Former Senator Bill Dodd brings a lifetime of connections and a track record of achieving real results. He spent 25 years in public service, including two terms as representing California’s 3rd Senate District in the heart of the scenic North San Francisco Bay Area. The fifth-generation Californian grew up on his family’s small Napa farm and was a successful business owner before being elected to the Napa County Board of Supervisors, the state Assembly and the state Senate. During his tenure, he has established himself as the most prolific lawmaker in the Legislature, authoring 126 bills that were signed into law.

In the Legislature, Sen. Dodd represented all of Napa and Solano and Yolo counties and portions of Sonoma, Contra Costa, Colusa, Lake and Sacramento counties. He served nearly 8 years as chair of the powerful Senate Governmental Organization Committee. That committee oversees all state policy dealing with alcoholic beverage control, gambling, state properties, state procurement and contracts, the California Department of Technology, State Fire Marshal, and emergency services. He previously chaired the Senate Committee on Banking and Financial Institutions as well as the Assembly Committee on Agriculture.

During his career, he also served as a member of the Transportation Committee; the Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee; the Revenue and Taxation Committee; the Business and Professions Committee; the Insurance Committee; and the Joint Committee on Emergency Management. He was co-chair of the Senate Select Committee on California’s Wine Industry, the Legislative Delta Caucus, and the Outdoor Sporting Caucus.

Sen. Dodd’s work has spanned many topics – from improving generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) to water and the environment to data privacy, insurance reform and protecting seniors. He co-wrote the California Consumer Privacy Act and authored the GenAI Accountability Act. 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.

Prior to his election to the Senate, he represented the 4th Assembly District. In the Assembly, he worked to help small businesses, 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.

Before the Assembly, Sen. Dodd served four terms on the Napa County Board of Supervisors. 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.

Prior to his time in elected office, Sen. Dodd was a successful small business owner. He owned and operated one of the largest full-service Culligan Water operations in California, and served as president of the water quality industry’s state and national trade associations. Sen. Dodd is a graduate of California State University, Chico.

Sen. Dodd and his wife Mary live in Napa and have five grown children and 13 grandchildren.