Perea (born June 29, 1977 in Fresno, California) was elected to the California State Assembly in November 2010.
He is a Democrat who formerly represented the 31st district, encompassing western Fresno.
Perea has been described as a leader of the moderate, more business-friendly wing of the state legislature's Democrats.
On December 1, 2015 he announced that he would resign his seat at the end of 2015, a year early, to seek a lucrative position as a lobbyist.Prior to his election to the Assembly, Perea served on the Fresno city council from 2003 to 2010.
He was first elected to the council at the age of 25 and served as council president in 2007.
Perea also ran, unsuccessfully, in both the 2008 and 2016 Fresno mayoral elections, coming in second-place in the runoffs of each election.
He is married to Yahaira Garcia-Perea and they have one daughter, Ava.
His father, Henry R.
Perea, was a member of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors.