Randy Voepel
{{Short description|American politician (born 1950)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Randy Voepel
| image = Randy Voepel.jpg
| alt = Randy Voepel
| state_assembly = California
| district = 71st
| term_start = December 5, 2016
| term_end = December 6, 2022
| predecessor = Brian Jones
| successor = Kate Sanchez
| office1 = Mayor of Santee, California
| term_start1 = 2000
| term_end1 = 2016
| predecessor1 = Jack E. Dale
| successor1 = John Minto
| office2 = Member of the Santee City Council
| term_start2 = 1996
| term_end2 = 2000
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1950|09|21}}
| birth_place = Saint Charles, Missouri, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = Republican
| residence = Santee, California, U.S.
| spouse =
| children = 2, including Laura
| alma_mater =
| allegiance = {{flag|United States}}
| branch = {{flag|United States Navy}}
| serviceyears =
| battles = Vietnam War
| website =
}}
Randy Greg Voepel (born September 21, 1950) is an American politician. He served in the city government of Santee, California, and in the California State Assembly from the 71st district. He was the vice-chair of the Veterans Affairs, Aging & Long-Term Care, and Public Employment & Retirement committees and a member of the Insurance, Local Government, and Joint Legislative Audit committees. Voepel lost his reelection bid in the 2022 California State Assembly election, with his term ending on December 6, 2022.
Early life
On September 21, 1950, Voepel was born in Saint Charles, Missouri.{{cite web |title=Joint Handbook 2019-20 |url=https://www.senate.ca.gov/sites/senate.ca.gov/files/joint_handbook_2019-20_ada.pdf |website=senate.ca.gov |publisher=Senate of California |pages=261–262}} In August 1969, Voepel enlisted in the United States Navy. During the Vietnam War, Voepel served on the USS Buchanan, a guided-missile destroyer. Voepel received the Combat Action Ribbon and military awards.{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/false-allegations-of-stolen-valor-raised-against-assemblyman-randy-voepel/45182/ |title=False Allegations of Stolen Valor Raised Against Assemblyman Randy Voepel |website=nbcsandiego.com |first=JW |last=August |date=April 16, 2018 |access-date=December 11, 2018}}{{cite web |url=https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4438924-PENTAGON-Voepel-Randy-Greg.html |title=Biographical Data - Randy Greg Voepel |website=documentcloud.org |access-date=December 11, 2019}}
Career
In 1996, Voepel became a member of the Santee City Council. In 2000, Voepel became the Mayor of Santee until 2016.{{cite web |url=https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/70784/randy-voepel |title=Randy Voepel's Biography |publisher=Vote Smart |access-date=December 10, 2019}}
On November 8, 2016, Voepel won the election and became a Republican member of California State Assembly for District 71, encompassing most of inland San Diego County and part of Riverside County.
In 2022, redistricting would have placed him into a new district with another member of the state Assembly, Marie Waldron, but Voepel lost by a wide margin.{{Cite web |last=Rendon-Alvarez |first=Karla |date=2022-11-08 |title=Here Are the Election Results for San Diego County's California Assembly Races |url=https://www.nbcsandiego.com/decision-2022/here-are-the-election-results-for-san-diego-countys-california-assembly-races/3086689/ |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=NBC 7 San Diego |language=en-US}}
=Comments on January 6th=
Following the January 6 United States Capitol attack, Voepel said, "This is Lexington and Concord. First shots fired against tyranny. Tyranny will follow in the aftermath of the Biden swear-in on January 20th."{{cite news|url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/politics/story/2021-01-09/capitol-siege-san-diego-roots|title=The Capitol siege was far from San Diego. Its fringe ideologies were right at home|last=Davis|first=Kristina|date=January 9, 2021|work=San Diego Union Tribune|access-date=11 January 2021}}
Electoral history
= 2020 California State Assembly =
{{Election box open primary begin no change
| title = California's 71st State Assembly district election, 2020{{cite web|url=https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2020-primary/sov/complete-sov.pdf|title=Statement of Vote. Presidential Primary Election March 3, 2020|website=ca.gov|access-date=16 May 2023}}{{cite web | url=https://electionresults.sos.ca.gov/returns/state-assembly/district/71 | title=Elections and Voter Information: California Secretary of State }}
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = California Republican Party
| candidate = Randy Voepel (incumbent)
| votes = 77069
| percentage = 61.1
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = California Democratic Party
| candidate = Liz "Elizabeth" Lavertu
| votes = 49073
| percentage = 38.9
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 126142
| percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box open primary general election no change}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
| party = California Republican Party
| candidate = Randy Voepel (incumbent)
| votes = 136,156
| percentage = 59.6
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = California Democratic Party
| candidate = Liz "Elizabeth" Lavertu
| votes = 92,385
| percentage = 40.4
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 228,541
| percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box end}}
= 2018 California State Assembly =
{{see also|California State Assembly election, 2018}}
{{Election box open primary begin no change
| title = California's 71st State Assembly district election, 2018
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = California Republican Party
| candidate = Randy Voepel (incumbent)
| votes = 41561
| percentage = 43.6
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = California Democratic Party
| candidate = James Elia
| votes = 30672
| percentage = 32.2
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = California Republican Party
| candidate = Larry A. Wilske
| votes = 23106
| percentage = 24.2
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 95339
| percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box open primary general election no change}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
| party = California Republican Party
| candidate = Randy Voepel (incumbent)
| votes = 100386
| percentage = 60.6
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = California Democratic Party
| candidate = James Elia
| votes = 65194
| percentage = 39.4
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 165580
| percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box hold with party link no change
| winner = California Republican Party
}}
{{Election box end}}
= 2016 California State Assembly =
{{see also|California State Assembly election, 2016}}
{{Election box open primary begin no change
| title = California's 71st State Assembly district election, 2016
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = California Republican Party
| candidate = Randy Voepel
| votes = 51,857
| percentage = 59.9
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = California Republican Party
| candidate = Leo Hamel
| votes = 23,990
| percentage = 27.7
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = California Republican Party
| candidate = Tony Teora
| votes = 10,770
| percentage = 12.4
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 86,617
| percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box open primary general election no change}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
| party = California Republican Party
| candidate = Randy Voepel
| votes = 108,049
| percentage = 65.8
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = California Republican Party
| candidate = Leo Hamel
| votes = 56,184
| percentage = 34.2
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 164,233
| percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box hold with party link no change
| winner = California Republican Party
}}
{{Election box end}}
Awards
Personal life
Voepel was formerly married to Pamela Palmer.{{cite web | url=https://heavy.com/news/randy-voepel/ | title=Randy Voepel: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | date=November 20, 2022 }} He is now married to Susan. He has two adult children. His grandson perpetrated the 2022 Colorado Springs nightclub shooting.{{Cite web |last=Earnest |first=Malik |date=November 20, 2022 |title=Report: Accused Colorado Springs shooter is grandson of California Assemblyman Randy Voepel, former Santee Mayor |url=https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/national/report-accused-colorado-springs-shooter-is-grandson-of-california-assemblyman-randy-voepel/509-8ff71925-2d7a-40b5-8acb-d021a7b35b38 |access-date=2022-11-21 |website=cbs8.com {{!}} Associated Press |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Gazette |first=Brooke Nevins and Carol McKinley The |title=Anderson Lee Aldrich, Colorado Springs mass shooting suspect, may have had earlier run-ins with police |url=https://gazette.com/news/crime/anderson-lee-aldrich-colorado-springs-mass-shooting-suspect-may-have-had-earlier-run-ins-with/article_5b7f1478-68f5-11ed-ac02-d730cef006ab.html |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=Colorado Springs Gazette |date=November 20, 2022 |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Levine |first=Sam |date=2022-11-20 |title=At least five people killed in shooting at gay nightclub in Colorado Springs |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/nov/20/people-killed-shooting-at-colorado-springs-nightclub |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=the Guardian |language=en}} His former son-in-law was Aaron Brink, a mixed martial arts fighter and pornographic film actor.{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/22/us/colorado-suspect-background-aldrich-invs|title=Details are coming to light about the alleged gunman who killed five people at an LGBTQ nightclub|last1=de Puy Kamp|first1=Majlie|last2=Devine|first2=Curt|last3=Glover|first3=Scott|publisher=CNN|quote=Aldrich was born in May of 2000 under the name Nicholas Brink, and is the son of Laura Voepel and Aaron Brink, who married in 1999. Voepel, the daughter of California Assemblyman Randy Voepel, was granted sole legal and physical custody of her son in 2007.|date=November 23, 2022|accessdate=November 23, 2022}} Voepel and his wife live in Santee, California.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Portal|California|Conservatism|Missouri}}
- {{Official website|https://ad71.asmrc.org/}}
- [http://www.randyvoepel.org/ Campaign website]
- [https://ballotpedia.org/Randy_Voepel Randy Voepel at ballotpedia.org]
- [https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4438924-PENTAGON-Voepel-Randy-Greg.html Randy Greg Voepel's Pentagon record at documentcloud.org]
- [https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4438927-USS-Buchannan-Deck-Log-17-APR-1972.html USS Buchannan Deck Log]
- [http://www.joincalifornia.com/candidate/14385 Join California Randy Voepel]
{{California State Assembly}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Voepel, Randy}}
Category:20th-century California politicians
Category:United States Navy personnel of the Vietnam War
Category:California city council members
Category:California Republicans
Category:Mayors of places in California
Category:Republican Party members of the California State Assembly
Category:People from Santee, California
Category:People from St. Charles, Missouri
Category:21st-century members of the California State Legislature