in Afghanistan," February 10, 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Los Angeles Times, "GOP Assemblyman Jeff Gorell to challenge Rep. Julia Brownley," November 25, 2013
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Huffington Post, "Election 2014," November 4, 2014
- ↑ Vcstar.com, "Gorell installed as Navy Reserve commander," June 23, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ Roll Call, "Top 5 Races to Watch in the West," August 26, 2014
- ↑ [http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2014/01/california-lawmaker-files-initiative-to-scrap-high-speed-rail.html Sacramento Bee, "California lawmaker files initiative to scrap high-speed rail," January 10, 2014
- ↑ CNET, "California bill would ban police drone spying without warrant," September 12, 2014
- ↑ Camarillo Acorn, "Two challenge Gorell for Assembly seat," May 11, 2012
- ↑ The New York Times, "California Primary Results," June 3, 2014
- ↑ Red State, "Cook Political Report shifts California-26 from Lean D to Toss-up.," June 23, 2014
- ↑ Roll Call, "Meet 3 Divergent House Candidates Worth Watching," April 8, 2014
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official primary candidate list," accessed March 13, 2014
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official 2012 Primary election results," accessed March 13, 2014
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official 2012 General election results," accessed March 13, 2014
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Primary Results," June 8, 2010
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official 2010 General election results," accessed March 13, 2014
- ↑ jeffgorell.org, "Biography (Archived)," accessed March 13, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Anthony Portantino, Jr. (D) |
California State Assembly District 44 2012–2014 |
Succeeded by Jacqui Irwin (D) |
| Preceded by Audra Strickland (R) |
California Assembly District 37 2010-2012 |
Succeeded by Das Williams (D) |
