{{short description|American politician|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2019}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Tyler Diep | image = 2024 Tyler Diep 2.jpg | caption = Official portrait, 2024 | alt = | state_assembly = California | district = 72nd | term_start = December 3, 2018 | term_end = November 30, 2020 | predecessor = Travis Allen | successor = Janet Nguyen | birth_place = Vietnam | death_date = | death_place = | party = Independent (2021–present)<br>Republican (until 2021) | spouse = | children = | alma_mater = San Diego State University (BA) | occupation = | profession = | signature = | website = | footnotes = }}
'''Tyler Diep''' is a Vietnamese-American politician currently serving on the Midway City Sanitary District Board of Directors. He previously served one term in the California State Assembly.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/california/Proposed-Bill-Would-Make-Selling-DMV-Appointment-Illegal-505191651.html|title=Proposed Bill Would Make Selling DMV Appointment Illegal|first=Kiki|last=Intarasuwan|publisher=KNSD}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> Formerly a Republican,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ocregister.com/tyler-diep-for-72nd-assembly-district|title=Tyler Diep for 72nd Assembly District|date=October 26, 2018|newspaper=Orange County Register|department=editorial}}</ref> he represented the 72nd Assembly District, which encompasses parts of northern coastal Orange County which includes the cities of Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, Westminster,<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.oc-breeze.com/2019/02/14/134861_umberg-daly-and-diep-urge-president-trump-to-halt-efforts-to-deport-vietnamese-refugees/|title=Umberg, Daly, and Diep urge President Trump to halt efforts to deport Vietnamese refugees|date=February 14, 2019}}</ref> Fountain Valley, Seal Beach, Los Alamitos, and the unincorporated areas of Midway City and Rossmoor.
== Political career == thumb|Diep in 2018 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 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 small business owner in Huntington Beach.{{Citation needed|date=February 2026}}
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.{{Citation needed|date=February 2026}}
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."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-jews-mailer-offensive-oc-20190704-story.html | first=Priscella |last=Vega |title=O.C. assemblyman apologizes to Jews over mailers many found offensive| date=July 4, 2019|newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>
In 2019, Diep introduced a bill, AB 317, to prohibit private companies from selling DMV appointments. It passed.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-02-01|title=Assemblymember Tyler Diep introduces bill to prohibit private companies from selling DMV appointments|url=http://www.oc-breeze.com/2019/02/01/134125_assemblymember-tyler-diep-introduces-bill-to-prohibit-private-companies-from-selling-dmv-appointments/|access-date=2020-07-22|website=Orange County Breeze|language=en-US}}</ref>
In the state Assembly, Diep compiled a moderate record and broke with his party on key issues.<ref>{{Cite web|last=LA Times|date=2020-01-23|title=Political Landscape: Assemblyman Tyler Diep loses O.C. Republican Party endorsement|url=https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/story/2020-01-23/political-landscape-assemblyman-tyler-diep-loses-o-c-republican-party-endorsement|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-07-22|website=Daily Pilot|language=en-US}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Mai-Duc|first=Christine|date=2020-03-02|title=Lyft and Uber Start Spending to Unseat California Legislators|language=en-US|work=The Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/lyft-and-uber-start-spending-to-unseat-california-legislators-11583161737|access-date=2020-07-22|issn=0099-9660}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mehta |first=Jonaki |date=November 2, 2022 |title=In some tight House races, Asian-American voters could determine the winner |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/11/02/1133667477/in-some-tight-house-races-asian-american-voters-could-determine-the-winner |url-status= |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=April 10, 2023 |website=NPR.org}}</ref>
==Personal life== Diep graduated with a degree in public administration from San Diego State University and currently resides in Westminster.
=== 2018 election results === {{Election box open primary begin no change | title = California's 72nd State Assembly district election, 2018 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | party = California Democratic Party | candidate = Josh Lowenthal | votes = 34462 | percentage = 36.8 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | party = California Republican Party | candidate = Tyler Diep | votes = 27825 | percentage = 29.7 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | party = California Republican Party | candidate = Greg Haskin | votes = 19199 | percentage = 20.5 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | party = California Republican Party | candidate = Long Pham | votes = 7692 | percentage = 8.2 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | party = California Republican Party | candidate = Richard Laird | votes = 4555 | percentage = 5.0 }} {{Election box total no change | votes = 93733 | 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 = Tyler Diep | votes = 83221 | percentage = 51.6 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | party = California Democratic Party | candidate = Josh Lowenthal | votes = 78080 | percentage = 48.4 }} {{Election box total no change | votes = 161301 | percentage = 100.0 }} {{Election box hold with party link no change | winner = California Republican Party }} {{Election box end}}
=== 2020 election ===
thumb|180px|2020 California's 72nd State Assembly district primary results by county supervisorial district {{collapsible list |title=Map legend |{{legend|#e9afaf|J. Nguyen—30–40%}} }}
{{Election box open primary begin no change | title = 2020 California's 72nd State Assembly district election }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | party = California Republican Party | candidate = Janet Nguyen | votes = 39,778 | percentage = 33.8 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | party = California Democratic Party | candidate = Diedre Nguyen | votes = 30,021 | percentage = 25.5 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | party = California Republican Party | candidate = Tyler Diep (incumbent) | votes = 29,186 | percentage = 24.8 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | party = California Democratic Party | candidate = Bijan Mohseni | votes = 18,668 | percentage = 15.9 }} {{Election box total no change | votes =117,163 | percentage =100.0 }} {{Election box end}}
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * {{Official website|https://ad72.asmrc.org/}} * [https://www.tylerdiep.com/ Campaign website] * [http://www.joincalifornia.com/candidate/14490 Join California Tyler Diep]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diep, Tyler}} Category:Asian-American state legislators in California Category:Republican Party members of the California State Assembly Category:California city council members Category:San Diego State University alumni Category:People from Westminster, California Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:Vietnamese emigrants to the United States Category:California politicians of Vietnamese descent Category:Asian conservatism in the United States Category:21st-century members of the California State Legislature