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Bill Essayli

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Bill Essayli
United States Attorney for the Central District of California
Incumbent
Assumed office
April 2, 2025
Appointed byDonald Trump
Preceded byE. Martin Estrada
Joseph T. McNally (acting)
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 63rd district
In office
December 5, 2022 – April 1, 2025
Preceded byAnthony Rendon (redistricting)
Succeeded byVacant
Personal details
Born
Bilal Ali Essayli

(1985-11-24) November 24, 1985 (age 39)[1]
Corona, California
Political partyRepublican
EducationCalifornia State Polytechnic University, Pomona (BA)
Chapman University (JD)

Bilal Ali "Bill" Essayli (born November 24, 1985) is an American lawyer and politician who is currently serving as the interim United States attorney for the Central District of California, having been appointed to the position in April 2025.[2][3][4] He previously served as a member of the California State Assembly from 2022–2025 until his appointment as U.S. attorney. A Republican, he was the first Muslim elected to the California State Assembly,[5] where he represented the 63rd district, which includes Canyon Lake, Corona, Eastvale, Lake Elsinore, Menifee, Norco, Riverside, Temescal Valley, and Woodcrest.[6]

Early life

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Essayli's parents are immigrants from Lebanon who fled to the country to escape its civil war.[5]

Education

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Essayli is the first member of his family to graduate from college. He received his undergraduate degree from the Kellogg Honors College of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. He received his Juris Doctor degree from Chapman University School of Law.[7]

Early career

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Essayli served as an intern in the White House Counsel's Office in 2008. He then worked in private practice, where he focused on employment law. Then he joined the Riverside County District Attorney's office as a prosecutor. He then became an Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California. Among the cases he worked on was the 2015 terrorist attack in San Bernardino.[8]

California State Assembly

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In 2018, Essayli ran for the California State Assembly against incumbent Democrat Sabrina Cervantes. He lost the election, but made a strong showing, which raised his local profile.

In 2022, Essayli ran for the state Assembly in the newly created 63rd Assembly District. He defeated Eastvale Mayor Clint Lorimore in the primary and businesswoman Fauzia Rizvi in the general election.

U.S. attorney

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In April 2025, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi appointed Essayli as interim U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California.[2][3]

Personal life

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Essayli is the first Muslim in history to be elected to the California State Assembly.[5][9]

Electoral history

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2022

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2022 California's 63rd State Assembly district election[10][11]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Fauzia Rizvi 33,456 40.0
Republican Bill Essayli 28,659 34.2
Republican Clint Lorimore 21,598 25.8
Total votes 83,713 100%
General election
Republican Bill Essayli 82,613 58.6
Democratic Fauzia Rizvi 58,346 41.4
Total votes 140,959 100%
Republican win (new seat)

References

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  1. ^ "JoinCalifornia - Bill Essayli".
  2. ^ a b Mejia, Brittny; Rector, Kevin; Mehta, Seema (April 1, 2025). "Trump ally and rising California GOP star Essayli named top federal prosecutor in L.A." Los Angeles Times.
  3. ^ a b Fioresi, Dean (April 1, 2025). "Assemblyman Bill Essayli to accept appointment as U.S. Attorney for California's Central District". KCAL-TV.
  4. ^ Jones, Blake (April 1, 2025). "Trump picks lightning-rod California legislator to be US attorney in Los Angeles". Politico.
  5. ^ a b c "Bill Essayli is the first American Muslim elected to the state Assembly". Spectrum News. January 5, 2023.
  6. ^ "Biography - AD63 | ESSAYLI". November 12, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  7. ^ "Bill Essayli". Digital Democracy. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  8. ^ "Bill Essayli for Assembly".
  9. ^ Christopher, Ben (May 5, 2018). ""I'm not running for president": How the California Republican Party tries to put on a new face in the era of Trump". Calmatters.
  10. ^ "Primary Election - Statement of the Vote, June 7, 2022" (PDF). California Secretary of State. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  11. ^ "General Election - Statement of the Vote, November 8, 2022 - State Assembly" (PDF). California Secretary of State. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
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