Kevin Kiley

Replacing:

John Garamendi (D)[i]

WORK HISTORY:

California State Assembly (Assemblymember, District 6); Ose-Kiley Cattle (Owner); California State Department of Justice (Deputy Attorney General); University of the Pacific – McGeorge School of Law (Adjunct Professor of Law), Irell & Manella (Associate); Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP (Summer Associate); Federal Reserve Bank of New York (Law Clerk); Manual Arts High School (Teacher)[ii] [iii] [iv]

Education:

Diploma, Granite Bay High School; BA, Harvard University; JD, Yale University Law School; MA, Loyola Marymount University[v] [vi]

Campaigned On:

Gas Prices; Inflation; Taxes; Economy; Crime; Immigration; National Defense & Veterans; Foreign Policy; Fire Protection[vii]

On the Issues

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS:

Kiley opposes abortion and has consistently received high ratings from pro-life organizations, such as Life Priority Network and the California Pro-Life Council.[viii] He said the leaked US Supreme Court decision on the Dobbs case would “change literally nothing” about abortion rights in California and called Governor Gavin Newsom’s vow to “fight like hell” against the decision “completely irresponsible.”[ix] [x]

ECONOMY, JOBS & TAXES:

Kiley has blamed rising inflation on “out of control spending by the Pelosi Congress” and advocates for a balanced budget and debt reduction.[xi] He believes middle class and small business taxes are too high and will work to cut government regulations.[xii] Kiley has been endorsed by California’s leading taxpayer group, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association PAC.[xiii] He has long advocated for reducing or suspending California’s gas tax.[xiv]

HEALTHCARE & SOCIAL SAFETY NET:

Kiley opposes single-payer healthcare.[xv] He has criticized California’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, calling it the worst “in literally every way.”[xvi]

IMMIGRATION & BORDER SECURITY:

Kiley advocates for stronger border security and opposes California’s “crazy sanctuary city laws.”[xvii]

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY:

Kiley supports “toughening” laws against violent and repeat offenders and ending early release.[xviii] [xix] He says crime in California is “absolutely out of control” and argues politicians are to blame.[xx] He criticized California Proposition 47, which, among other provisions, reclassified certain theft and drug possession offenses from felonies to misdemeanors, and has called on the state to “make crime illegal again.”[xxi] [xxii] [xxiii] Kiley thinks criminal justice reform is “hard and important work,” but criticized Governor Newsom’s efforts in California and said the “Defund the Police” movement should be consigned to “the dustbin of history.”[xxiv] [xxv]

GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS & ELECTION SECURITY:

When asked if he believed President Biden was legitimately elected during a June 2022 debate, Kiley said it “depends on what you mean by legitimate.”[xxvi] He opposed a 2020 Proposition in California that would allow convicted felons to vote while still on parole.[xxvii]

EDUCATION:

Kiley has fought for school choice and believes quality public education options “must be available to all students.” He supports pre-K and early education and would like to see “traditional public schools look a lot more like charter schools.”[xxviii] Kiley opposes teaching Critical Race Theory.[xxix] In the California State Assembly, he voted against bills that would establish protections for student loan borrowers and create a Student Loan Bill of Rights.[xxx]

CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT:

Kiley believes climate change may be a factor in some circumstances.[xxxi] He has advocated for making America energy independent and reducing fees and taxes on energy production.[xxxii] As a member of the California State Assembly, he voted against measures that would increase tax rebates for electric vehicles, increase state renewable energy targets, and establish the California Climate Crisis Act.[xxxiii] [xxxiv]

BIG TECH & DATA PRIVACY:

Kiley opposed California’s AB5, which changed the rules employers must use to determine whether workers are employees or independent contractors, allowing many gig workers to now be entitled to employee benefits and protections.[xxxv] [xxxvi] In 2020, he criticized California Proposition 24, the Consumer Personal Information Law & Agency Initiative, which would expand the state’s consumer data privacy laws and create the Privacy Protection Agency, among other provisions.[xxxvii] [xxxviii] Kiley has spoken out against censorship by Big Tech and social media companies, arguing that the “Enlightenment itself is being undone” and stating that he hopes all Americans “will look back in horror at how we allowed censorship to become a norm in public discourse.”[xxxix] [xl] [xli] In 2021, he cosponsored a bill that would prevent social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter from censoring user posts.[xlii] [xliii]

GUN SAFETY:

Kiley supports Second Amendment rights and received an “A” rating from the NRA in 2022.[xliv] [xlv] He opposed a recent California measure that would require parents to report guns in their homes to school officials and has voted against several gun safety bills as a member of the California State Assembly, including ones that would limit the manufacture of ghost guns, allow individuals to sue firearm manufacturers, and prohibit the purchase of more than one gun per month.[xlvi] [xlvii] FOREIGN POLICY: Kiley believes Russia is “not America’s friend” and that China is “an adversary not to be taken lightly.”[xlviii] He argues the US and its allies must “stand together to support freedom and democracy.”[xlix] He has claimed to have prosecuted alleged intellectual property theft by China.[l] In May 2020, Kiley criticized a $1 billion deal to purchase N-95 masks that Governor Newsom made with a Chinese medical supplies company after the masks failed a safety test from the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health. He alleged the company had ties to the C