On Monday, just a day after the California Democratic Party Convention wrapped up in Sacramento, party Chair Rusty Hicks launched his campaign to succeed Jim Wood as the next representative of Assembly District 2, which comprises Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Sonoma and Trinity counties.

On Tuesday morning, we reached Hicks by phone, and over the course of a roughly 25-minute conversation he told us a bit about his upbringing, his personal and political history and his ideas for how best to represent the North Coast at the State Capitol.

The conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

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California Democratic Party Leader and candidate for Assembly District 2 seat Rusty Hicks. | Submitted.

Lost Coast Outpost: I think a lot of folks here in Humboldt County were not aware until recently that you and your wife live here. Can you tell me a bit about yourself and how you wound up in Arcata?

Rusty Hicks: I initially came to know and in many ways love the North Coast when I ran for chair of the California Democratic Party. I had a campaign program that was [called] “58 counties in 58 days.” California’s a big state. Our delegates are spread all across all 58 counties, and so I wanted to ensure that I had the opportunity to connect with all of them. 

As part of that campaign I came through this part of the state and fell in love with the beauty that is the North Coast, and I brought my wife back shortly thereafter. And we came back again and stayed a little while longer and knew early on that this is [somewhere] that we wanted to make a permanent home. 

I think that, in combination with the change that we all experienced during the pandemic, really caused us to sort of reset and reevaluate what was important to us. And certainly quality of life became even more important, and being in this part of the state has certainly raised our quality of life, not the least of which is just simply being able to do a statewide job, which can be incredibly challenging, but having the opportunity to come home to Arcata to Humboldt County, and just to breathe that clean, crisp air when I step off the plane or come into the city has been a bit of a blessing. 

Obviously this seat opened up a lot earlier than anyone expected. And I certainly considered it and felt that I had had something to offer to voters for consideration.

When did you find out that Jim Wood would not be running for re-election?

I certainly heard a rumor … but I got confirmation when he sent out a release saying, “I’m not running again.” So I really try not to — there’s that old saying that says, “Don’t believe anything you read and only half of what you see in politics.” And so I don’t buy into the rumor mill but certainly got confirmation with the rest of the world.

Some people are going to be skeptical [and apply] the “carpetbagger” label, wondering if you moved here deliberately with this seat in mind. Can you address that directly?

I can certainly understand those that are skeptical, and the only thing that I can do is share my truth and my story and what I believe I offer to voters and residents here on the North Coast.

I believe that I bring a unique skill set and a statewide profile that can uplift and in many ways empower the North Coast in a different way. We’ve had great leadership, but it has been from the southern part of this district. The role that I’ve played has been for rural communities, suburban communities and urban communities. And I think I bring something different that can help bring to the North Coast what it needs for some of the challenges that it faces.

I know the basic outlines of your professional life, from being an attorney and a labor organizer and then your move into state politics, but were you born and raised in Los Angeles?

I was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas. So, home of stockyards and daily cattle drives and the longest weekly rodeo in the country. And so, I mean, a guy with a name like Rusty Hicks could only probably be from Texas. So I hope your readers don’t ultimately hold that against me. I certainly got to California as fast as I could. In 2003 I came for the Coro Fellows Program, a public affairs leadership program … and then I was on the legislative side. I was in Sacramento for a short period of time and then I was a district director in a field office in Los Angeles.

So that is sort of where I kind of got my start here in California. But I think there are three pieces to my story that I think tell more who I am and that is as an educator, as an organizer and as a veteran. As an educator, I teach two American government classes through College of the Redwoods at Pelican Bay [State Prison].

I saw that in the release you issued this morning. [Note: Hicks’ campaign press release is published in full at the bottom of this post.] Tell me more about that.

When I moved here to Humboldt, I ended up having a conversation with President [Keith] Flamer at College of the Redwoods, and [Flamer], a former marine officer, said to me, “I want to use you.” And as a Navy officer I understood that and said, “Well, what have you got?” And he shared this program with me, the opportunity to teach incarcerated students at Pelican Bay. And for me, I felt like that was in many ways a full circle opportunity for me. My father was incarcerated most of my upbringing. I met him for the first time when I was 11 and he was in a Texas prison.

At 14 I actually got to attend my father’s high school graduation, his GED graduation. He was incarcerated but looking to improve his life and improve himself and hoping for a second chance at some point, when he was released. And, some 30 years later, I got the opportunity to walk into Pelican Bay and share my 20 years of experience with students who were trying to get their second chance. And that may come in two years or 20 years. But they’re all dedicated to try and improve themselves and I’m really proud to be a part of — just a small little piece, you know — their journey.

Was your father eventually released?

He was. And as one might imagine we do not have the closest of relationships, but we interact now and then.

Can I ask what he was convicted of?

I believe the charges were related to drugs and alcohol — you know, demons that he never could quite wrap his arms around. So, you know, between an incarcerated father and a single mother who raised me, it’s certainly a formative part of my upbringing. So I think that educator role — I think some will see me as the chair of the party, you know, a political figure. But that educator role was really an important part of my story. 

Can you tell me a bit about why you want to go from being the chair of the party to an elected representative? It seems like those might be very different jobs [requiring] different skill sets.

Well, certainly it’s another opportunity to serve, whether it’s in the classroom, in Pelican Bay, or trying to raise the wages of hard-working women and men — or, you know, answering the call when I was deployed to Afghanistan. This is another way in which I believe that I can serve. … 

I have a long history of navigating big pieces of policy through complicated environments in partnership with challenging partners and allies. … We need strong leadership, especially from rural communities, on the green carpet of the State Assembly, but also a leader who is battle tested [and] has a strong network of statewide relationships to ensure that the voices of rural communities, especially in the Democratic Caucus, are heard loud and clear. And so I believe I bring that record of service that can be put to good use for this part of the state.

You said the natural beauty and pace of life drew you here. Was there anything else about Humboldt County that you connected with?

I think there is an ethos, there is a deep-rooted belief in resilience and a dedication to hard work, a do-it-yourself mentality that drives the North Coast. And I think in many ways I identify with that from my own upbringing, whether it’s in Trinity County, where they have essentially rebuilt a high school over the course of the last school year, over in Trinity Alps. They have essentially done it, yes, with the help of others, but kind of done it on their own. 

And I think if you combine that [mentality] with more resources and support, I don’t think we can really imagine what can actually happen here. I think there is such opportunity here, especially as it relates to the climate crisis. The North Coast can be a leader in what it means to address the climate crisis. Obviously, the offshore wind project is probably one of the one of the most prominent opportunities for large-scale green energy, recognizing there are a lot of questions to be answered and a lot of bridges to be crossed before that project could be realized — and the North Coast has to get its piece of that.

When we talk about forest management and land management, the North Coast has the opportunity to lead the way as to what exactly that means. How do you maximize the beautiful space that we have and enjoy from a recreational standpoint? How do we maximize that in support of addressing the climate crisis, the work that is being done on the Klamath and the Eel with regards to dams and bringing fish populations, salmon and otherwise, closer to where they originally were? These are all real climate environment leadership opportunities for this part of the state. And so I think it’s the beauty, I think it’s the ethos, and I think it’s the opportunity of the North Coast that is why I’m glad to call it home.

Do you have a sense of what your legislative priorities would be if you are elected?

Well, my body of work has been in the space of creating good jobs and improving the jobs that we have, so I believe that a good job can be can greatly assist in a whole host of other challenges. And in the part of the state where we have some of the lowest weekly wage rates, I believe that’s an incredible challenge, not just in the quantity of jobs that we have but the quality of jobs that we have at the same time. So jobs generation is incredibly important. 

Obviously, we have a housing crisis and challenge across the state, which is separate and apart from our unhoused and homeless challenge as it relates to mental health. Both of those challenges are incredibly important. And I do think the housing piece, ensuring that we have an adequate number of homes that people can actually afford would be a priority and a focus, and ensuring that we are building the right kind of housing, that we are incentivizing private industry, that we are appropriately regulating … and subsidizing in the places where it makes sense. 

I think rural health care obviously has to be a priority in this part of the state. We simply, at this point in time, don’t have the population centers to be able to attract the health care talent and assets that we need, so it’s a little bit of a “chicken and egg” challenge with regards to that. Certainly Assemblymember Wood in his role as the health committee chair has played such an important role there, and I would hope to continue that work. While not being a health care professional myself, I certainly think placing it as a priority and looking to work with partners in the health care space here on the North Coast would be a priority. And then, last, [the issue] that ties it all together is climate action that I spoke about before and the opportunity for us to play a leadership role on that.

Can you talk a little bit about the logistical implications of vacating your position as chair of the party in California?

Over the last week or so, while being focused on the convention, I wanted to ensure that the party continued to be in a strong position headed into an important election. And so I’ve been in consultation with my fellow officers and leaders, our executive director and staff and our legal counsel, and we’re in unanimous agreement that this is the appropriate way forward. I intend to remain in the role as chair until the outcome of the election is decided. 

There are no bylaws [or] legal prohibitions on that. In fact, a political party is a political party committee. An Assembly candidate has a candidate-controlled committee. So a candidate cannot have multiple committees because they would be tied to one. But in statute there are different kinds of committees, and statute specifically says that a political party committee cannot be a candidate-controlled committee. 

We have leaders you know, in our state — the governor, the speaker, the pro tem and others — that are active in the life of the party, and they have multiple candidate-controlled committees at any one time. And so, from a purely legal standpoint, there’s no issue related to that. 

I do recognize that there will be some “While you’re remaining in the role and your running as a candidate” perception-related issues. And I recognize there will be skeptics. It is the Democratic Party, after all, and we can often disagree with one another without getting disagreeable. I do think that is possible. But in the interest of, let’s say, fairness and transparency, I will suspend my pay and benefits as chair of the party and serve in the role in a volunteer capacity, certainly through the March election and then revisit it after that. 

Any decision made as it relates to Assembly District 2 or anything connected to this district, I’ll recuse myself from those decisions and those decisions will be made by my vice chair in consultation with our other officers. 

And then the last thing is, as it relates to the party’s endorsement: At this point in time it’s too late for the party to revisit the endorsement in the Second Assembly District for the March ballot. [Note: Incumbent Jim Wood, who is not running for re-election, secured that nomination.] And therefore, the party will not have an officially endorsed candidate. The party can’t move resources to a candidate that they have not endorsed. 

And on top of that, you know, I won’t be getting a salary or benefits from the party while I’m actively campaigning. So I believe those steps ensure that the work of the party moves forward, that we are addressing any legal-related issues and have gone above and beyond to make sure that we’re addressing any perception issues related to this. 

At the convention over the weekend, there were some news stories that mentioned protesters who were calling for a ceasefire, and It sounded like you had a pretty strong reaction to that. You were quoted as saying that the protest was “unacceptable.” Can you talk about why you considered the protest unacceptable? Was it because it was disrupting the proceedings?

We made it pretty clear that we uphold the constitutionally protected right to free speech and freedom of expression. I mean, that is a sacred principle for California Democrats. But when you use violence or intimidation or harassment or bullying to express that right or exercise that right, that is unacceptable.

Was there any violence?

Well, there were at least two security agents that were injured as a result of their interaction with a large number of non delegates. You know, to be clear, the vast majority of those that fully disrupted the proceedings or sought to cancel or end the activities were non-delegates. Now, my understanding, and there will be a process to look at this, but my understanding is that there were some number of delegates that were a part of those activities and went beyond the simple expression of, their freedom of speech and their right to speak their mind. 

We do have a process, we do have a strong code of conduct, which everyone was aware of. It is a complaint-driven process with an ombudsperson and an investigation process. … So, there is a process by which these issues are adjudicated within the party. But I did not — just to be clear — I did not say the protest was unacceptable. Going beyond the peaceful expression of those rights in a way that inhibits the rights of others is unacceptable.

Okay, I appreciate that clarification. Is there anything else you want to say about your candidacy or yourself personally?

No … I appreciate the time and look forward to the conversation going forward. I’m sure we’ll have the opportunity to chat again more.

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Here’s a press release issued by Hicks this morning:

Rusty Hicks launches campaign for State Assembly with broad local support

Following Assemblymember Jim Wood’s announcement that he will not run for re-election, Arcata resident and California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks announced today that he is a candidate for the 2nd Assembly District.

Rusty enters the race with endorsements from former North Coast State Senator and Assemblymember Wesley Chesbro, Humboldt County Supervisor Natalie Arroyo, Arcata Councilmember Alex Stillman, Eureka Councilmember Scott Bauer, Ukiah Councilmember Juan Orozco, Trinidad Mayor Steve Ladwig, Trinity Alps Unified Schools Superintendent Jaime Green, and other local leaders and organizers. 

“Rusty Hicks will offer the seasoned and experienced voice we need in Sacramento to represent our sprawling rural North Coast Assembly District,” Chesbro said. “Rusty knows us, and so I am pleased to offer him my full and enthusiastic support.”

“Rusty has a great background to serve the district, with robust policy experience on statewide issues, a background in law that’s incredibly helpful for an elected leader, and service to our nation as a veteran,” Supervisor Arroyo said. “His lived experience in rural and urban settings can really serve this diverse district!”

“I look forward to Rusty keeping the North Coast in the forefront and working with us to gain the resources to meet our many challenges,” Councilmember Stillman stated. 

“I’m proud to be an educator, a veteran, and an organizer – each down to my core,” Rusty said. “As I look around our beautiful North Coast, I see the struggles that our communities face every day. The rising cost of living, the challenges in accessing healthcare, and the constant threats to our planet. Bottom line, we face more challenges and need more help than ever before – and that’s why I’m running for State Assembly.” (Read Rusty’s full statement).

The 2nd District stretches across five counties: Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Sonoma, and Trinity. Rusty and his wife, Sandra Sanchez, live in Arcata, with their dog Charlie.

In 2021, Rusty was reelected as Chair of the California Democratic Party - the nation’s largest State Party comprised of more than 10 million California Democrats. But his experience runs much deeper. He continues to serve as an Associate Professor at College of the Redwoods, teaching at Pelican Bay State Prison, doing his part to reduce recidivism. Rusty previously ran one of the largest labor councils in the U.S. and served as a Vice-President of the California Labor Federation. 

In every role, Rusty has a proven record of accomplishment delivering real results for real people.

• Rusty led a successful campaign to raise the wages of millions of workers to $15 an hour throughout California, pushing and helping spread the national Raise the Wage campaign, helping people to lift themselves out of poverty.
• He helped lead a groundbreaking ballot effort to invest in affordable and permanent supportive housing to tackle homelessness – which also provides good paying union jobs.
• As Democratic Party Chair, Rusty helped guide Proposition 1 to victory, adding the right to a safe and legal abortion to the California State Constitution.
• A believer in the power of a second chance, Rusty built a program to help formerly incarcerated workers rejoin the workforce and secure a good union job.
• Rusty has fought for and built a coalition to win greater worker protections against sexual harassment and assault for vulnerable workers in the hospitality industry.
• Rusty fights for environmental justice and has helped lead campaigns for safe and clean water. He supports a Green New Deal to maximize the benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act to prevent climate disaster and create jobs.
• As a member of the Democratic Party’s Veterans Caucus, Rusty has been an advocate for veterans’ housing, education, health care, and mental health care.

In addition to his organizing work to empower working people through political action, Rusty has played a leading role in a number of important political and policy efforts. In 2008, Rusty served as the California Political Director for Obama for America. 

And of course, Rusty is a Veteran of the United States Navy and deployed to Afghanistan in 2012-2013 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He is a graduate of Loyola Law School and a member of the California State Bar.