Shawn Steel

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Shawn Steel
Shawn Steel 2018.jpg
Republican National Committeeman
from California
Assumed office
2008
Preceded byTim Morgan
Chair of the California Republican Party
In office
February 25, 2001 – February 22, 2003
Preceded byJohn McGraw
Succeeded byDuf Sundheim
Personal details
Born1946 (age 74–75)
California, U.S.
Spouse(s)Michelle Steel
EducationCalifornia State University, Northridge (BA)
University of Southern California (MA)
Northrop University (JD)

Shawn Steel (born c. 1946) is an American politician serving as the Republican National Committee Member from California since 2008.[1] He was voted by his colleagues to the Executive Committee of the Republican National Committee in 2018. Steel served as Sergeant at Arm at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio in 2016.[2] In 2012, he served as Deputy Permanent Co-Chairmen of the Convention.[3] He was elected as Chairman of the California Republican Party from 2001–2003.[4] He is the husband of Congresswoman Michelle Park Steel, who has represented California's 48th congressional district since 2021.

As the California Republican Party Chairman, Steel was the co-founder of the successful recall of Governor Gray Davis in 2003.[4][5][6][7][8][9] Gov. Davis was recalled via a Recall Petition in which Steel was the first signatory of over 1,000,000 signatures.[4][5][6][7][9][8]

Steel is a frequent guest on CNN, Fox, and local Los Angeles media. He published over 50 articles in a variety of publications ranging from the Wall Street Journal, San Diego Union, Sacramento Bee, Orange County Register, and Washington Times.[10][11][12][13][14]

Steel is a trial attorney specializing in personal injury law and pioneered a specialty representing alternative health care providers, particularly chiropractors and acupuncturists.[15] He regularly teaches at Palmer West Chiropractic, Life Chiropractic College West and Southern California University of Health Sciences and frequent lecturer for doctors re-licensing credit through California. Shawn Steel Law Firm, is located in Seal Beach, California.

Early life[]

Steel graduated from Van Nuys High School growing up in the San Fernando Valley. Steel's lifetime of conservative political activism began as a leader in the San Fernando Valley Youth for Goldwater (YFG). YFG was a youth group supporting Barry M. Goldwater of Arizona for the U.S. presidency. After the Goldwater defeat, he helped form numerous chapters of Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) in the Los Angeles region. Steel was statewide Chairman of Youth for Reagan for high school students. Steel became state Chairman of California of YAF.

Education[]

Steel received his Bachelor of Arts degree, with California state teaching credentials, from California State University, Northridge, his Master of Arts from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and his Juris Doctor from Northrop University in Inglewood, California.

California Republican Party[]

As California Republican Party Chairman, Steel was a co-founder of the Recall Davis movement. Along with Ted Costa, of Peoples Advocate, they were responsible for organizing the recall campaign against Governor Davis. The success of the recall resulted in Arnold Schwarzenegger's election as governor.

Steel was criticized by senior California Republican leaders as well as national leaders. Corporate raider Gerry Parsky, and President George W. Bush's unofficial representative in California questioned the strategy of recalling Gray Davis. Some party leaders objected to Steel's efforts to unseat Davis, fearing it was too risky. Steel at the CRP convention in February 2003 convinced an overwhelming majority to endorse the Recall, thus turning the tide for the recall campaign.[9]

Career highlights[]

  • 2017 – Elected by Western States RNC Member to the RNC Executive Committee
  • 2008 – Elected as RNC California Committeeman
  • 2003 – Cofounded the successful recall campaign against then-incumbent Democratic Governor Gray Davis
  • 2001–2003 – Chairman of the California Republican Party

Public service[]

Steel teaches Ethics and Jurisprudence at Cleveland University-Kansas City in Los Angeles. He also is a regular lecturer at Palmer College of Chiropractic in San Jose and Southern California University of Health Services in Whittier. He was appointed by Republican Governor Pete Wilson to the California State Acupuncture Board.[16] He was appointed in 1993 and served until 2000.[17] Steel was elected by his peers as Chairman of the Acupuncture Board for two one-year terms.[18]

Private practice[]

Steel's personal injury practice, Shawn Steel Law Firm, is based in Seal Beach, California.[15]

Steel is known for having broken significant legal ground by representing family members of the notorious Jonestown massacre in Guyana in his early practice.[19][20] More recently he has filed lawsuits against University of California, Berkeley seeking to protect First Amendment Freedom of Speech rights.[21][22]

Chinese influence[]

In June 2020, Steel was linked by the Wall Street Journal to an effort by Chinese nationalists to influence the Trump administration. In May 2017, Steel held a gathering of GOP leaders to discuss campaign strategies and other issues. The meeting reportedly included Chinese nationals working closely with China’s national-security apparatus, and Chinese military representatives. After the news was reported, the Republican National Committee said it had instructed Mr. Steel to break ties with the people identified in the reports.[23] Upon review, the Republican National Committee indicated that all activities were legally compliant with campaign-finance laws. In the article, Mr. Steel stated that it would be “false, defamatory, and offensive” to say he aided any Chinese efforts. In fact, Mr. Steel, a Republican national committeeman from California, found the article to be fictitious and false based on his anti-communism advocacy. In several published articles, Mr. Steel criticized and confronted the Chinese Communist Party for human rights violations such as organ harvesting, ethnic minority oppression, and torture.[24][25][26] He even went on to criticize how the Chinese Communist Party handled the coronavirus, pointing out that "China's ruthless Communist government quashes all dissenting opinions..."[27]

Personal life[]

Steel's wife is Congresswoman Michelle Park Steel, who has represented California's 48th congressional district since 2021. Prior to entering Congress, she served as an elected member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors from 2015–2021. She was first elected in 2006 as a member of the California Board of Equalization, serving there from 2007–2015.[28] They have two children, Cheyenne Park Steel Klotz and Siobhan Cheong Steel.

References[]

  1. ^ "National Committeeman Shawn Steel". GOP. Retrieved 2019-09-26.
  2. ^ "RNC Announces Sergeant-at-Arms For Republican National Convention". GOP. 2016-07-06. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
  3. ^ "Recommended Officers for the Republican National Convention". GOP. 2012-08-22. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
  4. ^ a b c Mathews, Joe (2006). The People's Machine: Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Rise of Blockbuster Democracy. United States of America: PublicAffairs. pp. xiii, 110, 115. ISBN 9781586482725.
  5. ^ a b Laffer, Arthur; Moore, Stephen; Tanous, Peter (2008). The End of Prosperity: How Higher Taxes Will Doom the Economy--If We Let It Happen. New York: Threshold Editions, A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. p. 164. ISBN 9781416592389.
  6. ^ a b Cashill, Jack (2007). What's the Matter with California?: Cultural Rumbles from the Golden State and Why the Rest of Us Should Be Shaking. New York: Threshold Editions, A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. p. 100. ISBN 9781416531036.
  7. ^ a b Gerston, Larry; Christensen, Terry (2015). Recall!: California's Political Earthquake: California's Political Earthquake. London & New York: Routledge. p. 56. ISBN 9780765614575.
  8. ^ a b Bradley, Bill (2003-02-13). "Taking Down Gray". LA Weekly. Retrieved 2019-09-26.
  9. ^ a b c "GOP Hope: Dump Davis". Los Angeles Times. 2003-02-18. Retrieved 2019-09-26.
  10. ^ "Utility monopoly demands more corporate welfare". Orange County Register. 2018-08-06. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
  11. ^ Register, Shawn Steel | Orange County (2019-03-15). "Conservative lawyers steal page from progressive playbook". Orange County Register. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
  12. ^ "Shawn Steel makes the "Notable & Quotable" Section of the WSJ! | FlashReport". www.flashreport.org. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
  13. ^ "Shawn Steel Archives". Ethan Bearman's Blog. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
  14. ^ SCOTUS says Muslim travel ban is legal, sidesteps religious animus question | Omar Noureldin on CNN, retrieved 2019-10-17
  15. ^ a b "Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyers & Accident Attorneys | Shawn Steel Law Firm". www.shawnsteel.com. Retrieved 2019-09-26.
  16. ^ California. Legislature. Senate (1997). Journal of the Senate, Legislature of the State of California, 1997-98 Regular Session. Sacramento: California State Printing Office. p. 3979.
  17. ^ California Legislature (1993). Journals of the Legislature of the State of California, Volume 1, Issue 2. Sacramento: California State Printing Office. p. 3556.
  18. ^ California. Dept. of Consumer Affairs (1995). Annual Report - The Consumer. Sacramento: California. Dept. of Consumer Affairs. p. 17.
  19. ^ "Order Assuming Jurisdiction of Winding Up of Peoples Temple (Text) – Alternative Considerations of Jonestown & Peoples Temple". Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  20. ^ User, Super. "Chiropractic PI Attorneys; Personal Injury Accident Lawyers | Shawn Steel Law Firm". www.shawnsteel.com. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
  21. ^ Staff, Matthew Lo | (2018-01-17). "Lawyers say suit against UC Berkeley targets lack of intellectual diversity". The Daily Californian. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
  22. ^ "Milo Yiannopoulos Ticket Holders Sue Over Injuries Sustained During UC Berkeley Riot". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
  23. ^ "Political Donors Linked to China Won Access to Trump, GOP". Wall Street Journal. 2020-06-23. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
  24. ^ "Undercover video reveals brutal treatment of Falun Gong prisoners inside Chinese labor camps". FOX 11 Los Angeles. 2019-05-24. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
  25. ^ "Republican National Committee Passes Resolution Against Forced Organ Harvesting in China". en.minghui.org. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
  26. ^ "Republican National Committee unanimously rejects forced harvesting of organs in China | The BL". Retrieved 2021-04-07.
  27. ^ "Coronavirus & Communist China, by Shawn Steel". myemail.constantcontact.com. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
  28. ^ "Orange County, California - Biography". www.ocgov.com. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
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