Johnny Amaral
CSU Fresno '96 

Johnny Amaral, CSU Fresno ’96, is the Chief of Staff for US Congressman Devin Nunes (CA-21). He resides in Exeter, CA with his wife and children.

DSF: Tell us about yourself.

JA: I grew up in a town south of Fresno called Tulare, which is in the Central Valley of California. All of my family lives here, and my wife and I live just east of where I grew up. I was born and raised here and this is where I have set my roots.

DSF:    What made you decide to go to Fresno State, and what was your major while there?

JA:  I went to Fresno because I was born and raised not far from campus, and I grew up always fond of the university. It was really an easy decision for me because it was really the only state university that I had ever known or wanted to attend, so that was a piece of cake. I was a history and liberal studies major, and was studying to become a teacher, but never stepped foot in a classroom. After I graduated, the guy I work for now who I have known since high school, Devin Nunes, asked me to go to work for him on his campaign. I have been in politics and public service.

DSF:    Back to your college days, what made you decide to join Delta Sig on campus?

JA:  I rushed because a friend of mine, also from Tulare, was an active member when I was looking at fraternities. His name is Todd Rudder, and he went to the same high school I did and graduated a few years before me. He brought me around the house and introduced me to some of the brothers. I was a little older, because Iwent to junior college first and then to Fresno State so I was 21 when I pledged, but it seemed like a good fit. I was the pledge ed in the chapter, and I was also Secretary during my time there.

DSF:    Tell us about your current position, and how you got into the position which you hold.

JA:  I’ve known Congressman Nunes since we were in high school. He was just a year older than me, and I met him when I was a freshman and he was a sophomore. We have been friends ever since, and he was always active in politics and public service. When I graduated from college, it was the time he was making his first run for Congress, and he asked me to go work for him because he knew I had some time on my hands. Just because he was a friend of mine, I thought I would help him and see how it goes, and figured once August rolled around, I’d become a teacher. That’s how it all started.

I went to work for him and ended up really enjoying the part of the job that some people can’t get used to, which is almost flying by the seat of your pants. No two days look alike. It’s always exciting and there are very interesting people to meet. The work is never over in politics, and I was drawn to that. After that run, which was his first and we lost, I stayed in politics and traveled across the country working on Congressional campaigns and state party races, and things like that. I ended up working for Congressman Bill Thomas from Bakersfield for three years getting some experience. In 2001 when redistricting in California created a new Congressional district, Devin decided to run for Congress again and asked me to help him again and we were successful. He is now in his third term, and I have been his Chief of Staff from the very beginning.

DSF:    Tell us more about your day to day responsibilities.

JA:  We have three offices, one in Washington, DC, and then two in the district, and at any one time, we could have up to 22 staff members. My job is essentially to make sure the trains run on time, if you will. We’ve got a lot of different things that we’re responsible for. We have the constituent service side of the office, which in my opinion is the most important job of a Congressman, which is to represent your constituents and do the work of the people which happens largely in the district offices. You also have the legislative side of a Congressional office, which is how bill becomes law. Also, as is the case with any Congressional office, you have the political side of things, which includes fundraising and making sure people are still interested in voting for your boss for re-election. I am fortunate enough to supervise all of those aspects of everything that happens in our office.

DSF:    Of those three areas of the office, what is the one that you enjoy doing the most?

JA:  As you can tell with how I started, I am a creature of politics. That is my favorite part of this business. In fact, if I wasn’t engaged in the political side of this business, I probably wouldn’t be in the business because it is by far the most rewarding, the most fun, and the part of the job that keeps you on your toes the most. It includes being prepared for what’s coming by being proactive, and also being reactive and able to react quickly to things that happen, whether it’s bad publicity or something comes out in the newspaper or things that pop up and you have to be willing and capable to act quickly and make tough decisions sometimes with not always the best information at your fingertips. That’s by far the most exciting part of the job, having the responsibility to make sure the wheels don’t fall off.

DSF:    Tell us a little more about the 21st District of California, which Congressman Nunes represents, and you work so hard in.

JA:  If you’re familiar with California, it’s the furthest inland from the coast. We are in what’s known as the San Joaquin Valley, which is to the east of the coastal range of mountains, but to the west of the Sierra Nevada range of mountains, which means we are in a big bowl in the central part of the state. It is the largest, most fertile agricultural region in the world. There is something like 300 different crops grown in the Central Valley. The Congressional District that we work in is all of Tulare County and a portion of Fresno County, and the university, Fresno State, is in the district. This Congressional District, if it was a state, would be the ninth largest agricultural producing state in the country in terms of dollars. It’s a massive agricultural district, and that’s what makes this area move.

DSF:    On what committees does the Congressman serve?

JA:  In is first term, he served on the Agriculture and Resources Committees. In the second term, in kind of an unprecedented way, he moved from those two committees to the Ways and Means Committee, which is unheard of for a second term congressman. The Ways and Means Committee is arguably the House’s most powerful committee. It has jurisdiction over issues like taxes, trade, social security, health care, and welfare. When you touch those five programs, you are basically touching all of the government, so it is a very sought after committee and is     where all of the action is.

DSF:    What are the issues that the people in your district are the most concerned about and where you spend the majority of your time shaping the Congressman’s policy in those areas?

JA:  There are four issues that we hear about most from constituents. On more of a social issue, it’s immigration reform. It’s a very heated topic, and there are a lot of different opinions on the issue from a lot of angles and people. It is a very tricky issue that can’t be solved overnight, but it is something that is going to have to be solved no matter what because the American people demand that the immigration issue is solved. No matter what side of the issue you’re on, whether you’re against amnesty like us, or for amnesty, everyone will agree that something needs to be done to fix the problem.

On issues that have more of a direct impact on our economy and what makes this world go ‘round as far as our district, it’s trade issues, because we are in a global economy, and our agricultural sector relies on the movement of goods and products and we can only do that through proactive trade pacts and agreements. Trade is a big issue, as is energy and fuel costs. Whether you are a farmer or just an average Joe working for a living, the energy or lack of energy in our country affects all of us in our pocketbook and how we operate in our daily lives. So, sensible energy policy would be an important issue as well, and of course, health care. We all struggle with finding health care or long term care, and those are issues that need to be addressed that people are always thinking about and are always contacting myself or our office about. They are issues that we always deal with.

DSF:   How do you feel when you hear from constituents on these issues?

JA: Nothing gets our attention more than having a constituent call into the office or write a personal letter to the Congressman saying “when are you and the Congress going to fix this problem?” or “thank you for your vote on this bill.” Those types of things, the grassroots politics if you will, really get our attention. When a constituent takes the time out of their schedule to write a letter or pick up the phone and call, we enjoy that and it’s part of public service that makes it really interesting.

DSF:   Talk about how you are situated – do you live in Washington most of the time and travel to the district, or is it the opposite?

JA:  I would say that this year, I am about 50/50. For example, this month (October) I
am in the district for the first two weeks and am in DC the last two weeks. The first
couple terms of Congressman Nunes’ career, I was in DC probably 60-65% of the
time. It all depends on what is going on in DC and what is going on in the District.

DSF:   How do you like being 50/50 in DC and the district?

JA:  My wife, Stephanie, likes it better that I am home a little more than I was in the first two terms. That’s the hardest part of my job. I’ve got a wife and two children now, so it’s hard to be away, but my wife worked in politics in the state capitol for six years, so she knows the demands and the responsibilities that go along with the job. I’m glad that we live in the district, because we have our family support structure here, both my parents and her parents, which makes it easier when I am gone.

DSF:    Were you with the Congressman on his recent trip to Iraq?

JA:  I wasn’t. I was hoping to, but there are very few staff members that go on those trips, especially to volatile regions like the Middle East. That was his third trip there, and obviously it’s problematic what’s going on there and nobody’s happy with what’s happening, but my boss is the first to admit that he had seen a substantial change in progress in Iraq from the second time he was there in July 2006 until he got back last month from his recent trip. Since the “surge” took place that everyone refers to, there’s a great deal of success and good things happening in Iraq. You still can’t paint a rosy picture about what’s going on there, anytime you have American lives in harm’s way, but we are convinced that if we are not fighting the terrorists in the Middle East that they will be fighting us here on our land. That’s something that has to be done, and the American people hopefully will understand the sacrifices that need to be made. We have constituents in our District who have lost loved ones, and it’s not easy and we don’t take it lightly.

DSF:    What are your future endeavors?

JA:  In politics, timing is everything. You can be the best candidate in the world on paper, and if a district doesn’t open up or if an opportunity doesn’t present itself, you may never have a chance to run for office. I always keep my options open. You never know what’s going to happen, but currently I really enjoy the work I do for Congressman Nunes and he and I are friends even though he is an AGR, and we have known each other for almost 20 years now, going back to when we were kids. So, I enjoy what I’m doing and I’m going to continue doing it as long as he’ll keep me around. And then, if something else presents itself, you never say never.

DSF:    What advice would you give to other Delta Sigs about getting into politics?

JA:  I encourage it, because it is a very rewarding profession and a very rewarding field to be in if you’re interested in doing good things and helping people. A lot of times, we get bogged down or sidetracked with whatever makes it into the news. The House of Representatives has a very low approval rating right now, largely because there has been a handful of people who have been bad apples that have spoiled it for the whole bunch. Most members of Congress are honest, hard working people, and it’s an honor to work for the US House, so I don’t discourage it whatsoever. Don’t get into this business of working for the government if you’re trying to make boatloads of money. We don’t do it for the riches that’s for sure. We do it for the honor of working for the people and doing something that’s very rewarding. You meet lots of interesting people. Just in February, I was fortunate to have dinner in the district with Rudy Giuliani. He came through for a big event that takes place in our district, and I was with him, my wife, and a couple other people at a local restaurant here. It’s an interesting job, and there’s nothing boring about the work I do, and that’s what makes it so enjoyable.