The son of a town dentist and small business owner, Tom Lackey was raised in the small, high desert mining town of Boron and graduated from Boron High School in 1977.

After graduation, Tom served as a missionary for two years, later returning home to attain a bachelor’s in special education and start his career as a special education teacher. To this day, Tom continues to serve those who require special care in the community as a champion for state funding to the developmentally disabled.

A proven and gracious leader for the region, Tom Lackey’s career has been underlined by a dedication to service and safety.

In 1985, Tom was provided with an opportunity to use his passion for helping people in another way when he was hired as an officer with the California Highway Patrol.

For nearly 30 years, Tom helped to keep the region’s streets and neighborhoods safe, serving the High Desert, and retiring as a Sergeant in 2014. During this time, he also worked as a member of the Antelope Valley Crime Task Force.

Those who know Tom will tell you that he has taken the oath to protect and serve to another level, and the number of ways he has helped to both lead for, and strengthen his community, exemplify this deep level of commitment.

Before being elected to the State Assembly, Tom served as a member of the Palmdale Elementary School District Board of Trustees, and was elected to three consecutive terms on the Palmdale City Council.

A lifelong conservative Republican, Tom is fighting every day to oppose tax increases, support law enforcement, protect constitutional rights, and create jobs in the High Desert.

Tom has two children and lives with his wife Linda in Palmdale.

Tom is a conservative Republican who believes in protecting taxpayers, standing with law enforcement, and making California more affordable for High Desert families.

Thurston “Smitty” Smith is a constitutional conservative who believes in our forefathers' vision to protect liberties and uphold the Constitution. For the past two decades, Smitty has been a small businessman and currently serves as a Republican in the California State Assembly.

A devout family man and Christian, Smitty has been married to Margaret for over 35 years, and they have raised two children together in Hesperia. In 2007, their youngest son, Brandon, tragically lost his life in an off-road motorcycle accident in the California desert. This tragedy led Smitty and his wife to establish the “Brandon E. Smith Memorial Scholarship” with the Victor Valley College Foundation to help local students achieve their educational ambitions.

After two decades pumping concrete in the Southern California desert and watching middle-class families struggle under the radical left’s job-killing agenda, Smitty decided it was time to make a difference. In 2006, Smitty’s neighbors elected him to serve as Hesperia’s Mayor, where he served two terms.

In November 2020, Smitty was elected to the California State Assembly. During his tenure in the Assembly, Smitty took on the special interests by fighting government waste, fraud, and abuse. He also fought against the defund the police movement and advocated to increase resources available to our law enforcement officers. In addition to backing our police, Smitty is fighting industrial-grade illegal cannabis grow operations, often cartel-run, to keep rural communities like ours safe.

As a small businessman and concrete contractor, Smitty has spent decades creating jobs. He knows that cutting government spending and taxes will drive down our ever-increasing inflation and grow our economy.

Thurston “Smitty” Smith and his wife Margaret have been residents of the San Bernardino County High Desert for three decades. He understands the challenges and opportunities for our region. Smitty is well-positioned to be our common-sense voice in the California State Assembly as our conservative leader.