Old-Timers of the Year Have Contributed for Decades
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It was a treat last Friday to join the Old‑Timers Luncheon at the Lassen County Fair‚ a time to catch up with friends and especially to celebrate the Old‑Timers of the Year – Robert and RoseMarie Thompson‚ from Bieber.
Robert and RoseMarie have contributed in countless ways to the community in Lassen County for more than 50 years.
Together‚ they raised six children while building careers that touched generations of families. RoseMarie spent nearly three decades in education as a librarian‚ while Bob served 25 years on the Lassen County Board of Education‚ always advocating for students and rural schools.
Their commitment extended far beyond the classroom. They were longtime 4‑H leaders‚ active supporters of FFA‚ and advocates for local emergency services. Their family has been a familiar part of the Lassen County Fair for decades — from showing sheep and cattle to sharing antique engines and farm equipment with fairgoers.
Thank you to Bob and RoseMarie for all you have done for so long. It’s an honor to call you constituents and friends.
Fair season is truly my favorite time of year‚ not least for the way it celebrates community and our agricultural roots. It continues in the North State this weekend with the Plumas‑Sierra Fair in Quincy.
Taking the Capitol to the District
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One of the most valuable ways for staff who work in the State Capitol to understand the impact of the work they do is to spend time in the communities they serve.
Capitol staff whose job is to research legislation‚ prepare for committee hearings‚ and support the development of public policy make decisions that impact every corner of California. For those decisions to be informed by the realities of rural communities‚ it is important that the people helping make them have the opportunity to leave the Capitol and experience firsthand the people‚ places‚ industries‚ challenges‚ and opportunities that make up the districts they serve.
This week‚ Taylor Brown‚ a legislative aide with my Capitol team‚ spent the day with my district staff in Siskiyou and Shasta counties learning firsthand about the needs and opportunities in the North State.
They began the day with Yreka City Manager William Ibershof and Assistant City Manager Juliana Lucchesi for a conversation about the region’s housing challenges. Housing intersects with other critical issues‚ including rural health care and child care. In rural communities‚ recruiting and retaining medical professionals requires more than simply having a job available. Health care professionals need adequate housing‚ and many will also need reliable child care to relocate to and build a life in a community. These issues are deeply interconnected and addressing one often requires understanding the others.
The group also had the opportunity to learn more about the work of First 5 Siskiyou‚ including its efforts to support parents and families and its partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to place books directly into the hands of children. Early access to books and support for parents can have a lasting impact on children and families‚ helping build a foundation for literacy and lifelong learning.
From there‚ the group traveled to the headwaters of the Sacramento River‚ where water emerges from springs at the base of beautiful Mt. Shasta. For Capitol staff who are familiar with the Sacramento River as it flows through the Central Valley and the communities where they work‚ seeing its beginning provided a meaningful perspective on the river’s journey‚ from its headwaters in the North State to the farmland and communities it supports farther south.
The group stopped at Mount Shasta Sisson Museum‚ both to better understand the history of the area and to see the results of 2024 legislation previously authored by Sen. Brian Dahle‚ which allowed the museum to continue operating on property owned by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and providing educational and cultural resources to the community.
Staff had the opportunity to visit Shasta Dam‚ learning more about the history of the dam‚ the creation of Lake Shasta‚ and the role the facility plays in California’s water infrastructure. Shasta Dam is a key component of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Central Valley Project – the largest water storage‚ transport and distribution system in the United States. The system provides water for agriculture and communities‚ generates electricity‚ and supports the production of much of the food grown in California‚ including more than 40 percent of the nation’s organic food‚ about one‑third of the state’s vegetables‚ and two‑thirds of its fruits and nuts.
The day concluded with a stop at NorCal EMS to get insight into the challenges facing rural and frontier ambulance services. These providers often serve geographically vast areas‚ requiring long‑distance transports to rural hospitals and‚ in many cases‚ lengthy travel times before a patient can receive needed care. At the same time‚ the costs of maintaining emergency medical services across such expansive areas can be extraordinarily high.
Experiences like these are an important part of building a better understanding of California. The challenges facing a community are rarely isolated. Housing is connected to health care and child care. Water infrastructure is connected to agriculture‚ communities and the state’s economy. Geography is connected to emergency medical access and the cost of providing essential services.
For Capitol staff‚ the opportunity to spend time in the districts they serve‚ and to meet the people working every day to address these challenges‚ provides valuable context to the work they do each day in Sacramento. Bringing the Capitol to the district and bringing the district’s experiences back to the Capitol ensure that the realities of rural California are part of the conversations shaping our state.
Arbuckle Marks 150 Years
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On Saturday Team Dahle visited Arbuckle‚ in Colusa County‚ as the town celebrated its 150th birthday with a parade‚ downtown fair‚ street dance and more.
A pop‑up exhibit by the Sacramento Valley Museum highlighted the history of Arbuckle‚ which was founded as a railroad stop when Tacitus Ryland Arbuckle offered his land as a railroad route and developed the town‚ and Old West gunfight re‑enactments harkened back to the 1870s.
Arbuckle remains a small but proud farming community all these years later‚ and celebrated with style thanks to the efforts of the Arbuckle Revitalization Committee. Happy birthday!