Travis Allen

Allen opposes the proposed Medicare expansion and mandatory vaccinations for children under SB 277. He has stated opposition to single-payer healthcare noting its high cost and crippling effect on the state budget. Allen's solution includes introducing competition into the California healthcare market, “The solution is to open our markets to companies across the United States to compete for Californians’ business.” He also noted the need to increase the allowances on Health Savings Accounts.

Allen sponsored a proposed 2018 ballot initiative to repeal Senate Bill 1, legislation enacted by the Democratic-controlled legislature which increased the state gas tax by 12 cents a gallon and the diesel tax by 20 cents, and “as much as $175 more in annual car registration fees.” [5] Although this initiative did not qualify for the ballot, another initiative to repeal the gas tax increase and to require voter approval of future gas and vehicle taxes did qualify for the ballot as Proposition 6.

Allen continued his opposition to SB 54 and, as he called it, the "illegal sanctuary state" on January 2, 2018 when he appeared on the Fox News show, Tucker Carlson Tonight where he invited President Donald Trump and United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions to sue Sacramento over the new "Sanctuary State" law. He would appear several more times on Fox News and other networks repeating this invitation throughout 2018.

Allen made this a cornerstone of his failed 2018 campaign for California Governor, vowing "to reverse the illegal sanctuary state in [his] first 100 days in office."

Allen unsuccessfully ran for Governor of California in the 2018 election. He announced his candidacy in June 2017. Incumbent Jerry Brown was unable to run at the end of his term due to term limits.

On May 1, 2018, Allen spoke at a California Republican primary forum in Atascadero, California. Allen delivered his opening speech, stating that he wants to undo recent voter-enacted soft on crime laws and promised to "get rid of the state-mandated Common Core [educational curriculum]."

During his campaigning for California governor and subsequently, Allen has repeatedly made many disputed statements to the public and media. He has been criticized by pundits and fact-checking sites for these claims. He has made claims on the Oroville Dam regarding water capturing measures he wants to implement if elected, about high crime rates in California, and about the so-called "sanctuary laws" in California. In 2018, Allen made the claim that a new bill in California would "literally" "ban the sale of the Bible", a claim he has repeated despite having been fact-checked by several media outlets. He has also made the claim multiple times that California legalized child prostitution.

After losing in the primary elections, Allen refused to endorse his Republican rival John Cox, but eventually decided to do so in July 2018. He also said that he wants his supporters to "stand up and fight" to "take back California". He started the Take Back California Political Action Committee.

During his annual Commonwealth Club lecture on May 2, 2018, Willie Brown said Allen's candidacy represented "The greatest threat to the Democratic front runner, Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom."

A Berkely IGS Poll from April 2018 showed Allen and his opponent, Cox, going head to head for 2nd place with the scores of 18% (Cox) and 16% (Allen) within the poll's margin of error of ±4% points.

In May 2018, at the California Republican Party Convention in San Diego, John Cox received 55.3% of the delegates' votes while Allen received 40.5% of the delegates' votes. Neither candidate was able to reach the 60% threshold set by the California Republican Party for an official endorsement. In a Berkeley IGS Poll from December 2017, it showed Allen tied at 9 percent with Republican John Cox.

On November 15, 2018, Allen announced his candidacy for the office of California State Republican Party Chairman. "For too long, the California Republican establishment has told us that we must look more like Democrats in order to be elected in the state of California," Allen said, adding that "This sort of backwards thinking has lost seats and races across the state to where, today, the Republican party is at the lowest point it's been since the 1880s." A November, 2018 article in the Epoch Times concurred with Allen's viewpoint, noting that it doesn't help "for a minority party to become 'like' the majority party," and adding that "California Democratic voters won't start voting for Republicans who adopt Democrat policies."

Allen voted no on Senate Bill 54 (2017) when it came to the California State Assembly for a floor vote on September 15, 2017. He has vocally opposed the "Sanctuary State" bill speaking out against it publicly for the first time on February 1, 2017 on the John and Ken show on KFI AM 640. SB 54 passed the Senate and Assembly and was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown on October 5, 2017 with an effective date of January 1, 2018.

In August 2017, Judicial Watch on behalf of the Election Integrity Project(Election Integrity Project California, Inc.) sent a notice-of-violation letter to the state of California alleging that public records obtained on the Election Assistance Commission's 2016 Election Administration Voting Survey and through verbal accounts from various county agencies show eleven California counties - Imperial (102%), Lassen (102%), Los Angeles (112%), Monterey (104%), San Diego (138%), San Francisco (114%), San Mateo (111%), Santa Cruz (109%), Solano (111%), Stanislaus (102%), and Yolo (110%) - have more registered voters than voting-age citizens; and that Los Angeles County officials “informed us that the total number of registered voters now stands at a number that is a whopping 144% of the total number of resident citizens of voting age.” In December 2017 Judicial Watch filed a federal lawsuit against Los Angeles County and the State of California over their alleged failure to clean their voter rolls and to produce election-related records as required by the federal National Voter Registration Act (NVRA)(The United States Department of Justice)

In 2017 Allen was rated 25% by the Sierra Club of California. They rated Assembly members based on their votes on bills like AB 378, AB 1414, SB 31, and SB 801 to name a few.

In 2017 Allen was rated 25% by the California Environmental Justice Alliance. They rated Assembly members based on their votes on bills like ACA 1, AB 398, SB 5, and SB 54, the "sanctuary state" bill.

In 2017 the California League of Conservation Voters scored Allen at 6% for his voting record on similar bills. His only vote aligned with this organization's goals was for SB 258 - Cleaning Products Ingredient Disclosure.

In 2017 Allen raised $447,236 for his campaign and had expenditures of $654,602 during that time according to an official campaign filing. More than fifty percent of the campaign's expenses were left unpaid, and it was left with $342,850 in unpaid bills. In 2018, fundraising efforts and campaign finance reports show his top contributors were "individual donations" and "other donations" (small donations under $200.00), according to Vote Smart.

In 2016 Allen received a 67% score from Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California. He was scored positively for voting yes on AB 1561, a bill which proposed to "exempt from those taxes the gross receipts from the sale in this state of, and the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of, tampons, sanitary napkins, menstrual sponges, and menstrual cups"; and SB 999, a bill intended to require that health insurance companies "cover up to a 12-month supply of FDA-approved, self-administered hormonal contraceptives".

In 2016, Allen introduced legislation in opposition to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign - AB 1552: a bill that would prohibit state government entities from doing business with companies that officially join the BDS campaign, and AB 1551, another bill that would forbid state government entities from investing in companies engaged in political actions to damage or limit commerce with Israel and Israeli companies.Allen's AB 1552 was eventually signed into law as AB 2844, of which Allen was principal author.

Allen ran on a campaign based on populist, conservative, anti-establishment themes, much like President Donald Trump used in his 2016 Presidential campaign, and he is considered to be "California's Trump." He has used the slogans "Take Back California" and "Make California Great Again" for his campaign.

In 2015, the Firearms Policy Coalition gave Allen an A rating in recognition of his support for Second Amendment rights. In 2016 Allen received a 93% score from the National Rifle Association and an A from the Gun Owners of California (a branch of Gun Owners of America). In 2018, the Gun Owners of California again awarded Allen an A.

The California Park & Recreation Society rated Allen at 50% when they released their 2015-2016 Legislative Scorecard. He was right in line with the average of 50% for all Assembly Republicans.

In 2014 Allen received a 55% score from Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California. On this scorecard he was ranked positively for his support of AB 1755 (which mandated a 15 day limit to notify the Department of Public Health of a breach of patient data), AB 1841 (which expanded the definition of “technical supportive services” who are allowed to handle medication), AB 2051 (which streamlined the Medi-Cal enrollment process), and SB857 (an omnibus health bill). Allen opposed SB 1053 (contraceptives and health care coverage) and SB 1094 (sale of assets in non-profit health care facilities).

Allen has described himself as pro-life. He received a 0% score from Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California in 2013, 2015, and 2017.

Allen is considered by many to be a controversial politician and candidate for California governor due to his far-right populist politics, for being an outspoken proponent of Donald Trump, for a sexual harassment allegation made against Allen by a former coworker (in which he was given a verbal warning but not disciplined for) in 2013, for defending Donald Trump's alleged sexual affairs, and for making many disputed public statements.

In 2012, Allen began his political career by running for California State Assembly's 72nd district. The seat was open due to term limits. He finished second in the June primary with 19.9% of the vote, trailing establishment Republican frontrunner Los Alamitos City Councilman Troy Edgar, who won 28% of the vote. In the general election Allen surpassed Edgar by an 11.4% margin. Under recently passed Proposition 14 this was the first California election to take place under a nonpartisan blanket primary, in which the top two candidates advanced to the general election, regardless of party preference.

Travis Allen is a Certified Financial Planner and has managed client investment accounts since 1996. He has owned a financial advisory and wealth management practice, the Wealth Strategies Group, since 2001.

Travis Ethan Allen (born September 14, 1973) is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the California State Assembly. He was a candidate for Chairman of the California State Republican Party, losing to Jessica Milan Patterson. Allen was first elected in November 2012 to represent the California's 72nd State Assembly district, which includes the cities of Fountain Valley, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Westminster, most of Garden Grove, portions of Huntington Beach portions of Santa Ana and the unincorporated communities of Midway and Rossmoor.

Allen has stated that he opposes the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) of 1970 because it "strangles new housing development".