Heather Hadwick, a republican farmer and business owner, is running for California State Assembly District 1 against Republican Mayor of Redding Tenessa Audette.
Assemblywoman Megan Dahle and California State Senator Brian Dahle have both endorsed Hadwick.
Hadwick grew up in Siskiyou County and moved to Modoc County almost twenty years ago. She attended Chico State as a first-generation college student and received her Bachelor’s in agriculture science in 2002, then her Master’s in leadership and business management in 2016.
“[Hadwick] plans to advocate for the suspension of the gas tax, take measures to stop wildfires from wreaking havoc in our communities and create opportunities for better-paying jobs,” her campaign site states.
She is also pro-life and believes in the importance of the Second Amendment, property rights and parental rights.
Hadwick is a small business owner. She and her husband own a small family farm — which is also the only pumpkin patch in Modoc County — called Hadwick Family Farm Pumpkin Patch.
“Rising costs, especially in agriculture, have been a significant concern, and I understand the tough decisions that families and small businesses must make to survive,” she said.
With focus in education and crisis management, Hadwick has participated in over twenty years of public service. She currently serves as the community schools lead for her county and creates safety training programs for teachers and administrators.
Hadwick also worked as both an elementary and high school teacher, and still works at Modoc High School teaching a public safety class.
She has served a variety of roles in crisis management. She had tenure as the director of the Deputy Office of Emergency Services and also served as the director of the Emergency Operations Center and as a public information officer.
One of her areas of expertise is fire management, which she states will be her top issue if elected.
“I am tired of watching our forests burn, our communities burn,” Hadwick said. “We have to streamline processes so that people can actually work on our land, mitigation is the answer and we are so far behind. We need to be proactive instead of reactive.”
CAL FIRE Local 2881 — a Sacramento firefighter labor union — and California Professional Firefighters endorse Hadwick.
“I will fight to keep political social agendas out of schools. I believe in parent choice and letting local school boards govern their districts,” Hadwick said.
Hadwick believes that through education, California can better understand the unique needs of District 1.
“I want to [educate] Sacramento legislators and lobbyists about how we live and why District 1 is different. I will do this by bringing them to the district on tours, workshops and meetings so that they know our challenges, limitations and they can see the value of our communities,” Hadwick said.
The most challenging part of the job will be covering all 11 counties within District 1, Hadwick believes. She has already put 65,000 miles on her car trying to reach as many people as possible.
“The decisions coming out of Sacramento affect District 1 differently,” Hadwick said. “I know what it’s like to be the forgotten County and I don’t ever want anyone in our district to feel like that.”
Hadwick plans to establish regular town hall meetings and open forums for residents to attend and play an active role in shaping policies that affect their lives.
The election between Hadwick and Audette for State Assembly District 1 will be held on Nov. 5.
Anthony Vasek can be reached at [email protected] and [email protected].
