California’s North State to Receive a New Senator

The California First Senate District is currently vacant. The district’s prior representative, Ted Gaines, was elected in the 2018 general election to a seat on the Board of Equalization. 

The State Senate consists of 40 Senators to represent the state in the upper house of the legislature, each California State Senator represents an approximately 931,349 residents.  Since the passage of Proposition 28 in 2012, legislators first elected on or after November 6, 2012, are limited to a maximum of 12 years. 

Special Election

As a result of the vacancy the Governor called a Special Election to fill the seat. The first election was held on March 26 and drew six candidates. However, none of these candidates were able to exceed a majority of votes. So a Special Run-off is being held on June 4th, 2019. 

The Candidates

Of the six candidates who ran for election in March, the two remaining candidates vying for election in June are both State Assembly members.

Brian Dahle was elected to the State Assembly in 2012, he began his term of service during the 2013-2014 legislative cycle. Prior to being elected to the State Assembly, he was a Lassen County supervisor. Before his election to the Lassen Board of Supervisors in 1996, he had been operating a seed mill and managing 2,000 acres of his family’s farmland. He has also worked producing energy through biomass and hydroelectric power companies.

Kevin Kiley was elected to the State Assembly in 2016, and began serving his first term in 2017.

Prior to being elected to the Assembly, he was a Deputy Attorney General. Prior to that, he taught tenth-grade English, and rose to chair the English department at his school.

Assemblyman Dahle represents much of the eleven counties which constitute the First Senate District, while Assemblyman Kiley represents a number of foothill counties to the east of Sacramento.

The Result

Whichever Assemblymember wins the Senate Senate their Assembly seat will become vacant and a new special election will need to be called to replace that member.