Michael N. Villines (born March 30, 1967) is an American businessman and former California State Assemblyman, who served from 2004 to 2010 representing the 29th district. The 29th Assembly District includes Clovis, Fresno, Madera, Orange Cove, and Shaver Lake. He served as the Assembly's Minority Leader between 2006 and 2009. Election to California Assembly After building a public relations firm in the Fresno area, Mike Villines was elected to his first political office in the California Assembly in 2004. He received 42.9% of the vote in a Republican primary contested by three candidates and went on to easily defeat his Democratic opponent in the general election with 62.4% of the vote. Republican Leader Villines was chosen by his colleagues in November 2006 where he served as Republican leader for 2 years, making him one of the longest serving leaders over the past 25 years (due to terms limits). He succeeded George Plescia of La Jolla. Plescia had succeeded Kevin McCarthy who stepped down to make a successful run for Congress. Villines served as chief negotiator for Assembly Republicans, crafting solutions to the critical problems facing California. He was a member of the "Big 5" group of legislative leaders that included at the time Governor Schwarzenegger, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, Senate Republican Leader Dennis Hollingsworth, and Speaker of the Assembly Karen Bass. Final agreements on such important issues as how to balance the budget are reached during "Big 5" meetings. Villines' leadership was key to the February 2009 Budget Deal, which included large spending cuts and temporary tax increases, that allowed California to reduce its $42 billion budget deficit. He was recognized by members of both political parties for his willingness to pursue a bipartisan solution to rapidly expanding crisis despite the risk to his political career. While the deal was highly unpopular at the time, Villines was awarded with the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award along with fellow legislative leaders Karen Bass, Dave Cogdill and Darrell Steinberg for their role in the budget deal. The Award is the nation's most prestigious honor for elected public servants and recognizes acts that put the good of the public ahead of the individual's interests. Villines was initially opposed to any tax increases but described his reasoning for the deal during his Profiles in Courage acceptance speech. "Now there were many who argued that doing nothing was the best option