Tyler Diep
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 72nd district
In office
December 3, 2018 – November 30, 2020
Preceded byTravis Allen
Succeeded byJanet Nguyen
Personal details
BornVietnam
NationalityAmerican
Political partyIndependent (2021-present)
Republican (until 2021)
ResidenceWestminster, California
Alma materSan Diego State University (BA)
Websitetylerdiep.com

Tyler Diep is a Vietnamese-American politician who served one term in the California State Assembly.[1][2] Formerly a Republican,[3] he represented the 72nd Assembly District, which encompasses parts of northern coastal Orange County which includes the cities of Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, Westminster,[2] Fountain Valley, Seal Beach, Los Alamitos, and the unincorporated areas of Midway City and Rossmoor.

Political career

At the age of twenty-three, Diep was first elected as a director of the Midway City Sanitary District in 2006 and left this position at the end of 2018 after serving three consecutive 4-year terms due to his election to the State Assembly. After being defeated for re-election to the Assembly in the 2020 primary election, Diep successfully ran in the 2020 general election to return to a director's seat at the Midway City Sanitary District.

Concurrently with his initial tenure at the Midway City Sanitary District, Diep was also elected to the Westminster City Council in 2008 and in 2014. He was unanimously selected as Vice Mayor in 2010 and 2018. Professionally, he served as a senior adviser and small business outreach specialist with the California State Board of Equalization and the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. In addition, he is also a proud small business owner in Huntington Beach.

For the 2019–20 legislative session, Diep served as vice-chair for the Housing and Community Development Committee and the Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, and Internet Media. He also served as a member of the Appropriations, Public Safety, Transportation, Labor and Employment, and the Joint Legislative Audit Committee.

In July 2019, Diep apologized for using anti-semitic stereotypes in his campaign mailers the previous year against his opponent, Josh Lowenthal. The stereotypes in question depicted Lowenthal "with an enlarged nose and clutching $100 bills."[4]

In 2019, Diep introduced a bill, AB 317, to prohibit private companies from selling DMV appointments. It passed.[5]

In the state Assembly, Diep compiled a moderate record and broke with his party on key issues.[6] Lyft funded a $2 million campaign to unseat Diep, due to his stance on Assembly Bill 5, which categorized rideshare drivers as employees rather than independent contractors.[7] Uber also gave $200,000 to a similar PAC. Partly as a result, he was defeated in the primary by former state Senator Janet Nguyen, who went on to win the November general election.

In an NPR interview radio interview that aired November 2, 2022, Diep announced he left the Republican Party and is currently registered without party preference. Diep cites the January 6, 2021 insurrection and the rhetoric of Donald Trump as his main reasons for leaving the Republican Party.[8]

Personal life

Diep graduated with a degree in public administration from San Diego State University and currently resides in Westminster.

2018 election results

California's 72nd State Assembly district election, 2018
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Josh Lowenthal 34,462 36.8
Republican Tyler Diep 27,825 29.7
Republican Greg Haskin 19,199 20.5
Republican Long Pham 7,692 8.2
Republican Richard Laird 4,555 5.0
Total votes 93,733 100.0
General election
Republican Tyler Diep 83,221 51.6
Democratic Josh Lowenthal 78,080 48.4
Total votes 161,301 100.0
Republican hold

2020 election

2020 California's 72nd State Assembly district primary results by county supervisorial district
Map legend
  •   J. Nguyen—30–40%
2020 California's 72nd State Assembly district election
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Janet Nguyen 39,778 33.8
Democratic Diedre Nguyen 30,021 25.5
Republican Tyler Diep (incumbent) 29,186 24.8
Democratic Bijan Mohseni 18,668 15.9
Total votes 117,163 100.0

References

  1. ↑ Intarasuwan, Kiki. "Proposed Bill Would Make Selling DMV Appointment Illegal". KNSD.
  2. 1 2 "Umberg, Daly, and Diep urge President Trump to halt efforts to deport Vietnamese refugees". February 14, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Tyler Diep for 72nd Assembly District". editorial. Orange County Register. October 26, 2018.
  4. ↑ Vega, Priscella (July 4, 2019). "O.C. assemblyman apologizes to Jews over mailers many found offensive". Los Angeles Times.
  5. ↑ "Assemblymember Tyler Diep introduces bill to prohibit private companies from selling DMV appointments". Orange County Breeze. February 1, 2019. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  6. ↑ LA Times (January 23, 2020). "Political Landscape: Assemblyman Tyler Diep loses O.C. Republican Party endorsement". Daily Pilot. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  7. ↑ Mai-Duc, Christine (March 2, 2020). "Lyft and Uber Start Spending to Unseat California Legislators". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  8. ↑ Mehta, Jonaki (November 2, 2022). "In some tight House races, Asian-American voters could determine the winner". NPR.org. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
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