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A self-described fiscal conservative and social Democrat, Bill Dodd was first elected to the Senate in 2016, beating fellow Democrat and former State Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada by 16 points.
During his 2016 campaign, the Sacramento Bee reported that Dodd received 97 percent of $2.8 million in outside spending in his district, the most of any district in California. “As Democrats have come to dominate the Legislature, groups that used to focus on electing Republicans are seeking to elect more business-friendly Democrats,” the Bee noted in an article published June 10, 2016.
Dodd was re-elected in a landslide in 2020, beating Republican challenger Carlos Santamaria by a more than 2-1 margin.
Background
The former president and CEO of Diversified Water Systems, Inc, the 64-year-old Dodd has a business degree from California State University, Chico. Prior to his time in the senate, Dodd served in the California Assembly and on the Napa County Board of Supervisors. He and his wife live in Napa and have five children and eight grandchildren.
Select Legislation
SB 21: Dodd’s bill, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law in September 2019, lowered the minimum manufacturing requirement for a brewpub to 100 barrels annually, from 200 previously.
SB 894: One of 17 bills that Dodd had signed into law during the 2017-18 legislative session, with no vetoes, this law allowed “victims of disasters such as wildfires to use coverage for accessory structures to rebuild their residences if they are underinsured, extends living expenses to 36 months to allow time to rebuild and recover and requires insurers to offer two annual renewals to victims,” according to the Napa Valley Register.
District Boundaries
Dodd’s district spans much of the area directly north of the Bay Area, including parts of Contra Costa, Napa, Solano, Sonoma, Yolo, and Sacramento counties and cities such as Napa, Fairfield, and Davis.
Committees
Business, Professions and Economic Development
Energy, Utilities and Communications
Governmental Organization (chair)
Insurance
Transportation and Housing
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