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James Gallagher, a Republican, is currently in his fifth term representing California’s 3rd Assembly District. Known by some as Jamie, Gallagher is one of the leaders of his party, currently serving as head of the California Assembly Republican Caucus.
In his time in the State Assembly, Gallagher has never had a close general election, winning by an average of more than 25 points each time.
Background
Gallagher came to the state legislature after serving six years on the Sutter County Board of Supervisors, from 2008 to 2014, which his grandfather served on in the 1980s, according to a campaign website.
Gallagher attended University of California, Berkeley, where he earned a political science degree. Following a fellowship in Sacramento where he worked for then-Assemblyman Doug LaMalfa, according to a professional bio, Gallagher earned a law degree from UC Davis.
A website for the California State Bar Association shows that Gallagher was admitted in late 2007 and remains an active member. Gallagher works for the Yuba City-basef firm Rice Lawyers, whose website notes that he “concentrates on agricultural business law, including corporate and real property transactions, administrative law, farm programs, and estate planning.”
Gallagher, who is 41 as of this writing, lives in Sutter County with wife Janna, whom he has known since kindergarten, and their five children.
Committees
Leader of the California Assembly Republican Caucus.
Gallagher currently has no other committee assignments, with a representative for his office saying this isn’t unusual for someone leading a caucus. Ballotpedia shows that Gallagher was on six committees in the 2021-22 legislative session, including serving as vice chair of the Judiciary Committee.
Select Legislation
AB 1249: Analysis by the San Bernardino Sun found that just 20 percent of bills introduced by Republicans in the 2021-22 legislative session were signed into law. A bill introduced by Gallagher was among the ones that made it through. It allows homeowners impacted by wildfire to deduct any settlement they receive from their taxes.
This bill was likely personal for Gallagher. The city of Paradise, which was devastated by the 2018 Camp Fire, is in the eastern part of his district. Gallagher wrote in a Facebook post at the time of the fire that he was “crushed this morning as we come to the realization that the community of Paradise has been decimated by this fire.”
AB 1078: Gallagher has also had multiple bills pass that were subsequently vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. One of them would have exempted people rebuilding their homes after a fire from having to satisfy requirements for solar panels.
The governor wrote in his veto message that extending the exemption would invalidate “positive outcomes and instead would increase homeowner energy costs at a time when many homeowners are facing rising electric rates and bills.”
District Boundaries and Office Locations
Gallagher’s district covers much of the area immediately north of Sacramento, spanning all or part of Butte, Glenn, Placer, Sutter, Tehama, and Yuba counties and including the cities of Chico and Yuba City.
