Bill Dodd - Retires after 125 passed bills and 25 years in office.

by Kathleen Reynolds

Long-time Napa residents know Bill Dodd as outgoing, friendly, humorous and an enthusiastic supporter of the Napa Valley, where he was raised on a farm. The word “retiring” wouldn’t fit in his description.

Bill currently represents the California 3rd Senate District covering the North San Francisco Bay Area, including Napa, Solano, Yolo counties and parts of Contra Costa County. Prior to that, he was elected to the California Assembly. He also served four terms on Napa’s County Board of Supervisors.

With his Senate term expiring November 30 this year, he has no intention of stepping back from the welfare of Napa Valley and its surrounding areas.

“After 25 years in elected office, I’ll be enjoying time with my family, but I have no plans to retire,” says Bill. “I’ll stay active, and I expect to serve the public and my community in one way or another.” 

According to his official biography, he established himself as the most prolific lawmaker in the Legislature, authoring 114 bills that have been signed into law.

He is chair of the Senate Governmental Organization Committee and is a member of the Transportation Committee; the Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee; the Revenue and Taxation Committee; the Business and Professions committee and the Insurance Committee. He is co-chair of the Senate Select Committee on California’s Wine Industry and the Legislative Delta Caucus.

His bills have spanned many topics – from improving public education and the environment to data privacy and protecting seniors. As a senator representing wildfire-torn Napa and Sonoma counties, he has been a leader on wildfire safety and prevention legislation, authoring numerous bills to protect Californians from future infernos and accompanying utility rate hikes.

Having been a successful small business owner of the largest full-service Culligan Water operations in California and as president of the water quality industry’s state and national trade associations, it’s no surprise that he worked to help small businesses when he was in the Assembly.

During his tenure in the Assembly, he also worked to protect the environment and support seniors and working families. He advanced a balanced, sustainable budget that invests in our education system from preschool through higher education. He helped establish the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit, promote career technical education, and create the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument – preserving over 330,000 acres of the California Coast Ranges in Napa, Yolo, Solano, Lake, Colusa, Glenn and Mendocino counties.

As a Napa County Supervisor, his accomplishments include completing Napa’s flood control project, which protects thousands of properties from flooding, the restoration of 900 acres of environmental wetlands and securing $1 billion of investment in local businesses. He has served on numerous government and nonprofit boards and commissions, including the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and Napa County Civil Grand Jury.

Bill’s career in the Senate isn’t quite over yet. “The legislative session ended at the end of August and most of Senator Dodd’s Bill package is on the Governor’s desk, awaiting his signature that is due by the end of the month,” says Senior Field Representative for District 3, Alex Pader. “We expect that Senator Dodd will have authored over 125 bills in his legislative career by then. Senator Dodd’s last day in office is November 30th, but with the legislative session over, he effectively can no longer author new legislation.”

The varied resolutions and bills approved by the California Legislature and awaiting the Governor’s signature include a resolution from Senators Bill Dodd and colleagues to name a portion of Interstate 80 in San Francisco after the late baseball icon, Willie Mays. 

Another updates conflict of interest laws to ensure local governments and other parties can more effectively implement and follow the law to prevent corruption or the appearance of corruption.

One is a measure to allow the state of California to sell land at Napa State Hospital known as Camp Coombs to Napa County for inclusion in Skyline Wilderness Park. 

A bill that would strengthen elder and dependent adult financial abuse protections by clarifying the duties of banks and financial institutions to safeguard against fraud is awaiting the Governor’s approval. 

His interest in protecting in protecting Napa Valley and surrounding areas is seen in a measure to enhance wildfire safety by improving standards for creation of defensible space.

“With more destructive and frequent wildfires, we must take every opportunity to protect ourselves and our communities,” Bill says. “One of the best things we can do is to clear the space around our homes of combustible brush and other flammable material. This bill will save lives by improving on my previous legislation on defensible space.”

Other bills include efforts to safeguard students from sexual misconduct and violence on California college campuses by adopting new requirements recommended in a California State Auditor report and by extending those rules to the University of California, California State University and community college systems.

Staying relevant to citizen’s current concerns, he has authored legislation that would build upon recent directives from President Joe Biden and Governor Gavin Newsom addressing the unprecedented growth of generative artificial intelligence technology by encouraging continued innovation while ensuring the rights and opportunities of all Californians are protected. 

In his personal life, Bill and his wife Mary live in Napa and have five grown children and 13 grandchildren. The Napa Valley Chamber of Commerce recognized the Dodds’ philanthropic efforts by awarding Senator Dodd “Citizen of the Year” for his fundraising for local charities.

Bill says he’s not finished yet.

“Being a senator is the greatest honor of my professional life and I’m committed to delivering the best possible results for California and my district until my last day in office,” says Bill. “That’s my focus now.”

Thank you for all you’ve done, Bill. Congratulations and we wish you well!