Musella steps down as California’s top Log Cabin Republican

John Musella stepped down Tuesday as chairman of California's chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans.
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As recently as Monday night, John Musella was sharing items on the Facebook page of California’s Log Cabin Republicans – a National Public Radio story about Supreme Court nominations in the next presidential administration … a photo from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation … an article from The Advocate about Fox News anchor Shepard Smith coming out as gay.

Then one more post Tuesday morning: “Friends … after serving as the Chair of Log Cabin Republicans California for the last 2 years, it’s time to turn over the (reins) to a new generation. I am proud to have (led) the way in seeing LCR Chartered by the California Republican Party and to have successfully (led) the effort to make the party’s platform more inclusive of the LGBT Community.”

So ended what Gregory T. Angelo, executive director of the national Log Cabin Republicans, called Musella’s “courageous and historic” tenure as head of the California chapter.

The Log Cabin Republicans are, according to their website, “the nation’s largest organization of gay and lesbian Republicans.’’

“When I became chairman (in March 2015), I had two goals,” Musella told The Signal on Tuesday. “One, getting chartered and, two, getting the Republican platform more inclusive. Mission accomplished.”

Musella said that, with his PR business burgeoning and occupying increasing amounts of his time, it was time to hand the baton to Jason Clark, the San Francisco-based vice chair who now moves to the top spot.

The Musella Group has offices in Valencia and Century City.

“It was a lot of work, a lot of time, and I loved it,” Musella told The Signal of his Log Cabin post.

Musella said he will remain on the California chapter’s Board of Directors, and that he supports the new regime’s “very ambitious” goals.

In his letter of resignation, Musella said, “It’s time for a new generation of Log Cabiners to lead the way in California. I’m pleased to be able to turn over a much stronger organization than I inherited.”

Musella became chairman on March 1, 2015, the day LCR California was officially chartered by the California Republican Party.

He is credited with pushing through LCR’s California chartering, but also leading the fight “for the removal of all the anti-LGBT language from the California Republican Party (CRP) Platform in the Fall of 2015,’’ according to a statement from the group.

“Musella helped build a broad-based coalition of conservative leaders to work with Log Cabin on making the platform changes under the group’s motto, ‘Inclusion wins.’ ’’

“When I first joined LCR more than five years ago, my main goal was to work to remove the anti-LGBT language from the CRP Platform,” Musella said in a statement from the group. “Previous attempts by LCR had failed, but the key to our success this time was building a broad-based coalition and working with conservative members of our party.”

Musella also pushed legislation in Sacramento to support LGBT equality. In addition, he was the first Log Cabin Republican chairman to serve on the Executive Committee of the state Republican Party, and he is a GOP elector in the state’s Electoral College.

“I’ve known John Musella for years, and he has been a tremendous asset to Log Cabin Republicans California,” said Assemblyman Scott Wilk, a candidate for state Senate. “As the Founding Chairman of the Chartered Log Cabin Republicans California, John has led the way for a more inclusive California Republican Party.”

The California Log Cabiners have endorsed several candidates for Assembly and state Senate, but none locally.

On the national level, Musella said, the Log Cabin Republicans have not endorsed for president, though the matter was discussed.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has said he would work to reverse the Supreme Court’s “marriage equality” decision legalizing same-sex unions.

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