The North Bay has enjoyed considerable political clout in Sacramento over the past couple years. Now, with state Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, departing, the region’s influence will not be the same.
Term limits prevent McGuire from seeking reelection next year. He also will step down this month as president pro tem, and start a campaign for a seat in Congress. Sen. Monique Limón, who represents a district in Southern California, will succeed him as the state Senate’s leader.
McGuire’s departure from the Legislature will be a loss for the region. When Democrats chose him to lead the Senate, it marked a shift in California politics. For decades, Senate leaders had come from big cities, primarily Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Sacramento. With McGuire, a senator from a rural district that stretched from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon border took the reins.
He delivered for his district, securing more than $100 million for North Coast projects just this year. A regional hospital, habitat protection, schools and a redwood trail were among the beneficiaries, according to CalMatters. Perhaps the most notable recipient was Sonoma State University, which received a $45 million bailout to ease drastic budget and program cuts.
Some people would denigrate that spending as pork, funding carveouts for hometown projects that help lawmakers bolster their popularity. They have a point. But others would argue that they are essential community investments that deliver tangible results for Californians. McGuire’s earmarks had a real impact in his district, and his departure from the state Capitol will be felt.
The North Bay won’t lose all its clout in the Capitol, though. State Sen. Christopher Cabaldon, whose district includes Napa County and part of Sonoma County, was rated as the best prepared legislator in a recent survey of political insiders conducted by Capitol Weekly, a Sacramento news organization.
In the Assembly, Democrat Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, who represents much of the same territory as Cabaldon, serves as majority leader, a powerful position from which she can advocate for local concerns. She also chairs the Legislative Women’s Caucus.
Meanwhile, there is a strong likelihood that the region will gain influence in Washington. Proposition 50 scrambled the state’s congressional districts to benefit Democrats. McGuire plans to announce his candidacy on Thursday in the new 1st Congressional District, which runs north from Santa Rosa, through Mendocino and Lake counties, and across the Sacramento Valley to the Nevada border.
McGuire almost certainly will face competition for the new House seat. The filing deadline is not until March and the primary is in June. Voters in the new district will have plenty of time to learn about McGuire and whoever else enters the race.
McGuire will be a favorite out of the gate given his political acumen — and a healthy cash balance in his campaign account. If he wins, he will join Democratic Reps. Jared Huffman of San Rafael and Mike Thompson of St. Helena, who have been strong advocates for Northern California for years.
With early signs pointing to a good chance that Democrats will win control of the U.S. House next year, it will not hurt to have more local representatives in the majority.
McGuire’s career has shown that California’s political geography is not fixed. Rural voices can compete with their urban counterparts, and a kid from Healdsburg who started on the school board at 19 years old and became the city’s youngest mayor can reach the highest reaches of political influence and power.
If McGuire makes it to Congress, he will continue that journey. The North Bay’s moment in the political spotlight might shift, but it is far from over.
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