MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Local and state leaders and community members gathered in Middletown on Monday evening to bid a fond farewell to Lake County Assemblyman Bill Dodd, who is heading to the State Senate.
The event, which included a social reception and a public meeting, took place at the Middletown Community Center.
Dodd, who is now in the final weeks of his first term in the State Assembly, was elected earlier this month to represent the state Senate District 3, whose representative, Lois Wolk, was termed out. He defeated Mariko Yamada, who previously had represented Lake County in the Assembly before also leaving the Legislature due to term limits.
He told Lake County News that his new district is a larger and more diverse area that includes more of Sonoma County, all of Napa County, and extends into the Sacramento Valley and Bay Area.
What it doesn't include is Lake County, which he said he wished it did.
He's due to be sworn in as a state senator on Dec. 5, when the new session convenes.
Among those on hand for the event were Lake County Board of Supervisors members Rob Brown, Jim Comstock and Jim Steele; Joey Luiz, representing Board of Equalization Chair Fiona Ma; Cal Fire Sonoma Lake Napa Unit Chief Shana Jones; Clearlake Mayor Russ Perdock; and Dodd's successor in the Fourth Assembly District seat, Cecilia Aguiar-Curry of Winters, who has served as that city's mayor.
Dodd had served 14 years on the Napa County Board of Supervisors by the time he was elected to represent the Fourth Assembly District in November 2014. At the same time, Mike McGuire, a member of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, won a seat in the State Senate.
Both men took their oaths of office in December 2014, and got to work, bringing to the State Legislature the real world understanding of small rural areas from the perspective of men who had worked in local government.
That understanding of local officials' struggles led them to be more visible than any state representative in years, according to local officials who spoke at the event.
Both Dodd and McGuire would make Lake County a priority early on, working to get funding to help Clear Lake which the governor ultimately cut from the budget. Dodd said Monday that it is neither fair nor right to saddle Lake County's 65,000 residents with the costs to respond to the lake's needs.
They would step up their involvement and dedication as the county began to endure the series of devastating wildland fires – the Rocky, Jerusalem, Valley and Clayton – between July of 2015 and August of 2016.
Comstock, who opened the event, noted that in recent years, “We've had some very good representation” in the state Legislature. “There was a time when Lake County was not very well represented in Sacramento.”
Dodd told the group that the only downside for him in moving on to the Senate was that Lake County won't be in his district.
He lauded McGuire, with whom he has worked so closely over the past two years, noting they've had “an incredible run together,” and he couldn't have had a better partner. “Together we have gotten so much done.”
Dodd also pledged to Lake County that it will have two senators – he and McGuire – working on its behalf.
In his time working with Lake County, Dodd said he's never seen a group of people with so many different opinions could could still be OK with each other and work together, even when they didn't agree.
No matter how divisive issues are, Dodd said, “We can agree about how much we love Lake County and how much we love our community.”
He lauded Aguiar-Curry, who he called honest, loyal, and a problem solver who cares. “She's a hard worker and she'll get the job done for you.”
Dodd pledged to work both with Aguiar-Curry and McGuire to help Lake County, and thanked the community for the opportunity to serve.
McGuire also offered thanks all around, recognizing Brown, Comstock and Steele, and giving special notice to Jones of Cal Fire and South Lake County Fire Protection District Board President Jim Comisky.
He then offered his thanks and praise for Dodd. “There is no one that I would want to work with more than Bill Dodd,” who McGuire called loyal and hardworking.
When the 2015 fires occurred, “Bill Dodd stepped up and stepped up big time,” said McGuire, who said Lake County will have a champion in Dodd for the rest of his career.
Dodd has worked to address Clear Lake's water quality and Lucerne's high water rates, with the latter addressed in a rate relief bill signed by the governor, McGuire said. He also took on tax relief needed in the Valley fire area.
McGuire said it will take everyone working together for Lake County to thrive. “We are there for you now and into the future,” said McGuire. “We are not going to let Lake County down.”
He added, “Lake County has been underserved by this state for too long. No more.”
Still under way is rebuilding the Anderson Springs wastewater system. McGuire said he and Dodd secured $7.5 million from the state for the system's rebuild, with the goal to break ground in 2017.
“We don't want to just recover here in Lake County. We want to build back stronger than ever,” said McGuire.
He said Aguiar-Curry will join the effort to accomplish that. “Her work ethic is unmatched,” he said, recounting that she grew up on a farm in the Winters area and went on to serve on the Winters City Council. She has become an expert in water policy, and understands issues such as the need to connect the community to broadband and create affordable housing.
In a year where the California Legislature saw fewer women elected, Aguiar-Curry represents the difference, McGuire said. “She was elected and she was elected with a mandate, and Lake County helped put her over the top.”
Aguiar-Curry, who during her remarks also introduced two of her staffers, told the group that she is committed to Lake County. “I feel like I have a really good grasp but I have a lot more to learn.”
Dodd and McGuire during the past two years established a joint office in Lakeport, which hadn't been done previously.
On Monday, Aguiar-Curry said she also is looking to open an office in downtown Lakeport, with McGuire, Board of Equalization Chair Fiona Ma and Congressman Mike Thompson also expected to have a base there. “We want to make sure that we're visible for you.”
Recalling how Dodd has made outreach to local government officials – Aguiar-Curry said he would call the Winters city manager at least once a month to check in – she said “I want to make sure that I fill his shoes.”
Aguiar-Curry went on to declare Lake as the being the friendliest county in her district. “I can't wait to get started,” she said, noting projects she wants to pursue including helping the health of Clear Lake.
Supervisor Rob Brown said there was a long drought of representation for Lake County between the time Mike Thompson left the State Legislature and went to Congress and Dodd and McGuire's arrival on the scene.
He credited McGuire and Dodd for ending that, and recognized their hard work. “We absolutely cannot do it on our own,” he said of the county, adding he appreciated the opportunity to work with Aguiar-Curry.
Brown also read a proclamation from the Board of Supervisors commending Dodd for his work on behalf of the county.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
