Carl DeMaio

Carl DeMaio is a Republican Assemblymember representing District 75, encompassing North and East San Diego County, who assumed office on December 2, 2024 ^[1,2]. A longtime fiscal conservative, government reform advocate, and founder of the grassroots organization Reform California, DeMaio brings a track record of fighting tax increases, championing pension reform, promoting government transparency, and advocating for parental empowerment in education -- priorities that align closely with CFC's mission of protecting families and promoting accountability ^[2,3,4]. With a 85% CFC Biblical Values Scorecard rating, DeMaio has been one of the Legislature's most consistent champions of the values the California Family Council defends — the sanctity of life (Chapter 6), parental authority in education (Chapter 8), religious liberty (Chapter 9), and limited, family-centered governance (Chapter 11).

Carl David DeMaio was born on September 14, 1974, in Dubuque, Iowa, to Carl Joseph DeMaio and Diane M. DeMaio, both teachers. His family relocated to Orange County, California in the late 1970s. DeMaio's childhood was marked by significant hardship: his father abandoned the family, and his mother passed away in 1990, leaving DeMaio effectively orphaned at age 15. Through the support of Jesuit priests, he was enrolled at Georgetown Preparatory School in Maryland -- the only Jesuit boarding school in the United States -- where the religious order provided a structured, faith-based environment that helped shape his character and work ethic.

After college, DeMaio launched a career centered on government accountability and performance-based management. He worked for the Congressional Institute as Director of Planning, developing training programs for Members of Congress on budget oversight. He later joined the Reason Foundation to develop a bipartisan management improvement plan for the incoming George W. Bush administration. DeMaio then founded two successful companies -- The Performance Institute and the American Strategic Management Institute -- which provided training to government officials and corporations on strategic planning, zero-based budgeting, and performance measurement. He sold both companies in 2007 and transitioned into media and political advocacy, hosting a conservative talk radio program and founding Reform California ^[2,3].

DeMaio entered elected office in 2008, winning a seat on the San Diego City Council representing District 5 during a period when the city was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. On the Council, he authored the Roadmap to Recovery Plan to balance the city's budget without tax hikes, returned over $600,000 to the city treasury by cutting his own office budget, and rejected the politician pension benefit. His signature achievement was authoring San Diego's Proposition B in 2012, a groundbreaking pension reform initiative that capped city employee pensions and transitioned new hires to 401(k)-style retirement accounts. Voters passed it by a 65% margin.

His 86.2% Biblical Values Scorecard rating across 29 scored floor votes demonstrates strong alignment with CFC's worldview framework, reflecting consistent support for the sanctity of human life, parental authority in education, and religious liberty protections.

Before winning his Assembly seat, DeMaio mounted several campaigns for higher office: a 2012 mayoral bid in San Diego (losing to Bob Filner by five points), a 2014 congressional race in the 52nd District against incumbent Scott Peters, and a 2020 primary bid for the 50th Congressional District, where he finished behind Darrell Issa. Throughout these races, DeMaio built his profile as chairman of Reform California, which grew into a statewide grassroots movement.