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 district (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	(1962-05-14) May 14, 1962 Pasadena, 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. She 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 48% 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 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."^[5]

The FPPC inquiry ultimately found there was no wrongdoing on the part of Senator Walters or her staff.^[6]

2012 California State Senate race

On September 20, 2012, Democratic candidate Steven R. Young filed a petition of extraordinary writ^[7] 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.^[8][9]

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.^[10][11]

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." ^[12]

U.S. House of Representatives

2014 election

On July 2, 2013, Walters formally announced her candidacy for Congress, replacing Congressman John Campbell, who announced he would not be seeking another term.^[13] She was endorsed by a number of Republican Congressmen from California, including Campbell, Kevin McCarthy, Darrell Issa, and Ed Royce.^[14] Walters was placed in the National Republican Congressional Committee's (NRCC) "Contender" category of their "Young Guns" program.^[15] In September 2014, the NRCC named Walters along with 13 other candidates to their "Vanguard" program.^[16] In the nonpartisan blanket primary, she came in first place in a field of three candidates with 45% of the vote. In the general election, she defeated Democratic candidate Drew Leavens with 65% of the vote.^[17]

Committee assignments

• Committee on the Judiciary
  • Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet
  • Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law
• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Aviation
  • Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
  • Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials

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

External links

• Official U.S. House web site
• Official campaign web site
• Appearances on C-SPAN