The Bee endorses this impressive leader to represent Solano County in the assembly | Opinion

Solano County residents are lucky to have one of the most promising, knowledgeable and effective emerging leaders in the California State Assembly. As she nears the end of her very first term in the assembly, Lori Wilson has proven that she’s a force to be reckoned with, and a talented leader with a bright future that the state should pay attention to.

A freshman assembly member, Wilson already holds three impressive chair positions, serving as head of the California Legislative Black Caucus and the Select Committee on Transportation and Emergency Preparedness as well as co-chair of the Delta Caucus alongside outgoing Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa). Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas also appointed Wilson to the position of majority whip.

Opinion

Wilson has made impressive strides and a name for herself in the assembly while battling breast cancer. Before undergoing medical treatment, Wilson was already an advocate for health care affordability and accessibility. Now, having seen the inequities of treatment first-hand, she says her constituents can expect at least one piece of legislation each year from her office that tackles the issue of health care equity. (The assemblywoman finished cancer treatments last fall and has had clean scans ever since.)

Wilson, who represents Assembly District 11, encompassing all of Solano County as well as parts of Contra Costa and Sacramento Counties, has rare fluency in an issue of high illiteracy in the legislature: water. She served on the Sonoma County Water Agency, which gave her a front-row seat on the interconnected nature of California’s water system.

Wilson understands both the plumbing and the important policy issues. This positions her perfectly to be a strong representative of her Bay-Delta territory. There, huge issues remain unresolved on whether and how to update the conveyance of the State Water Project to flood control needs that will only grow due to sea level rise.

This knowledge will also come in handy with the California Forever project, a proposed city that currently has no water supply and must find one to ever get off a drawing board.

Prior to serving in the assembly, Wilson was the first Black female mayor to serve in the entire history of Solano County when she was elected mayor of Suisun City in 2018 after serving on the city council, including as vice mayor for six years, since 2012.

It’s Wilson’s ability to combine her political know-how with an impressive career in politics and 20 years spent working in accounting in finance as well as important life lessons learned through personal experiences that make her an inspired and effective leader.

Both a military wife and military mom, Wilson’s first-hand experience seeing close friends suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and experiencing relief through psychedelic drugs led her to co-sponsor Senate Bill 58 (D-Wiener) which would have decriminalized certain hallucinogenic substances. (That bill was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.)

Wilson is the first legislator in the history of California to openly discuss being the parent of a transgender child. She is committed to making the state a safe-haven for trans people.

“Right here in California, we have municipal legislators and school boards taking action opposed to our trans youth,” Wilson said. “There is more work to be done (so that) if someone from another state comes here to seek refuge, we really are protecting them.”

Among the 11 assembly bills Wilson authored in her first term which made it to the governor’s desk, one was AB 957, which would have allowed California family courts to take into consideration whether a parent affirms their child’s gender identity as one factor when ruling in custody cases. (That bill was also vetoed by Newsom, a decision Wilson said she was “extremely disappointed” in.)

Wilson’s bills that were signed into law by the governor include two that support flood control projects, habitat restoration and the needs of farmers in Solano County.

There are three candidates running against Wilson to represent residents in cities including Benicia, Dixon, Fairfield, Vacaville and Vallejo: Republican and civil engineer Dave Ennis; Democrat and data and policy analyst Jeffrey Flack; and Republican real estate agent, Wanda Wallis. None of the three have a political or career experience that even comes close to comparison with Wilson’s.

Wilson is a rising star in California politics. Her constituents should be proud of her stellar first assembly term and re-elect her accordingly for a promising second term.