Will California’s new 3rd Senate District be the prize in a big political comeback? | Opinion

The California Senate’s 3rd district will have a new leader, with term limits ending the legislative career of Bill Dodd. But the best replacement has an equally impressive background of civic experience.

It is hard to imagine a “rookie” state senator better positioned to instantly become one of the most veteran policy minds at the Capitol than Christopher Cabaldon, the former longtime Mayor of West Sacramento. He held the position for 18 consecutive years starting in 2002 and emerged as one of the Sacramento region’s most dominant voices on transportation, land use and education. Cabaldon was defeated at the polls by Martha Guerrero when he sought re-election in November 2020. Now he looks to make a political comeback in the Senate.

Cabaldon is more than ready to leap onto the statewide stage and become one of Sacramento’s most influential legislators. And he is perfectly suited to represent one of the Senate’s most regional seats that has no dominant urban population center. The 3rd District bridges the populous Bay Area to the wine countries of Sonoma and Napa counties, across to the Central Valley with the state’s great estuary, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Its leader necessarily brings a unique and important voice to the state’s business.

The math for winning a legislative seat coming from the modest-sized city of West Sacramento has not favored Cabaldon in two previous attempts for posts in the California Assembly. He faces the same challenge this time. In the March primary, Republican Thom Bogue edged Cabaldon for first place in a five-person race of three Democrats and two Republicans. Bogue has served on the Dixon City Council since 2010.

Cabaldon respects how this district is a series of mid-sized cities like Fairfield, Vacaville and Woodland as well as iconic communities like Rio Vista, Calistoga and St. Helena. His resume spans the gamut of California. He has been chair of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, served to oversee the state’s community college system and also a regional water board. He is a member of the state Democratic Party’s LGBTQ caucus and he was a professor at Sacramento State.

Bogue and Cabaldon have opposed the Delta Conveyance Project, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal for modernizing the State Water Project. The Delta faces enormous challenges, from sea level rise to flood threats to environmental problems such as declining fisheries and increasing high algal blooms. Cabaldon is perfectly suited to effectively represent the Delta’s many interests.

Cabaldon’s committee assignments will be left to his Senate leader. His policy mind would make him ideal for an important assignment such as the appropriations committee. But he is also ready to translate our collective fight against climate change into rational local responses when it comes to advancing housing and transportation solutions that can work.

That’s just what this district needs.