Draft:Ken Mattson

Ken Mattson is an investment manager and real estate investor from Rancho Cordova, California.

Early life
In 1979, Kevin Mattson graduated from Cordova High School, along with his childhood friend and longtime business partner Tim LeFever. Both went on to UC Berkeley, where Mattson majored in economics.

Real estate career
Through LeFever Mattson, in the 1990s Ken Mattson and his partner Tim LeFever started acquiring and managing commercial and residential properties in the Sacramento area, the North Bay, as well as the Modesto and Fresno areas.

Ken and his wife Stacy Mattson started acquiring residential and commercial properties in and around Sonoma in 2015, mostly through LeFever Mattson. In 2020, many of the Sonoma County business acquisitions by Ken and Stacy Mattson were consolidated under the Sonoma's Best Hospitality Group umbrella, notably Dirty Girl (DG) Donuts, the Sonoma Cheese Factory, the Ramekins culinary school, the General’s Daughter venue, the Depot Hotel & Restaurant, Sonoma's Best Cottage Inn & Spa Sonoma, and Cornerstone Sonoma.

Between March 2015 and March 2023, Ken Mattson and Tim LeFever, through KS Mattson Partners, LeFever-Mattson and dozens of LLPs and LLCs, acquired at least 116 properties in the city of Sonoma and surroundings, representing $242 million in transactions. Some of the businesses Mattson acquired have been left in various states of disrepair.

Legal troubles
On April 1st, 2024, Ken Mattson resigned as CEO and CFO of LeFever Mattson property management, a week after The Sonoma Index Tribune reported on defaulted KS Mattson Partners Sonoma Valley properties amounting to $1.2 billion in debt, Tim LeFever taking over. The following month, the County of Sonoma sued KS Mattson Partners over building code violations. In May 2024, LeFever circulated emails from Mattson to investors, accusing his business partner of financial wrongdoings. The Press Democrat reported that some people who had invested in Mattson's IRA stopped receiving their monthly check. On May 24, the FBI raided one of Mattson's homes in Sonoma.

Personal life
Ken Mattson is married to Stacy Mattson, with whom he has four children. Mattson is a member of the conservative Council for National Policy group. His son Alex is credited as the "founder & managing principal" of investment firm Mattson Ventures.