Biography of Matt Gray

A graduate from the California State University, Sacramento, Matt’s formal education is in Organic Chemistry, Public Relations, and Political Science.

Upon retiring from the California State Legislature and as a lobbyist, Matt founded SacPro Home Inspections, Inc.  As a certified Home Inspector for SacPro Home Inspections, Inc., Matt calls upon his technical background and buildings & trades experience to provide professional inspections for residential and commercial properties.  Matt has specialized training in electrical, plumbing, thermal imaging, stucco, roofing, pool & spa, and decking inspections.

Matt is both CREIA & ASHI certified, and a member in good standing.

Matt was raised helping to build and remodel houses with his engineering and construction family members, and began home inspections to put himself through college in the early 1990s. While in college Matt purchased an old Victorian home and fully restored it.  The restoration included raising the structure structure into the air to replace the brick foundation, rebuilding the entire 1st floor, replacing the plumbing, replacing the electrical, and properly bracing the structure.

In college Matt found that he love highly technical things and majored in Organic Chemistry, as well as Communication Studies (Public Relations). But he knew he didn’t want to be stuck in a laboratory or newsroom for the rest of his life. During that time Matt interned in the State Capitol and met Pete Wilson, Willie Brown, Ken Cory, Bill Lockyer, John Vasconcellos, and John Burton, and found out he also has an affinity and appreciation for public policy making, reading laws, and the lawmaking process. So Matt was hired on at the State Capitol for building and trades, economic development, public health, public safety, and natural resources issues among other areas of law.

In 2016, Matt enjoyed designing, excavating, and building his own 53,000 gallon pool (52 x 24 feet) and 10 person spa in what he calls the “Gray Stacation Resort”. In 2017 he decided to go back to his roots in the construction trades, updated his education and certifications through ASHI, and CREIA (including advanced classes), and passed the National Home Inspections Examination (NHIE).,  Matt began his transition back into performing home and commercial property inspections.

Within the scope of performing home inspections Matt has found that his acuity and attention to fine detail, coupled with his interest in helping people and affinity for understanding complex technical systems are well matched.  Matt very much enjoys doing home inspections.  Real estate agents who care about and want the best for their clients, and see a future for themselves in building lasting relationships with their clientele, really seem to appreciate Matt’s attention to detail, straightforward, realistic, and thoughtful approach to his home inspections.

Additional Background:

In the November, 2010, General Election, Sacramento area voters elected Matt as City Councilman for the newly proposed formation of the City of Arden Arcade.  While voters ultimately rejected the formation of the city (and so a City Council was unnecessary), Matt continues to be an active member in his community on issues affecting small businesses and improving Sacramento’s economic viability.

Matt’s political adventure began when he joined the office of State Assemblyman John Vasconcellos in March, 1993.  He stayed with the Assemblyman and transitioned into the Senate in 1996, where he advanced through successive staff positions of leadership to become Deputy Chief of Staff.  In this expansive role, Matt represented the Senator on presenting legislation to policy committees, as a member on various boards, and by staffing legislation and influencing policies affecting the state’s hitech, energy, public safety, education, transportation, environment, agriculture, and water issues.

In 2004 Matt left the Legislature to become a lobbyist for Advocacy & Consulting.  Matt’s growing clientele list features business interests whose focus is renewable energy, revenue & taxation, public safety, medicine, transportation, manufacturing, water, technology, education, constitutional law, and communications.

Matt is often called upon by the media for television interviews on water, energy, and public safety matters in response to the Governor, Speaker of the Assembly, Senate Pro Tempore, and other lawmakers.  He has also been a repeat guest on POWER 106 in Burbank; the Bruce Maiman show, Talk 1530 AM, KFBK in Sacramento; and The John & Ken Show, 640 AM in Burbank.

Of the many responsibilities held by Matt, the most important include facilitating constructive dialogues about public policy issues, staying focused upon achieving gainful results, and creating effective support networks.  As an independent thinker, Matt has maintained lasting and trusting relationships with both Democrats and Republicans.  He is known for his unique perspective on problem solving, and for his straightforward and reliable approach to accomplishing goals.

Throughout his professional career with the California Legislature and lobbying, Matt routinely worked with state agencies to build partnerships, coordinate events, and steward legislation.  State agencies include the Department of Consumer Affairs, State Department of Education, Energy Commission, Department of Justice, California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation, Department of Health Services, Department of Motor Vehicles, and the Youth and Adult Corrections Agency.

Notable events and legislative successes include:

  • SB 1667 (2001) developing evidence based K-12 school violence prevention plans
  • Developed and coordinated the 2003 School Violence Prevention Summit
  • SB 524 (2004) to protect private secondary schools which deliver driving instruction
  • SB 1399 (2004) improve rehabilitative opportunities within California’s correctional system
  • SB 1692 (2004) expand vision screening standards for K-12 students
  • Filing litigation to prohibit the sale of bogus prison construction bonds through AB 900 (Solorio, 2007)
  • Defeating AB 1551 (Calderon, 2007), to impose a tax upon entertainment venues and products
  • Defeating SB 1665 (Machado, 2008) to sell more prison bonds
  • Defeating AB 1189 (Solorio, 2008) to sell yet more prison bonds
  • Defeating AB 2914 (Calderon, 2008) to impose a tax upon entertainment venues and products
  • Defeated AB 2441 (Williams, 2012)  to impose a tax upon entertainment venues and products
  • Defeating Governor Brown’s proposal within the Annual Budget Act (2014) which sought to remove 2nd year funding for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)
  • Defeating AB 2082 (Campos, 2016) to expand the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) creation of a closed-door review process for imposing alcohol license restrictions, inter alia.

Matt is also the Editor Emeritus for the Senate Daybook.  The Senate Daybook is a daily publication through the Senate Rules Committee which reaches every legislative office and staff member, the Office of the Governor, Department of Finance, and other selected recipients with up-to-date internal legislative news and Capitol events.

Beyond his role as Deputy Chief of Staff and as Daybook Editor, Matt is a three-time honorary panel member for the State Board of Education in hearing the annual recommendations of the California Association of Student Councils (CASC).  In preparation for their presentations, CASC delegates conferred with and sought advice from Matt on numerous issues pertaining to education and public safety matters.

Volunteering:

Matt supports investing in the full and healthy development of all of our children.  He is the longest standing legislative professional to volunteer for the YMCA’s Youth & Government Conference in Sacramento.  With more than 11 years of contributing his time and efforts, Matt has met with and helped several hundreds of youth learn about the legislative process and behind the scenes strategies, and develop mock legislative proposals.  Matt is a former “Big” with Big Brothers Big Sisters, and supports Children Receiving Home of Sacramento.

Matt places great emphasis upon the value of mentors in supporting the efforts of youth.  Matt believes that to cure what ails our society, we must begin with fulfilling all of the developmental needs of our children, help them to recognize their own self-worth, and guide them to becoming responsible, autonomous, and productive individuals.

Matt has worked on numerous political campaigns as either a Campaign Manager, Political Consultant, or strategic support staff.  He is currently an adviser to CalSmallBiz, Taxpayers for Improving Public Safety (TiPS), Victims Foundation, and The Justice & Reconciliation Project (JRP).

Finally, Matt still dabbles in his scientific roots and is co-creator of a patent-pending neutron synthesis process (MQNF) and Particle Fuel Cell technology with Quantum Energy Systems.  A review of the download access logs for the theory papers on this emergent technology reveals a “whose who” list of nuclear facilities and educational institutions throughout the world.  Matt firmly believes that different perspectives are critical to understanding complex issues, and that electromagnetism is the true Unified Theory.

Connect with Matt:
Facebook:    https://www.facebook.com/reallymattgray
Twitter:    https://twitter.com/reallymattgray
LinkedIn:    https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-gray-4161221b5/