JAY OBERNOLTE

Why Thrive LA endorses JAY

Jay Obernolte represents California's 23rd Congressional District, a largely San Bernardino County seat stretching from Big Bear through the High Desert. A Caltech-trained engineer with a master's degree in Artificial Intelligence from UCLA, he founded the video game developer FarSight Studios in 1990 and built it into a lasting private-sector business. He has 19 years of public service, including the Big Bear City Airport Board, Big Bear City Council (where he served as Mayor), the California State Assembly from 2014 to 2020, and Congress since 2021. Washington needs members who understand that every federal dollar is taken from a working family or a small business before it is spent. Obernolte treats the national debt as the threat it is. He has authored legislation to force the federal government to balance its budget, voted against the American Rescue Plan Act and Build Back Better, and rejected the bipartisan infrastructure bill because more than half of its spending was not infrastructure. In April 2026 his House colleagues elected him GOP Conference Policy Chair, putting a fiscal conservative with real technical expertise at the center of national policy. His record on taxes is consistent. Obernolte voted to make the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act individual rates permanent, voted against the Inflation Reduction Act and its IRS funding expansion, and has fought to repeal gas taxes and deliver relief to small businesses. He opposes minimum wage mandates and supports free trade, noting that "lowering barriers to trade reduces costs for consumers." The NFIB and Citizens Against Government Waste both score him at 100 percent, and he carries the endorsements of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. On public safety, Obernolte has authored legislation to hold fentanyl dealers accountable and voted against the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. He is endorsed by San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus, District Attorney Jason Anderson, the Sheriff's Employees' Benefit Association, and California Professional Firefighters. He also secured more than $100 million in increased funding for veteran homelessness programs through the National Defense Authorization Act, delivering targeted results without creating new bureaucracy. Jay Obernolte is the fiscally disciplined, pro-safety representative District 23 needs.