Mimi Walters
| Mimi Walters | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 45th district | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | John B. T. Campbell III |
| Member of the California State Senate from the 37th district 33rd (2008–2012) | |
| In office December 1, 2008 – January 3, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Dick Ackerman |
| Succeeded by | John Moorlach |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 73rd district | |
| In office December 6, 2004 – November 30, 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Patricia Bates |
| Succeeded by | Diane Harkey |
| Laguna Niguel City Councilwoman | |
| In office December 2, 1996 – December 6, 2004 | |
| Mayor of Laguna Niguel | |
| In office January 1, 2000 – January 1, 2001 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 14, 1962 Los Angeles County, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | David Walters |
| Residence | Laguna Niguel, California |
| Alma mater | University of California Los Angeles |
| Occupation | Stockbroker |
| Religion | Roman Catholic[1] |
| Website | Rep. Mimi Walters |
Marian E. Krogius "Mimi" Walters (born May 14, 1962) is an American politician who is the U.S. Representative for California's 45th congressional district. A Republican, she was a member of the California State Senate for the 37th District from 2012 to 2015. She previously represented the 33rd Senate District from 2008 to 2012 before redistricting. She also served in the California State Assembly from 2004 to 2008, where she served in the Republican leadership as Assistant Republican Leader and Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee.
On November 4, 2014, Walters was elected to the United States House of Representatives from California’s 45th congressional district, formerly held by John Campbell. She was subsequently elected by her colleagues as the Freshman Class Representative to the House Republican Conference leadership team for the 114th United States Congress.
Early years and education
Walters earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from UCLA in 1984. Before her election to the California State Assembly, Walters was a stockbroker.
Political career
Walters was Councilwoman and Mayor of Laguna Niguel during 1996–2004, and helped defeat efforts to convert Marine Corps Air Station El Toro to a commercial airport.
Walters was elected in 2004 to represent the 73rd Assembly District, which includes coastal Orange and San Diego county communities of Laguna Niguel, Laguna Hills, Oceanside, Dana Point, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, and Aliso Viejo.
Since the US Supreme Court decision Kelo v. New London in June 2005, Walters has been at the forefront of amending California government acquisition and the regulation of private property laws. She introduced two bills, AB 590 and AB 1990, in the 2005-06 session on these topics. After both bills failed in committee by party line votes, Walters became a leading figure in the campaign for Proposition 90. She was named honorary chair of the Save Our Homes initiative campaign. Supporters of Proposition 90 referred to their effort as protecting property rights. The initiative received over one million signatures to qualify for the November 2006 ballot. Proposition 90 failed with 47.6% of the vote.
In the 2007-2008 session, Walters introduced ACA 2, a state Constitutional Amendment to change government acquisition and the regulation of private property by California local governments.
Walters introduced a package of bills in February 2011 to address the California pension crisis, SB 520 through SB 528.[2]
In an op-ed written by Senator Walters in October of 2012, Walters questioned the wisdom of creating a state-run retirement pension plan for private-sector workers.[3] The bill, SB 1234, established the California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Program for private-sector workers that requires employers that may not offer retirement plans to participate in the program.[4]
Walters is the co-founder of the California Women’s Leadership Association (CWLA.) She currently serves on the Board of the Orange County Gang Reduction Intervention Program (G.R.I.P.). She has also served on the Boards of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO,) the Laguna Niguel Republican Women Federated, the American Cancer Society, and the South Coast Medical Center Foundation.
2010 California State Treasurer election
In January 2010, Walters announced that she would run for California State Treasurer against Democratic incumbent Bill Lockyer. She became the Republican nominee for State Treasurer the following June.
Investigation by the Fair Political Practices Commission
In early 2012, the Fair Political Practice Commission opened an inquiry as to whether Walters violated conflict-of-interest laws when her office assisted constituents who were having problems receiving feedback from California prison officials regarding the status of a financial claim that Senator Walters husband ultimately had an economic interest in.[5]
The inquiry was disclosed in a written notice to Walters' attorney by Gary Winuk, chief of enforcement for the state Fair Political Practices Commission. He wrote that his office "will be pursuing an investigation regarding whether or not Sen. Walters violated the Political Reform Act's conflict-of-interest prohibitions."[6]
The FPPC inquiry ultimately found that there was no wrongdoing on the part of Senator Walters or her staff. [7]
2012 California State Senate race
On September 20, 2012, Democratic candidate Steven R. Young filed a petition of extraordinary writ[8] seeking declaratory relief to the California Secretary of State to exclude opponent Mimi Walters from the 2012 election ballot for failing to establish a clear residency status in the district she was running in. Under state law, state legislators are required to live in the districts they represent.[9][10]
Walters and her family have long been associated with Laguna Niguel, where she served on the City Council and was elected to two terms in the Assembly and one in the Senate. But last year, the new California Citizens Redistricting Commission re-drew the state’s legislative districts. To run in the newly drawn 37th Senate District, Walters says she moved to Irvine. Young and two registered Republicans who have joined in the suit say Walters’ move was pure fiction. According to the suit, Walters and her husband, David, have lived in a 14,000-square-foot mansion in Laguna Niguel since 1999. Then, this year, the suit says that Walters changed her voter registration to reflect that she’s living in a 570-square-foot apartment in Irvine with no dishwasher or washer/dryer hook ups.[11][12]
A Sacramento County Superior Court judge denied Young's petition to have Walters' name removed from the ballot. According to the judge, "the court doesn't have jurisdiction to hear questions about the qualifications of members of the state Legislature." [13]
2014 Congressional race
On July 2, 2013, Walters formally announced her candidacy for Congress, replacing Congressman John Campbell, who announced he would not be seeking another term. [14] She was endorsed by a number of Republican Congressmen from California, including Campbell, Kevin McCarthy, Darrell Issa, and Ed Royce.[15] Walters was placed in the National Republican Congressional Committee's (NRCC) "Contender" category of their "Young Guns" program.[16] In September 2014, the NRCC named Walters along with 13 other candidates to their "Vanguard" program.[17] In the nonpartisan blanket primary, she came in first place in a field of three candidates with 44.8% of the vote. In the general election, she defeated Democratic candidate Drew Leavens with 65.2% of the vote.[18]
Personal life
She and her husband, David, live in Bear Brand Ranch in Laguna Niguel with their four children, Katherine, Caroline, David Jr. and Tristan.
References
- ↑ http://www.capecoralvoice.com/voter-resources/official/226571/Mimi/Walters
- ↑ Pensions Emerge as Key Issue
- ↑ Walters, Mimi. "State-Run Private Sector Retirement Plans Subsidized by Taxpayers Coming in 2013".
- ↑ "SB1234".
|first1=missing|last1=in Authors list (help) - ↑ McGreevy, Patrick. "Ethics panel investigates state Sen. Mimi Walters".
- ↑ McGreevy, Patrick. "Ethics panel investigates state Sen. Mimi Walters". L.A. Times.
- ↑ http://www.ocregister.com/news/walters-503341-state-company.html
- ↑ Petition of extraordinary writ
- ↑ "California Election Code section 201".
- ↑ "California Election Code Section 2040-8041".
- ↑ McGreevy, Patrick. "State Sen. Mimi Walters challenged by opponent over her residency". LATimes.
- ↑ Brian Joseph (20 September 2012). "Democrat sues to keep Mimi Walters off the ballot". OC Register. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
- ↑ http://www.ocregister.com/totalbuzz/walters-469534-district-senate.html
- ↑ http://mimiwalters.com/2013/07/mimi-walters-formally-enters-congressional-race-in-45th-district/
- ↑ http://www.mimiwalters.com/endorsements/
- ↑ http://www.nrcc.org/2014/03/26/17-republican-candidates-announced-contender-part-nrccs-young-guns-program/
- ↑ http://www.gopyoungguns.com/vanguard/
- ↑ http://www.dl45th.com/
External links
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John B. T. Campbell III |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 45th congressional district January 3, 2015 – present |
Incumbent |
| United States order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by Mark Walker R-North Carolina | United States Representatives by seniority 427th |
Succeeded by Bonnie Watson Coleman D-New Jersey |
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