Heidi Hall For Congress

A Problem Solver for Congress

“I’m a problem solver. I’ve spent over three decades in public service working with others to forge solutions that protect our land and water, improve health, and build opportunities for others.

I’m running for Congress because the politics in Washington has become toxic and people are suffering because of it. I’ll take my determination and problem-solving approach to Congress to stand up to extreme politics and the greedy corporations, and I’ll work with others to put people first for a change.

Kevin Kiley is part of the problem in Washington. He’s left us behind and we deserve better.” — Heidi Hall

About Heidi Hall

A Career of Service

Heidi Hall has spent her three-decade public service career working with others to solve problems, protect our land and water, improve health, and build opportunities for others, all while raising two boys primarily as a single mom.

Raised by parents who had persisted to make a middle-class life for their kids in Contra Costa County while lifting up others, Heidi was taught to push through and overcome challenges rather than complain about them. She learned to stick up for the vulnerable, to respect working people, and to value equal opportunity and justice.

Shaped by the civil rights and social justice movements she grew up around, Heidi developed an interest in public service and environmental advocacy. She worked her way through college and earned two graduate degrees before working for the Environmental Protection Agency, implementing solutions to stop toxic waste dumping and protect our water and public health. Heidi then worked for the California Department of Water Resources to protect our rivers and lakes and refurbish our groundwater supply.

Frustrated with the lack of support for rural working people and small businesses in Grass Valley and beyond, Heidi stepped up to challenge the right-wing Republican and won her first election without a runoff. She is now the Chair of the Nevada County Board of Supervisors and has worked with members of both parties to solve problems on homelessness and housing, expand broadband access, reduce crime and rogue cannabis growers, address the fire insurance crisis, and strengthen fire protection.

Rooted in Service and Resilience

Heidi’s parents were educators who grew up poor and worked hard to get ahead. Her dad was the oldest of three boys who picked oranges and raised cattle before losing his own father to suicide when he was 16 and then serving overseas in the Army. Heidi’s mom escaped post-war Germany as a teenager and settled in the Bay Area to work in childcare.

Raised by parents who had persisted to make a middle-class life for their kids in Contra Costa County while lifting up others, Heidi was taught to push through and overcome challenges rather than complain about them. She learned to stick up for the vulnerable, to respect working people, and to value equal opportunity and justice.

Shaped by the civil rights and social justice movements she grew up around, Heidi developed an interest in public service and environmental advocacy.

As a 12 year-old, she watched the Watergate Hearings rebroadcasts each night on PBS with her dad and became infatuated with the process at a time when members of both parties took the system seriously and put politics aside to focus on facts and the rule of law.

Heidi’s 4th grade teacher inspired her to get involved in environmental advocacy, spending time volunteering with Save the Whales, advocating to protect Mt. Diablo from development, and promoting recycling.

Heidi applied the determination she learned from her parents to school and work. While focusing on her education, she started working as a babysitter at 13 before getting a job at McDonald’s at 16, and she spent summers in Grass Valley scooping ice cream while visiting her grandparents.

Building a Career as a Problem Solver

Heidi worked her way through Pomona College, including spending a summer coaching farmworkers on their rights regarding pesticide spraying for the California Agrarian Action Project in Davis. After earning a degree in international relations, she went to Columbia University for graduate school to study underdeveloped nations.

A problem solver at heart who makes it her mission to learn how things work and then make them better, Heidi wanted to understand the world of finance so she worked as a broker on Wall Street after earning her master’s degree. She then went to work for the Rockefeller Foundation, helping to organize reproductive rights and contraceptive care programs in underdeveloped countries.

Heidi wanted to shift her focus back to her passion for our environment, so she earned another graduate degree in public policy from Rutgers University and went to work for the Environmental Protection Agency in a regional position based in San Francisco that focused on hazardous waste. She started out working to protect our land and water by stopping the dumping of toxic chemical waste before moving on to work with Tribal governments on reducing waste and implementing recycling programs.

Heidi earned promotions to supervisor and worked to prevent hazardous waste dumping by corporations along the U.S.-Mexico border which was having serious economic and health impacts on residents. She approached the job as a problem solver, working with the local, state, and federal governments in both countries to develop methods to prevent dangerous waste dumping and then helping to hold polluters accountable.

A Fighter for Local, Rural Communities

Raising two boys on her own in the city was expensive, so Heidi decided to move to Grass Valley full time to raise her kids in a rural environment and went to work for the California State Water Resources Control Board before moving to the Department of Water Resources. In those roles, she worked to protect ecosystems around rivers and helped implement landmark policy changes to use flood plains to refurbish groundwater.

As Heidi got involved in Grass Valley and throughout the region, she became more aware of the challenges residents, workers, and business owners faced. She saw the lack of access and opportunity for economic success. People would do what they could to help their neighbors, but they got no help from Sacramento or Washington. So, Heidi stepped up to run for Nevada County Supervisor and successfully replaced a right-wing Republican who failed to act on issues like homelessness.

Heidi earned the trust of voters, winning the seat without a runoff and restoring civility to the board she currently chairs. For the past eight years, she has been a leader on expanding broadband access to create more economic opportunity, she has worked with cannabis growers to regulate the industry and reduce crime by cracking down on rogue growers, and she has worked with members of both parties to reduce homelessness and make Nevada County a model for rural counties on the issue. Heidi has worked to solve real problems facing her community and fought to strengthen fire protection, address the fire insurance crisis, and protect public lands for recreation.

Putting People First and Standing up to Washington

Heidi is a proud mother, stepmother, and grandmother who has always prioritized family while maintaining her career and solving big problems to improve our environment and public health. Heidi lives in Grass Valley with her husband Enrique and they enjoy time with their blended family while caring for her mom.

Now, Heidi is running for Congress because the politics in Washington has become toxic and people are suffering because of it. Right-wing billionaires and super-rich corporations are taking advantage of the toxic politics to put themselves and their bottom lines ahead of workers and retirees. Heidi will bring her determination and problem-solving approach to Congress to stand up to extreme politics and the greedy corporations, and she will work with others to put people first for a change.

Issues

Lowering Costs

Across the country and in California in particular, we are experiencing an affordability crisis. Everyday essentials are far too expensive for the average working family and the chaotic approach of the current administration has only worsened our economic stability, which will drive costs up.

We must put hardworking, everyday people first and help them get ahead.

In Congress, I will stand up to greedy, price-gouging corporations and fight for tax cuts for the working class, not for the super rich. I’ll work to strengthen our middle class and get our economy back on track so we can all afford to live stress-free and so that our children have the opportunity to find success. And I’ll stand up to utility companies to stop their aggressive rate hikes.

Protecting Our Environment

In California’s 3rd District, we are surrounded by some of the greatest natural resources in the country, and yet these resources are at risk due to polluters and natural disasters.

Climate change is a real and growing threat and with devastating effects on our environment and quality of life. From wildfires to rising sea levels, protecting our environment requires us to not only stand up to polluters, but also take action in moving our state toward a more sustainable future.

Just as I did during my time at the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Department of Water Resources, I will always stand up to protect our water, air, and land. In addition to holding polluters accountable, we must address climate change by investing in sustainable energy solutions and enact sensible, streamlined and protective environmental protection laws so our environment and natural resources can be used and enjoyed for years to come.

Defending Reproductive Freedom

Reproductive freedom is essential to the well-being of women everywhere. Unfortunately, across the country we are seeing the devastating effects of the fall of Roe v. Wade, with millions of women having lost or being put at risk of losing access to essential healthcare.

This cannot continue and I believe legislators both in California and across the country must do everything in their power to protect women’s personal freedoms and rights.

In Washington, I will always support and defend women’s reproductive freedom. I will fight to keep politicians out of our personal healthcare decisions by pushing to make Roe v. Wade the law of the land.

Expanding Healthcare Access and Reducing Costs

Every American deserves access to affordable healthcare. However, Republicans in Washington are determined to take away healthcare for millions of seniors and low-income Americans who rely on programs like Medicare and Medicaid in order to give massive tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans.

As your representative, I will defend Medicare and Medicaid, and fight to expand healthcare access and affordability by making Medicare available to everyone. I’ll take on Big Pharma to lower prescription drug prices and ensure everyone has access to high-quality, affordable care and families are not saddled with massive medical debt.

Strengthening Wildfire Prevention

As a Nevada County Supervisor, I worked across the aisle to strengthen fire protection. The Trump Administration has canceled lifesaving wildfire prevention projects and Congress is not taking action to restore these critical resources. I will continue to protect property owners and work to keep our homes, businesses, infrastructure, and natural resources safe.

Fire insurance is an equally important issue. That’s why I led a statewide working group of fellow County Supervisors to address the fire insurance crisis. With the devastating fires we experience annually in California, it is clear that more work needs to be done to tackle the fire insurance crisis in order for homeowners to stay covered and protected at reasonable rates, especially in our rural communities.

Protecting Our Water and Agricultural Economy

Water is the lifeblood of California’s agricultural economy, particularly for rural communities. Our farmers and ranchers deserve clarity from the federal government, not constant threats of cuts to support programs and tariff increases.

I’ll work to ensure that we effectively manage our water, protecting what we need for our local economy and providing farmers and ranchers with the water resources they need so that they’re able to make a living while providing the food Americans need.

Affordable Housing

Finding housing has become nearly impossible for the next generation or those on a fixed income. In order to give everyone a chance at the American Dream, we have to streamline regulations, and assist the housing industry to build more housing options at more price levels everywhere.

Delivering Solutions on Homelessness

Far too many of our neighbors are stuck in a cycle of homelessness which is posing safety risks to both themselves and others. Addressing homelessness requires us to provide multiple avenues of support from helping people physically finding shelter to providing mental health resources so people can find stability and thrive.

As Supervisor, I have championed model programs for rural Counties, and in Congress, I will support and fund programs like these in urban and rural areas. I’ll work to make housing more affordable and increase funding for mental health services so those who are currently homeless have a clear path forward and those on the verge of homelessness can stay afloat.

Defending Workers’ Rights

Good-paying union jobs are essential in keeping California strong and our state running. All workers should have the right to organize and deserve a safe workplace, fair wages, and retirement security.

With works under attack by this administration, I will defend labor unions and workers’ rights and back legislation that will support and empower workers.

Creating Jobs and Supporting Small Businesses

While MAGA extremists in Washington are threatening our economic stability, it is more important than ever that we work to create new jobs and help small businesses succeed.

Small businesses are the backbone of our local economy and need our support. We should be taking steps to make it easier for them to start and operate in California and throughout the nation.

In addition, by supporting investments in our green infrastructure, we will be able to create good-paying jobs right here in California while also making our energy use more efficient and reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.

I’ll work to bring jobs back to America and California and cut red tape to help small businesses grow.

Tackling Corruption in Washington

Washington is broken and has become a cesspool of corruption. From insider trading, to Super PACS injecting millions of dollars into our elections, to corporate lobbyists buying favors, the powerful continue to take advantage of the people. Too many politicians and lobbyists are getting rich while hardworking, everyday people are left behind.

When I’m in Washington, I’ll work to ban stock trading by members of Congress and presidential appointees, reduce the influence of corporate lobbyists on political campaigns, and crack down on dark money political spending.

Strengthening Public Safety

Crime is on the rise in some communities and families deserve to feel safe. I’ll work to ensure law enforcement has the tools and resources they need to prevent crime and protect neighborhoods. I’ll also support efforts to crack down on drugs coming across our southern border and back investments in diversion programs to reduce illegal drug use in our communities. We can also bolster drug use prevention programs, fully fund probation officers, and support community based policing to reduce recidivism as best we can.

Immigration

Immigrant workers are vital to the California economy, from agriculture, to construction, to hospitality. While we need to remain vigilant against illegal felons, targeting immigrants who are trying to make an honest living but caught in a complicated and broken system is wrong. I will work to fix our immigration system so that it works for workers and creates safer borders for our country and those protecting them.

Ending the War in Gaza

Given the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7, Israel has a right to defend itself and pursue justice. Hamas must be held accountable. However, Netanyahu and some other government hardliners have taken this too far.

The horrific killing of innocent Palestinians in Gaza must stop immediately, and we must commit to working with our international partners to re-establish robust aid to the area. This is a humanitarian crisis with innocent people starving, suffering, and dying. I support a ceasefire that leads to the release of all remaining hostages, a diplomatic 2 or 23-state solution to bring stability to the region, and investments to rebuild Gaza.

The people of Israel and Palestine deserve peace, and they deserve leaders dedicated to reaching that peace, not waging endless wars. Not only are innocent people being killed, but Netanyahu’s actions have also made Israel a greater target and endangered the long-term security of the Israeli people.

The US has an obligation to hold its allies to international standards of conduct. Our goal should be to support efforts to provide a safe and secure place for Israelis and Palestinians.

Safeguarding Public Lands

Our public lands are a precious resource for us all to enjoy, and should remain that way. This district in particular is rich with forests, lakes, rivers and deserts that millions of Americans recreate in and on every year. From South Lake Tahoe and Mt. Tallac, across all three forks of the Yuba River, through Mono Lake, and Death Valley, and more, these lands should be preserved for us all. Selling parts of these precious jewels off will devastate mountain towns, ruin local economies, and destroy our common resources.