Bee endorsement: NorCal’s rural communities should elect this candidate to the assembly | Opinion

California Assembly District 1 spans all or parts of Alpine, Amador, El Dorado, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra and Siskiyou Counties. It has been represented in the assembly by one member of the Republican Dahle political power couple for over a decade.

Brian Dahle, who held the seat from 2012-2019, effectively passed the baton to Meghan Dahle. Having held the seat since 2019, Megan Dahle is now angling to fill her husband’s seat in the state senate — which he will vacate to run for lieutenant governor.

Four candidates are now vying to represent rural Northern California in the assembly: Redding City Councilman Mark Mezzano, Redding Mayor Tenessa Audette, Anderson Vice Mayor Melissa Hunt and Modoc County Safety and Communications Specialist Heather Hadwick.

Hadwick, who is endorsed by both Brian and Megan Dahle, did not make herself available to participate in an endorsement interview with The Sacramento Bee’s Editorial Board. (The Bee Editorial Board does not endorse candidates who won’t meet with us.)

In Mezzano and Audette, voters have two thoughtful and informed candidates. Hunt was born and raised in Shasta County and clearly loves her community, but she lacked the District 1 knowledge and specific, substantive plans to address top-of-mind issues displayed by both Mezzano and Audette.

Ultimately, Mezzano’s candor, combined with his lifelong commitment to public safety and his community, earned him our endorsement. A retired California Highway Patrol sergeant of nearly 30 years, Mezzano taught law enforcement officers and trainees how to conduct CPR, safely handle firearms and recognize and investigate human trafficking. On the Redding City Council, he has been a champion for first-responders and emergency services, increasing fire department staffing and equipment throughout the city.

Mezzano recognizes District 1’s most pressing concerns, including California’s home insurance crisis and the ever-present threat of wildfires, two issues which have disproportionately impacted this district and its rural communities.

Mezzano is in the early stages of building upon a plan to forge a public/private partnership between the state government and insurance companies — to incentivize residents to harden their homes to protect their property against wildfires in exchange for reduced home insurance prices. It’s a sensible idea, and one the state assembly should consider pursuing.

He also supports additional forest thinning and proposes that firefighters and safety personnel train the public on proper evacuation strategies to ensure better preparedness in the event of disaster.

All four candidates are Republicans. That means whoever is elected will be tasked with the feat of representing a solidly red district in California’s solidly blue assembly — a challenge that requires District 1’s representative to be able to work across the aisle. And it’s a challenge Mezzano is prepared for.

“If you’re going to survive in Sacramento as part of the super-minority, it’s about building relationships,” he said. “I want what’s best for my constituents. The problem we have up here in the North State is we don’t have a voice in Sacramento. We need to get that back.”