Jay Obernolte | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2025 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Paul Cook |
| Constituency | 8th district (2021–2023) 23rd district (2023–present) |
| Member of theCalifornia State Assembly from the33rd district | |
| In office December 1, 2014 – November 30, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Tim Donnelly |
| Succeeded by | Thurston Smith |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jay Phillip Obernolte (1970-08-18)August 18, 1970 (age 55) |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | |
| Signature |  |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
Jay Phillip Obernolte (/ˈoʊbərˌnoʊlti/OH-bər-NOHL-tee; born August 18, 1970) is an American politician and businessman serving as the U.S. representative forCalifornia's 23rd district since 2021, when it was numbered as the 8th district. ARepublican, he was previously a member of theCalifornia State Assembly representing the33rd district. Before serving in the Assembly, Obernolte served on the city council and was the mayor ofBig Bear Lake, California. He is the owner, president, and technical director of FarSight Studios, an Americanvideo game developer.
Obernolte is the only Republican to represent a district with area inLos Angeles County.
Obernolte was born inChicago,Illinois, and raised inFresno, California.[1][2] He graduated as valedictorian ofEdison/Computech High School in 1988. In 1992, he obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in engineering and applied science from theCalifornia Institute of Technology and in 1997, he received his Master of Science inartificial intelligence from theUniversity of California, Los Angeles.[3] In 2020, he was awarded aDoctorate in Public Administration from theCalifornia Baptist University with a dissertation on "Managing Budgetary Conflict Between the Executive and Legislative Branches of Government".[4]
In 1990, Obernolte launched FarSight Studios, an independent developer and publisher offamily-friendlyvideo games. The company originally produced games for theNintendo Entertainment System, and as of 2023 develops forPlayStation 4,Xbox One,Nintendo Switch,Oculus,Windows,macOS,iOS andAndroid.[5] Notable games the studio has developed includeScarface: Money. Power. Respect.,Color a Dinosaur,Game Party,Hotel for Dogs,The Pinball Arcade, and theSega Genesis version ofAction 52.[6][3][7] FarSight Studios claimsSony,Microsoft,Google, and Apple among its clients and employs 25 workers.[8]
In 2005, Obernolte was elected to theBig Bear City Airport Board, where he served for five years. He then served as president of the board for three years and as vice president for one year.[3][9][10]
In 2010, Obernolte was elected to Big Bear City Council, where he served as mayor.[3] He also served on the Big Bear Lake Fire Protection Board, as director of the Mojave Desert and on the Mountain Integrated Waste JPA Board, the Mountain Area Regional Transit Authority Board, and the League of California Cities Desert-Mountain Division.[8][11]
Obernolte served as state assemblyman forCalifornia's 33rd State Assembly district, which encompasses a wide expanse of theHigh Desert (areas of theMojave Desert), from the eastern fringes of theLos Angeles metropolitan area to theNevada andArizona borders, from 2014 to 2020. He was elected to Congress in 2020 to replace retiringPaul Cook as representative forCalifornia's 8th congressional district, which includesMono County,Inyo County, and the majority of land mass inSan Bernardino County.
In January 2016, Obernolte was elected to serve on the California Legislative Technology and Innovation Caucus, which is co-chaired by Assembly membersIan Calderon andEvan Low.[12] He also sat on the following committees: Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, and Internet Media as vice chair; Budget as vice chair; Appropriations; Budget Subcommittee 6 on Budget Process, Oversight and Program Evaluation; Budget Subcommittee 6 on Budget Process, Oversight and Program Evaluation; Utilities and Commerce; Joint Committee on Arts; and Joint Legislative Budget.[13][14]
In 2016, Obernolte expressed concern overFrontier Communications's acquisition ofVerizon's voice, video, data, and FiOS network, saying that the takeover "negatively affected" his constituents through poor landline telephone service.[15]
In 2016, Obernolte introduced Assembly Bill 2341, which would provide San Bernardino and other rural counties with additional judges to resolve backlogged court systems.[16] The bill would have shifted seats from Santa Clara and Alameda counties to the rural counties including San Bernardino, but died in the Senate Appropriations Committee without a hearing.[17][18]
In 2017, Obernolte opposedXavier Becerra's nomination asCalifornia Attorney General.[19]
Obernolte said that GovernorJerry Brown's $179.45 billion budget proposal was "responsible", but expressed a preference for fixing existing programs over creating new ones. He also stated an interest in funding job skills training, improving the state'sDenti-Cal program, repairing infrastructure, and working on the housing crisis. Obernolte pushed for lawmakers to limit long-term funding commitments and said the budget proposal did nothing to address the "state's out-of-control pension debts and retiree health care liabilities."[20]
Obernolte co-authored Assembly Bill 1103, which would have allowed California bicyclists to roll through stop signs if it was safe to do so (the "Idaho stop").[21][22] The bill died in committee.[23]
Obernolte authored Assembly Bill 1642, which would extend the deadlines to either pay the fire tax, which is a state fire prevention fee, or file a petition for redetermination from 30 days to 60 days.[24] In July 2017, the fire fee was suspended as part of Assembly Bill 398.[25] Obernolte opposed raisingfire insurance costs, which is calculated by factors in the risk of wildfire, fuels, slope and road access for emergency vehicles.[26]
Obernolte opposed increases in the minimum wage.[27]
In September 2019, afterPaul Cook announced his retirement fromCalifornia's 8th congressional district, Obernolte announced his candidacy.[28][29][30][31] The district covers most of theHigh Desert ofSan Bernardino County andMono andInyo counties.[32]
In February 2020, PresidentDonald Trump endorsed Obernolte onTwitter.[33][34][31]
In the November 2020 election, Obernolte defeated Democratic nominee Chris Bubser[32] with 56.1% of the vote to Bubser's 43.9%.[35] Obernolte was sworn in to Congress on January 3, 2021, and appointed Freshman Class Representative to the House Republican Policy Committee.[36]
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Jay Obernolte | 50,677 | 35.0 | |
| Democratic | Christine Bubser | 41,595 | 28.7 | |
| Republican | Tim Donnelly | 30,079 | 20.7 | |
| Democratic | Bob Conaway | 9,053 | 6.2 | |
| No party preference | Jeff Esmus | 4,042 | 2.8 | |
| Democratic | James Ellars | 3,948 | 2.7 | |
| Republican | Jeremy Staat | 2,288 | 1.6 | |
| Republican | Jerry Laws | 2,010 | 1.4 | |
| Republican | Justin David Whitehead | 1,305 | 0.9 | |
| No party preference | J. Green (write-in) | 11 | 0.0 | |
| Total votes | 145,008 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Republican | Jay Obernolte | 158,711 | 56.1 | |
| Democratic | Christine Bubser | 124,400 | 43.9 | |
| Total votes | 283,111 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
On January 6, 2021, Obernolte votednot to count Arizona's and Pennsylvania's electoral votes in the2020 United States presidential election, citing unilateral changes to election law made in those states by the judiciary or executive branch rather than the state legislature.[39][40][41] He also voted againstimpeaching Trump for inciting his supporters toattack the Capitol on January 6.[42] Obernolte voted against the creation of theJanuary 6 commission.[43]
Obernolte's first pieces of legislation to pass the House concerned the enabling of technological advancement.[44] His Fellowship and Traineeship for Early Career AI Researchers Act and Next Generation Computing Research and Development Act were included in the bipartisan H.R. 2225, the National Science Foundation (NSF) For the Future Act,[45] and H.R. 3593, the Department of Energy Science for the Future Act[46] respectively. His first standalone legislation, H.R. 3533, passed the House in September 2021. It establishes occupational series for federal positions in software development, software engineering, data science, and data management.[47]
In February 2021, Obernolte voted against the resolution that strippedMarjorie Taylor Greene of her committee assignments[48] for her incendiary and violent statements.[49] In November 2021, he voted against censuring RepresentativePaul Gosar, who posted an edited video of himself violently attacking RepresentativeAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez andPresident Biden.[50]
In March 2021, he voted against theAmerican Rescue Plan Act.[51][52]
In June 2021, Obernolte voted to repeal theAuthorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002.[51]
As of October 2021, Obernolte had voted in line withJoe Biden's stated position 20% of the time.[51]
Along withTed Lieu, Obernolte began chairing a bipartisan taskforce onartificial intelligence in 2024.[53][54]
In 2025, Obernolte praisedElon Musk, amid the attempts of his "Department of Government Efficiency" to fire a substantial part of the federal workforce, for “looking at all of the waste" in the federal government.[55]
For the118th Congress:[56]
Obernolte supported theoverturning ofRoe v. Wade and believes that because the Constitution does not mention abortion explicitly, states may outlaw it.[60]
On July 19, 2022, Obernolte and 46 other Republican representatives voted for theRespect for Marriage Act, which would codify the right to same-sex marriage in federal law.[61] He said, "As an ardent advocate for limited government, I do not feel that government should be empowered to dictate the terms of a marriage."[62]
In 2022, Obernolte was one of 39 Republicans to vote for the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022, an antitrust package that would crack down on corporations for anti-competitive behavior.[63][64]
In 2023, Obernolte was among 47 Republicans to vote in favor of H.Con.Res. 21, which directed PresidentJoe Biden to remove U.S. troops fromSyria within 180 days.[65][66]
On February 10, 2014, Obernolte announced his candidacy for theCalifornia State Assembly to succeedTim Donnelly in the 33rd district.
Obernolte was endorsed by theCalifornia Republican Party,[67] theSan Bernardino County Republican party, the California Republican Assembly,[68][69]The Press-Enterprise,[70] theHoward Jarvis Taxpayers Association,[71] Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC),[72] San Bernardino County Safety Employee's Benefit Association (SEBA),[73] the California Conservative Christians,[74] and the Independent Voter Political Action Committee.[75]
In the June primary, Obernolte finished second with 18.89% of the vote with 7,887 votes. He defeated Democrat John Coffey in the November general election with 65.9% of the vote.[76]
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | John Coffey | 9,865 | 23.1 | |
| Republican | Jay Obernolte | 8,028 | 18.8 | |
| Republican | Michelle Ambrozic | 7,566 | 17.7 | |
| Republican | Rick Roelle | 6,574 | 15.4 | |
| Republican | Art Bishop | 5,956 | 14.0 | |
| Republican | Brett Savage | 1,811 | 4.2 | |
| Republican | Scott Markovich | 975 | 2.3 | |
| Republican | Jerry J. Laws | 814 | 1.9 | |
| Republican | Robert J. "Bob" Burhle | 802 | 1.9 | |
| Republican | Robert Larivee | 299 | 0.7 | |
| Total votes | 45,690 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Republican | Jay Obernolte | 46,144 | 65.9 | |
| Democratic | John Coffey | 23,828 | 34.1 | |
| Total votes | 69,972 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
On January 25, 2016, Obernolte announced he would seek reelection as the representative for California's 33rd Assembly District.[77][78]
In the June primary, Obernolte finished first with 60.7% of the vote with 43,526 votes. He defeated Democrat Scott Markovich in the November general election with 60.6% of the vote.
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Jay Obernolte (incumbent) | 43,526 | 60.7 | |
| Democratic | Scott Markovich | 28,220 | 39.3 | |
| Total votes | 71,746 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Republican | Jay Obernolte (incumbent) | 84,000 | 60.6 | |
| Democratic | Scott Markovich | 56,086 | 39.4 | |
| Total votes | 140,086 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Jay Obernolte (incumbent) | 43,100 | 65.8 | |
| Democratic | Socorro Cisneros | 12,566 | 19.2 | |
| Democratic | Scott Markovich | 9,854 | 15.0 | |
| Total votes | 65,520 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Republican | Jay Obernolte (incumbent) | 72,109 | 60.2 | |
| Democratic | Socorro Cisneros | 47,603 | 39.8 | |
| Total votes | 119,712 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Jay Obernolte (incumbent) | 57,988 | 60.9 | |
| Democratic | Derek Marshall | 20,776 | 21.8 | |
| Democratic | Bianca A. Gómez | 16,516 | 17.3 | |
| Total votes | 95,280 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Republican | Jay Obernolte (incumbent) | 102,733 | 61.0% | |
| Democratic | Derek Marshall | 65,655 | 39.0% | |
| Total votes | 168,388 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Jay Obernolte (incumbent) | 70,208 | 63.4 | |
| Democratic | Derek Marshall | 40,477 | 36.6 | |
| Total votes | 110,685 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Republican | Jay Obernolte (incumbent) | 159,286 | 60.1 | |
| Democratic | Derek Marshall | 105,563 | 39.9 | |
| Total votes | 264,849 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
Obernolte married his wife, Heather, in 1996, and they have two sons.[81][82] The family has lived in Big Bear Lake since 1997.[3]
Obernolte holds an airline transport pilot's license. He is a certified flight instructor and has flown light aircraft since 2005. He worked withEmbraer as a member on its Pilot Advisory Board during the development of thePhenom 300.[83][84][85][86] Obernolte volunteers as a pilot with theVeterans Airlift Command and theYoung Eagles.[3][87]
Obernolte holds a fifth-degreeblack belt in Pacific Unified Martial Arts and is co-owner and instructor at PUMA Karate in Big Bear Lake.[3][88][self-published source]
Obernolte isProtestant.[89]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia's 8th congressional district 2021–2023 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia's 23rd congressional district 2023–present | Incumbent |
| New office | Chair of the House Artificial Intelligence Task Force 2024–2025 | Position abolished |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 273rd | Succeeded by |
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