Brian Dahle

Brian Dwain Dahle^[1] (born September 20, 1965) is an American politician and farmer who served as a member of the California State Senate from the 1st district from 2019 to 2024.^[2] A member of the Republican Party, Dahle served as a member of the California State Assembly from the 1st district from 2012 to 2019, and as Assembly minority leader from 2017 to 2018. Before his election to the state legislature, Dahle served on the Lassen County Board of Supervisors from 1997 to 2012.^[3]

On June 4, 2019, Dahle won a special election to fill the State Senate seat vacated by Ted Gaines, who resigned after his election to the California State Board of Equalization.^[4] After Dahle joined the State Senate, his wife Megan Dahle was elected to his vacated Assembly seat.

Dahle was the Republican nominee for governor of California in 2022. He was defeated by incumbent Democrat Gavin Newsom.^[5] Dahle is a Republican Party candidate for lieutenant governor in the 2026 California lieutenant gubernatorial election.^[6]

Early life and education

Descended from Tule Lake homesteaders and the son and grandson of farmers, Dahle was born in Redding and grew up in rural Lassen County.^[7] His grandfather was a World War I veteran who won his family farm in Bieber in a lottery during the Great Depression.^[8]

Dahle grew up poor with an alcoholic father and graduated from Big Valley High School in Bieber.^[9] Unable to afford college, he tried his hand at farming, but lost money in the attempt. To pay back debts, he took a job at a lumber mill, and later at hydroelectric plants.^[8] He also worked in construction for several years, including in a gold mine, and eventually began a seed business, which he owns to this day.^[10]

Career

Lassen County Board of Supervisors

Dahle won his first election to the Lassen County Board of Supervisors in 1996, beating a popular teacher.^[10] He was reelected in 2000, 2004, and 2008. He represented District 4 on the board.^{[citation needed]}

Dahle served one-year terms as chairman of the board in 1998, 2002, 2007, and 2012. He left his seat early on November 27, 2012, in order to take office in the Assembly the following week.^{[citation needed]}

California State Assembly

Dahle was first elected to the California State Assembly for the 1st district with 65% of the vote in November 2012,^[11] and reelected in 2014, 2016, and 2018. He was appointed vice chair of the Assembly Environmental and Toxic Materials Committee, the Revenue and Taxation Committee, and the Natural Resources Committee. He also served as a member of the following committees: Agriculture; Water, Parks and Wildlife; Privacy and Consumer Protection; Utilities and Commerce; Fisheries and Aquaculture; Insurance; and Business and Professions.^{[citation needed]}

In 2018, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon appointed Dahle to the Subcommittee on Sexual Harassment Prevention and Response, which works to improve services for Capitol staff. In the Assembly, Dahle was known for writing and passing a number of bipartisan bills under Governor Jerry Brown.^{[citation needed]}

Dahle's Republican colleagues elected him minority leader on August 24, 2017. He served in that role from September 16, 2017, to November 8, 2018.^{[citation needed]}

Dahle resigned from the Assembly on June 12, 2019, after winning a special election to the California State Senate. His wife Megan Dahle was elected to succeed him in the Assembly in a special election.^{[citation needed]}

California State Senate

After Ted Gaines resigned, Dahle won a special election to replace him in the California State Senate and took office on June 12, 2019.^[2] He was reelected in 2020 with 57.7% of the vote.^{[citation needed]}

Dahle serves as vice chair of the Senate Energy, Utilities, and Communications Committee. He also serves on the following committees: Banking and Financial Institutions; Budget and Fiscal Review; Education; Environmental Quality; and Transportation.^{[citation needed]}

Caucus memberships

• California Senate Republican Caucus
• Legislative Outdoor Sporting Caucus
• Legislative Rural Caucus

2022 California gubernatorial election

Dahle was the Republican nominee for governor of California in the 2022 election.^[12] He placed second in the nonpartisan blanket primary, with 17.5% of the vote.^[13]

In September 2022, incumbent Democratic governor Gavin Newsom agreed to face off against Dahle in a single gubernatorial debate, sometime in late October.^[14] On October 23, Dahle and Newsom participated in a televised debate, hosted by KQED in San Francisco.^[15]

Political positions

Dahle favors a suspension of the California gas tax to address high fuel prices, building more charging stations for electric vehicles, building the proposed Sites Reservoir project, and increasing oil production in California. He also supports rolling back parts of Proposition 47, but opposes jailing marijuana users.^[16] He has worked to stop medical patients from getting surprise medical bills from health care providers that are outside their insurance network.^[10] To reduce homelessness in California, Dahle supports building more affordable housing and tackling drug abuse. He has criticized Newsom's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and supports streamlining the path to obtaining U.S. citizenship.^[17]

Dahle has voted against bills intended to increase access to abortion and has said that abortion's legality will not change in California after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling.^[18] He voted for a bill aimed at reducing the cost of contraceptives in California.^[10]

Dahle describes himself as a supporter of the Second Amendment. He has voted against SB 1327, legislation that allows private citizens to sue those who illegally sell assault weapons or .50 BMG rifles in California, but supports making it a felony to steal a firearm, and has voted for a bill that would make it easier to confiscate guns from convicted felons.^[10]

Controversies

In June 2022, Dahle placed the winning bid for a goat named Cedar at the Shasta District Fair auction. However, the goat's owners, including a 9-year-old girl, decided not to proceed with the sale. Dahle agreed to forgo the purchase and supported an alternative resolution, but Shasta District Fair officials pursued the matter and involved law enforcement, resulting in Cedar being seized and slaughtered, despite ongoing efforts by the owners to reach a different outcome. This incident later became the subject of a federal lawsuit. Fair officials tried to hide the identity of the bidder that bought the pet goat and had it slaughtered, but public records showed that the winning bid was placed by State Senator Dahle.^[19] The Senator relinquished ownership of the goat and did not have it slaughtered. However, the Shasta District Fair auction claimed ownership of the goat, leading the Shasta County Sheriff's Office to seize it and had it killed.^[20]

Personal life

Dahle is married to Megan Dahle, who succeeded him in the Assembly and Senate.^[21] They have three children together.^[8][10]

Electoral history

California State Assembly

2012

2014

2016

2018

California State Senate

2019 (special)

California Governor

2022

References

1. ^ "JoinCalifornia - Brian D. Dahle". joincalifornia.com. Archived 27 September 2021 at the Wayback Machine.
2. ^ "Dahle takes oath of office for California Senate District 1". Tahoe Daily Tribune. Associated Press. 14 June 2019.
3. ^ "Welcome - Senator Brian Dahle". dahle.cssrc.us. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
4. ^ Willon, Phil (June 5, 2019). "In two California Senate special elections, Gonzalez and Dahle are the winners". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
5. ^ Sabes, Adam & Spady, Aubrie (November 8, 2022). "California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom wins re-election, defeating Brian Dahle: Gov. Gavin Newsom is in his first term as governor of California". Fox News. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
6. ^ "About Brian". www.briandahle.com. Retrieved 2024-12-19.
7. ^ Hooker, Brad (June 6, 2019). "Six questions for the legislature's top farmer.". Agri-Pulse.com. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
8. ^ Platcha, Ari (23 September 2022). "He earned trust in Sacramento, but Californians still don't know Newsom challenger Brian Dahle". The Sacramento Bee
9. ^ Natividad, Ivan (25 October 2014). "State assembly contest still not much of a race". The Union
10. ^ Beam, Adam (5 July 2022). "'Something different': California GOP's bid for governor". Associated Press
11. ^ "How California Voted". Newspapers.com. The Sacramento Bee. November 8, 2012. p. A4. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
12. ^ Joe Garofoli (February 7, 2022). "Republican state Sen. Brian Dahle to announce challenge to Gavin Newsom". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
13. ^ Shafer, Scott (7 June 2022). "Democrat Gavin Newsom to face Republican Brian Dahle in California race for governor". NPR
14. ^ Luna, Taryn (16 September 2022). "California Politics: Newsom commits to a gubernatorial debate". Los Angeles Times
15. ^ Luna, Taryn & Wiley, Hannah (23 October 2022). "Newsom trades barbs with Dahle in California's only 2022 gubernatorial debate". Los Angeles Times
16. ^ Alvarado, Kitty (22 June 2022). "Economist says Biden's gas tax holiday could boost local economy". KPBS
17. ^ The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board (15 May 2022). "2022 election: Q&A with Brian Dahle, California gubernatorial candidate". The San Diego Union Tribune
18. ^ Bollag, Sophia (24 June 2022). "These California candidates oppose abortion rights or won't say where they stand". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
19. ^ "A 9-year-old girl didn't want her goat slaughtered. California fair officials sent deputies after it". LATimes.com. March 31, 2023.
20. ^ "Shasta County paying hundreds of thousands in settlement over illegally seized goat". November 4, 2024.
21. ^ Yoon-Hendricks, Alexandra (6 November 2019). "Republican Megan Dahle defeats Democrat Elizabeth Betancourt for Assembly District 1 seat". The Sacramento Bee

External links

• Official website
• Twitter
• Join California Brian Dahle