California Assembly — led by ex-GOP leader — calls for Trump’s resignation over riot

In its first big vote of the new year, the California Assembly on Monday passed a resolution backed by its former Republican leader calling for President Donald Trump to be removed from office with 10 days left in his tenure.

The measure passed overwhelmingly, 51-6, with most of the Assembly’s 19 Republicans declining to cast a vote.

Former Assembly Republican Leader Chad Mayes of Rancho Mirage sponsored the resolution, characterizing it as an attempt to defend the U.S. Constitution after a mob of extremists supporting President Trump overwhelmed the U.S. Capitol last week in a riot that resulted in five deaths.

“I, like all of us watching last week, was horrified at what happened on the steps of our nation’s Capitol. People breaking in to the nation’s Capitol and people losing their lives,” Mayes said on the floor. “I think the real question is ... is that the end of something or the beginning of something? It is our responsibility to go on record, to go on note on which side we stand. Do we stand for the Constitution? Or do we stand for something else?”

The resolution called on the president to be removed either by his own resignation, Vice President Mike Pence invoking the 25th Amendment, or a Congressional impeachment.

Mayes left the Republican Party in December 2019, when he registered as an Independent. He has urged Republicans to leave the party, and previously participated in efforts with former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to promote bipartisan leadership for the state. Schwarzenegger was the last Republican to win a statewide election in California.

Assemblyman Mike Gipson, D-Carson, spoke in support of the resolution.

“This president needs to resign,” Gipson said. “This vice president needs to invoke the 25th Amendment and do the right thing. It is time for the country to heal now.”

Assemblyman Devon Mathis, R-Visalia, chided his colleagues for focusing on the actions of an outgoing president while the state continues to suffer under the burden of the pandemic.

“I find what happened at our national Capitol completely appalling. I agree with many of the things the author has said, but what I do not agree with is the fact that the 25th Amendment timeline is simply not there, no matter how many of us wish it was,” Mathis said.

“We have a lame duck president. We have people dying of COVID. We have areas of our state where families still can’t put food on their table. Instead, the first thing we do on the floor in California is throw a political punch at a lame duck.”

“I think that’s lame,” he said.

He was joined by Republican members Frank Bigelow, Megan Dahle, James Gallagher, Vince Fong, and Thurston Smith in voting against the measure.

This story was originally published January 11, 2021 at 2:56 PM.