I was raised in Oroville, graduated from Las Plumas High School and California State University, Chico and now live in Magalia. I have enjoyed the blessing of marriage to my college sweetheart, Lori, whose career as a classroom teacher spanned 30 years. We are immensely proud of our mighty daughter, also an educator.
Over the course of my career, I have helped raise hundreds of millions of dollars for organizations that make our world better, many in California: faith-based charities, cities and counties, hospitals and health service providers, colleges and universities, and non-profit institutions – in other words, those who heal, feed, house, educate, create jobs and otherwise improve life for people. I have learned to listen deeply to identify and then solve the problems that hinder growth, often discovering novel solutions when the old ones stopped working.
I have dedicated much of my life to the arts. Early in life, I briefly taught music in the schools, lead the legendary New Christy Minstrels in a 25th anniversary national tour, and then earned critical acclaim as a performing songwriter and recording artist with solo tours in the U.S. and Europe. I have enjoyed many opportunities to act on both stage and screen, and over the decades have produced hundreds of concerts featuring artists from around the world.
Our home in Old Magalia was one of 13,900 that were lost in the 2018 Camp Fire. Two years later, the North Complex Fire destroyed the homes built by my parents and grandparents. We now walk the journey of community resilience every day. A community organizer prior to these life-changing events, I have since then invested heart, body and soul in the recovery of the Paradise Ridge through my service on the boards of Paradise Community Guilds, Regenerating Paradise, Norton Buffalo Hall Foundation, Paradise Arts, Theatre & Culture Hub (PATCH), and Paradise Arts Alliance.
As former director of California Trails Education Project, I helped to educate in support of SJR-8, the 2017 California Nonmotorized Trails Master Plan resolution passed in the California State Legislature. In 2019, I co-produced and directed the launch of a new TrailsNEXT short-lecture series at the International Trails Symposium in Syracuse, NY.
My working-class roots in Butte County go back four generations to 1860 with the founding of the historic Bald Rock Ranch (also called the Zink Ranch) in Berry Creek. For a century the Zink family raised cattle, most of their own food, logged the forests, worked in lumber mills and mines, and built up their community. My grandmother, Clyde, was a champion of education and advocated for building the local schoolhouse. During the Great Depression, my father Don worked in a WPA program to build roads. He also helped build the Berry Creek Grange.
When dad was hit by a health crisis in the early 1960’s, my parents sold all but 20 acres of the ranch and moved the family to Oroville. My mother Erma began a 25-year career with Butte County Child Protective Services and dad opened the Oro Plaza Wash ‘n Dry. The youngest of four children, I did chores at the laundromat after school, and on weekends helped with projects at the old ranch. During those years both mom and dad modeled resilience to us, taught us about the dignity of work, and the value of leading with respect. I’ve built a life on those values.
A deep faith took root in my childhood that has inspired me to a lifetime of service. It is the reason I now run for public office, and it informs my instincts to gather our district together to listen to each other, forge agreements and then take action.
I am a proud American and blessed to call California my home. I hope to earn your invitation – your vote – to serve as your representative for Assembly District 3 in the State Capitol.
