Matthew Harper
59th Mayor ofHuntington Beach, California
In office 2013–2014
Preceded by	Donald F. Hansen
Succeeded by	Jill Hardy
Member of theCalifornia State Assembly from the74th district
In office December 1, 2014 – November 30, 2018
Preceded by	Allan Mansoor
Succeeded by	Cottie Petrie-Norris
Personal details
Born	Matthew Martin Harper[1] (1974-06-27)June 27, 1974 (age 51) Long Beach, California, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Elizabeth Byrne (m. 2014)
Residence	Huntington Beach, California
Alma mater	University of Southern California
Occupation	Real estate broker, politician

Matthew Harper (June 27, 1974) served as the 59thMayor ofHuntington Beach, California (2013-2014). Harper was elected to three terms to theHuntington Beach Union High School District Board of Trustees (1998-2010), one term to the Huntington Beach City Council (2010-2014) and two terms to theCalifornia State Assembly (2014-2018).^[2]

Harper was born inLong Beach, California, and lived briefly in Colorado, but grew up inWestminster and Huntington Beach.^[3] He is a graduate ofHuntington Beach High School.

Harper attendedOrange Coast College inCosta Mesa, California. Harper earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Policy and Management fromUSC inLos Angeles,California.^[4]

Harper was first elected to theHuntington Beach Union High School District (HBUHSD) in 1998,^[5] re-elected with the most votes in 2002,^[6] and named to an uncontested third term in 2006. There are five governing board members, or trustees, that are each elected at-large by HBUHSD voters. The HBUHSD serves the secondary education needs of the Orange County communities of Huntington Beach, most of Westminster, most of Fountain Valley, a portion of Garden Grove and all of unincorporated Midway City. Four separate feeder elementary school districts serve the primary education needs of the territory served by the HBUHSD. High schools in the district include:Huntington Beach High School,Westminster High School,Marina High School,Fountain Valley High School,Edison High School,Ocean View High School, Valley Vista High School, Coast High School, Community Day School, and Huntington Beach Adult School.

After completing his third term on the HBUHSD Board of Trustees, on November 2, 2010, Harper was elected to become a member of city council for Huntington Beach, California.^[7] Harper's campaign platform included public safety, infrastructure, economic development, administrative and fiscal accountability, property rights, personal freedom and opposition to higher taxes.^[8] In 2012, Harper was chosen by the mayors of the Second District to the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) Board of Directors.^[9]

In 2013, Harper became the 59th Mayor ofHuntington Beach, California, until 2014.^[4][10]

As Mayor, Harper worked to complete the Vans Skate Park,^[11] broke ground on a new senior center,^[12] and sought to repeal several laws, including the 1987 ban on state-approved fireworks. In his four years on the Huntington Beach City Council, Harper "built a reputation as conservative, pro-business and unafraid.^[13]"

Matthew Harper subsequently served as member of theCalifornia State Assembly forDistrict 74, encompassing the coastalOrange County communities ofHuntington Beach,Costa Mesa,Newport Beach,Irvine,Laguna Woods, andLaguna Beach for two terms.

From 2007–2011, Harper served as a policy advisor and deputy chief of staff to then-Orange County SupervisorJanet Nguyen. In 2011, Harper served as an appointee to the five-member Orange County Redistricting Committee.^[14]

For two years, Harper was the elected Chairman for the Young Republican Federation of California (YRFC) and served on their state board for over ten years. Locally, Harper has been elected to several terms to the Orange County Republican Party Central Committee.^[15] Harper has served on the executive committee for the OCGOP. Statewide, Harper served as the elected Associate Representative to the California Republican Party. As Associate Representative, Harper was an ex-officio member of the state platform committee. In 2014, he was elected to theCalifornia State Assembly, defeatingNewport Beach Mayor Keith Curry, a fellow Republican. He served two terms and was defeated in the 2018 General election by DemocratCottie Petrie-Norris.

Matthew Harper continues as a delegate to the California Republican Party.^[16]

In 2020, Harper was a candidate for Huntington Beach city council and lost, placing 7th out of 15 candidates.^[17]

In 2022, Harper was a candidate for theCalifornia Board of Equalization and lost, placing 4th out of 7 candidates in the top two primary.^[18] In the 2022 General election, Harper was a candidate for theHuntington Beach Union High School District school board and lost, placing 4th out of 8 candidates.^[19]

In 2014, Harper married Elizabeth Byrne. Harper and his family live inHuntington Beach, California.^[4][10]

• Republican Party members of the California State Assembly
• Living people
• Mayors of Huntington Beach, California
• USC Sol Price School of Public Policy alumni
• 1974 births
• Huntington Beach High School alumni
• 21st-century members of the California State Legislature

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from November 2023