A crowd gathered at Quincy’s Vets Hall Jan. 28 to hear from California state senator and congressional candidate Mike McGuire.
A native of Healdsburg north of Santa Rosa, McGuire has climbed the rungs of local government, serving on the local school board, the Healdsburg City Council and the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors before being elected to the state Assembly in 2014. He was reelected in 2018 and 2022. The state Legislature’s 12-year term limit means he is not eligible to run again in 2026. He is currently Senate president pro tem.
McGuire is running for congress in California’s 1st District, which — thanks to Proposition 50 and the state’s newly redrawn election maps — now includes Plumas County, along with Lassen, Sierra, Butte, Tehama, Glenn and parts of Lake, Mendocino and Sonoma counties.
McGuire shares his positions
Attendees came from across the county to hear the candidate’s views. Many sported orange-and-blue “I like Mike” stickers over warm winter jackets to brave the icy evening. They were greeted by a potluck spread. To one side of the stage, volunteers from Plumas County Democrats and Quincy Area Indivisible, the sponsoring organizations, staffed information tables. Venicia Lombardo explained that Quincy Area Indivisible is seeking volunteers to organize subcommittees focused on a variety of issues. The larger organization will support their work. Those who wish to get involved but did not attend the meeting can contact the organization on social media, or speak to anyone wearing the new Indivisible T-shirts.
Faith Strailey, chair of Plumas County Democrats, introduced McGuire to the audience of about 75 people. After thanks and acknowledgements, McGuire opened his 40-minute speech saying, “I’m just gonna be blunt. The reality of the situation that we have here in the United States — candidly, I don’t think it’s ever been as grave. I truly believe that the country that we’ve always known is hanging on by a thread.”
He went on to address both national issues, such as the tax structure, health care, income inequality and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as more specific local concerns, including wildfire, U.S. Forest Service funding, a long-term extension for Secure Rural Schools, the housing crisis and rural economies.
“We are complicit if we don’t speak up and fight back.”
Mike McGuire, 1st Congressional District candidate
The ongoing ICE operation in Minneapolis, and the Jan. 24 shooting of Alex Pretti by ICE officers only four days before, cast a shadow. “People are afraid,” McGuire said, “not because they are criminals but because of the color of their skin.” He added, “we are complicit if we don’t speak up and fight back.”
Even so, he argued that, at the local level especially, “there’s more that unites us that divides us.” “You talk to most folks in Northern California and the North State: They want their kids to go to a good school. They want to have a hospital that thrives. They want to have health care. … I also believe they want to have a more affordable life.” Those are issues everyone can support, he said. McGuire touted the California Legislature’s accomplishments in those areas, saying that he hopes to bring the same strategies to the United States House of Representatives.
A lively question-and-answer session followed the candidate’s position speech. Among the issues raised by the public were geopolitics, gun control, home insurance costs, the local economy, the timber industry and the housing shortage. John McClaughlin, of Crescent Mills, owns and operates his own logging truck. He spoke about the environmental controls that have limited the timber industry and the increased fire danger as brush fills in the Dixie Fire burn scar.
A Feather River College student discussed the lack of adequate student housing and prohibitively high rents in Quincy. Mat Fogarty, of Crescent Mills, asked the candidate to commit to not sending any more money to Israel to finance the war in Gaza but instead directing those funds to “the things you say are important, like health care.” Julie Hochrein, of Quincy, asked about preventing school shootings.
McGuire remained on the floor, speaking to voters one-on-one long after the session was at an end, as volunteers rearranged tables and put away chairs around them.
Can a Democrat win California’s 1st?
During the question-and-answer period, Michael Jackson, of Quincy, asked who McGuire is running against. McGuire said, “There are a couple of Democrats, and there’s going to be a Republican.” He speculated that the Republican opponent might be James Gallager, a state representative for the 3rd District, which covers the northern Sacramento Valley.
Like McGuire, Gallager was elected in 2014, and is serving his final term in the state Legislature. He has already declared his intention to run in the special election to fill late Congressman Doug LaMalfa’s seat for the remainder of his term, which ends in 2026.
In response to Jackson’s query, McGuire went on to discuss strategy for flipping California’s 1st District based on the voter makeup of the new 1st District. He said the 1st District ranges from a “ruby red“ “plus 24” points for President Donald Trump in the east, to “a beautiful blue” “plus 12” points for Kamala Harris in the west, based on the results of the last presidential election. That’s because 69% of the new district’s Democratic voters live in the western part of the district; the “remaining third in the eastern five counties.” That’s why he came to Plumas, McGuire said: “My belief is that you show up where the need is greatest. I’m showing up.” He added that of the 21 community meetings he has attended since declaring his candidacy Nov. 13, 17 have taken place in the eastern counties. This is his second visit to Quincy since the campaign began.
Kathleen Wright, of Graeagle, found the session “very informative” and appreciated that the candidate “did not dodge any questions.” But she isn’t making her mind up just yet. Her concerns are primarily economic ones. “The insurance issue is big for us. We are on the <California> FAIR Plan,” she said. She’d also like to know what the candidates will do to replace the dwindling agriculture, ranching and logging industries, and “develop more opportunities for young people,” Wright said.
Jackson has already made his decision. “I thought he was excellent and I’m going to support him. It’s about time we had someone with experience who’s adequately funded,” he said.
