Assemblyman Wes Chesbro (D-Arcata) will run for his second term in the State Assembly in 2010. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY – Saying there's a lot more work to be done, North Coast Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro announced Friday that he'll seek re-election to the State Assembly this year.

Chesbro, who represents the First District – which includes Lake County – made the announcement during a brief ceremony Friday afternoon at the Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee office, amid dozens of supporters who signed petitions to place his name on the June primary election ballot for the Democratic nomination.

“Two years ago, I ran for this office pledging to put the First Assembly District First and I have kept that promise,” he said Friday.

Chesbro said he worked to build a bipartisan coalition to ensure the state’s budget is not balanced on the backs of rural California.

He pointed to successes including the defeat of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal to cut funding to rural sheriffs by finding another funding source, and noted that he and other rural lawmakers fought off efforts to raid small counties’ public road funds and made it easier for rural counties to manage emergencies.

Chesbro said he also worked to preserve access to health care, specifically protecting critical access hospitals in rural areas.

“These bipartisan victories on behalf of rural California have been the most gratifying accomplishments during my first term in the Assembly,” Chesbro said.

The Arcata resident has represented the First District in the Assembly since 2008, after he won election to the seat with nearly 71 percent of the vote.

Chesbro previously served two terms in the State Senate, from 1998 to 2006. He also has served on the California Integrated Waste Management Board.

Before moving into state government, Chesbro represented District 3 on the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors from 1980 to 1990, and before that served on the Arcata City Council.

The First Assembly District is one of the largest legislative districts in the state. It stretches from Bodega Bay to the Oregon border and includes all of Del Norte, Trinity, Humboldt, Mendocino and Lake counties, and western and northern Sonoma County.

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