California's 3rd senatorial district

California's 3rd senatorial district is one of 40 California State Senate districts. It is currently represented by Democrat Bill Dodd of Napa.

California's 3rd State Senate district
Map of the district
Current senator
 Bill Dodd
DNapa
Population (2010)
 • Voting age
 • Citizen voting age
928,167[1]
716,049[1]
612,229[1]
Demographics
Registered voters556,418[2]
Registration50.35% Democratic
21.10% Republican
22.84% No party preference

District profile

The district includes eastern California Wine Country and University of California, Davis, and consists of Napa, Yolo, and Solano Counties.

Election results from statewide races

YearOfficeResults
2021Recall No 67.7 – 32.3%
2020PresidentBiden 68.1 – 29.5%
2018Governor[3]Newsom 65.5 – 34.5%
Senator[4]Feinstein 53.9 – 46.1%
2016PresidentClinton 65.3 – 28.0%
SenatorHarris 68.3 – 31.7%
2014GovernorBrown 68.0 – 32.0%
2012PresidentObama 65.4 – 32.0%
SenatorFeinstein 68.0 – 32.0%

List of senators who represented the district

SenatorPartyYears servedElectoral historyCounties represented
District established January 6, 1851

Pablo de la Guerra
(Santa Barbara)
WhigJanuary 6, 1851 –
January 5, 1852
Redistricted from the San Luis Obispo district and re-elected in 1850.
Re-elected in 1853.
Redistricted to the 2nd district.
San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara

Antonio M. de la Guerra
(Santa Barbara)
DemocraticJanuary 5, 1852 –
January 3, 1853
Elected in 1851
Re-elected in 1852.
[data missing]

Pablo de la Guerra
(Santa Barbara)
WhigJanuary 3, 1853 –
January 2, 1854
Elected in 1853.
Redistricted to the 2nd district.
[data missing]January 2, 1854 –
January 1, 1855
[data missing]

Delos R. Ashley
(San Luis Obispo)
Know NothingJanuary 1, 1855 –
January 5, 1857
Elected in 1855.
[data missing]
Monterey, Santa Cruz

D. S. Gregory
(Santa Cruz)
DemocraticJanuary 5, 1857 –
January 3, 1859
Elected in 1857.
[data missing]

John H. Watson
(Santa Cruz)
DemocraticJanuary 3, 1859 –
January 7, 1861
Elected in 1859.
[data missing]

Romualdo Pacheco
(Santa Barbara)
Union
Democratic
January 7, 1861 –
December 7, 1863
Elected in 1861.
Retired to become California State Treasurer.
San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara

Juan Y. Cot
(Santa Barbara)
UnionDecember 7, 1863 –
December 4, 1865
Elected in 1863.
[data missing]

Patrick W. Murphy
(Santa Margarita)
DemocraticDecember 4, 1865 –
January 7, 1869
Elected in 1865.
Re-elected in 1887.
[data missing]

Romualdo Pacheco
(Santa Barbara)
RepublicanJanuary 7, 1869 –
December 8, 1871
Elected in 1868.
Resigned to become Lieutenant Governor of California.

James Van Ness
(San Luis Obispo)
DemocraticDecember 8, 1871 –
December 8, 1871
Elected to finish Pacheco's term.
[data missing]

William J. Graves
(San Luis Obispo)
DemocraticDecember 1, 1873 –
December 3, 1877
Elected in 1873.
Re-elected in 1875.
[data missing]
San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura

Warren Chase
(Santa Barbara)
Workingmen'sJanuary 5, 1880 –
January 8, 1883
Elected in 1879.
Resigned to run for U.S. House of Representatives.

George Steele
(San Luis Obispo)
RepublicanJanuary 8, 1883 –
February 23, 1883
Elected to finish Chase's term.
Unseated after his opponent contested election.[5]

J. Marion Brooks
(Ventura)
DemocraticFebruary 23, 1883 –
January 5, 1885
Elected after successful contest.
[data missing]

George Steele
(San Luis Obispo)
RepublicanJanuary 5, 1885 –
January 3, 1887
Elected in 1884.
Redistricted to the 37th district.

W. H. Patterson
(Cedarville)
RepublicanJanuary 3, 1887 –
January 7, 1889
Elected in 1886.
[data missing]
Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Sierra

M. H. Mead
(Downieville)
DemocraticJanuary 7, 1889 –
January 2, 1893
Elected in 1888.
[data missing]

Tirey L. Ford
(Downieville)
RepublicanJanuary 2, 1893 –
January 4, 1897
Elected in 1982.
Nevada, Plumas, Sierra

William F. Prisk
(Grass Valley)
DemocraticJanuary 4, 1897 –
January 1, 1901
Elected in 1896.
Retired.

John R. Tyrrell
(Grass Valley)
RepublicanJanuary 1, 1901 –
January 2, 1905
Elected in 1900.
[data missing]

John B. Irish
(Colfax)
RepublicanJanuary 2, 1905 –
January 4, 1909
Elected in 1904.
[data missing]
Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Placer

E. S. Birdsall
(Auburn)
RepublicanJanuary 4, 1909 –
January 8, 1917
Elected in 1908.
Re-elected in 1912.
[data missing]

Thomas Ingram
(Grass Valley)
RepublicanJanuary 8, 1917 –
August 4, 1928
Elected in 1916.
Re-elected in 1920.
Re-elected in 1924.
[data missing]
Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Placer, El Dorado

Bert A. Cassidy
(Auburn)
RepublicanJanuary 7, 1929 –
January 2, 1933
Elected in 1928.
[data missing]

Harry A. Perry
(Ferndale)
RepublicanJanuary 2, 1933 –
January 4, 1937
Elected in 1932.
[data missing]
Humboldt

Irwin T. Quinn
(Auburn)
DemocraticJanuary 4, 1937 –
January 3, 1949
Elected in 1936.
Re-elected in 1940.
Re-elected in 1944.
[data missing]

Michael J. Burns
(Eureka)
RepublicanJanuary 3, 1949 –
May 1, 1949
Elected in 1948.
Died.
VacantMay 1, 1949 –
November 21, 1949

Arthur W. Way
(Eureka)
RepublicanNovember 21, 1949 –
January 7, 1957
Elected to finish Burns's term.
Re-elected in 1952.
Lost renomination.

Carl L. Christensen
(Eureka)
DemocraticJanuary 7, 1957 –
January 2, 1967
Elected in 1956.
Re-elected in 1960.
Re-elected in 1964.
[data missing]

Stephen P. Teale
(Rail Road Flat)
DemocraticJanuary 2, 1967 –
January 8, 1973
Redistricted from the 26th district and re-elected in 1966.
Re-elected in 1968.
[data missing]
Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Lassen, Modoc,
Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sierra, Stanislaus, Tuolumne

Clare Berryhill
(Ceres)
RepublicanJanuary 8, 1973 –
November 30, 1976
Elected in 1972.
[data missing]

Albert S. Rodda
(Sacramento)
DemocraticDecember 6, 1976 –
November 30, 1980
Redistricted from the 5th district and re-elected in 1976.
Retired.
Sacramento

John Doolittle
(Rocklin)
RepublicanDecember 1, 1980 –
November 30, 1984
Elected in 1980.
Redistricted to the 1st district.

Milton Marks
(San Francisco)
DemocraticDecember 3, 1984 –
November 30, 1996
Redistricted from the 5th district and re-elected in 1984.
Re-elected in 1988.
Re-elected in 1992.
Termed out.
Marin, San Francisco
Marin, San Francisco, Sonoma

John Burton
(San Francisco)
DemocraticDecember 2, 1996 –
November 30, 2004
Elected in 1996.
Re-elected in 2000.
Termed out.

Carole Migden
(San Francisco)
DemocraticDecember 6, 2004 –
November 30, 2008
Elected in 2004.
Lost renomination.

Mark Leno
(San Francisco)
DemocraticDecember 1, 2008 –
November 30, 2012
Elected in 2008.
Redistricted to the 11th district.

Lois Wolk
(Davis)
DemocraticDecember 3, 2012 –
November 30, 2016
Redistricted from the 5th district and re-elected in 2012.
Termed out.
Contra Costa, Napa, Sacramento, Solano, Sonoma, Yolo

Bill Dodd
(Napa)
DemocraticDecember 5, 2016 –
present
Elected in 2016.
Re-elected in 2020.
Retiring at the end of term due to term limits.

Election results

2020

California State Senate election, 2020
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
DemocraticBill Dodd (incumbent)212,00498.6%
RepublicanCarlos Santamaria (write-in)2,1261.0%
GreenKaren I. Nyhus (write-in)5300.2%
No party preferenceJaclyn Qirreh (write-in)4210.2%
Total votes215,081 100.0%
General election
DemocraticBill Dodd (incumbent) 323,317 68.4%
RepublicanCarlos Santamaria149,46131.6%
Total votes472,778 100.0%
Democratic hold

2016

California State Senate election, 2016
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
DemocraticBill Dodd90,39637.4%
DemocraticMariko Yamada72,24329.9%
RepublicanGreg "Coach" Coppes54,52522.6%
DemocraticGabe Griess24,54010.2%
Total votes241,704 100.0%
General election
DemocraticBill Dodd 207,927 58.1%
DemocraticMariko Yamada149,70141.9%
Total votes357,628 100.0%
Democratic hold

2012

California State Senate election, 2012
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
DemocraticLois Wolk (incumbent)116,40396.9%
RepublicanFrank Miranda (write-in)2,4022.0%
RepublicanGary Clift (write-in)1,3411.1%
Total votes120,146 100.0%
General election
DemocraticLois Wolk (incumbent) 233,406 66.2%
RepublicanFrank Miranda119,03333.8
Total votes352,439 100.0%
Democratic hold

2008

California State Senate election, 2008 Democratic Primary
PartyCandidateVotes%
DemocraticMark Leno 58,727 43.8%
DemocraticCarole Migden (incumbent)38,23428.6%
DemocraticJoseph Nation37,13627.6%
Total votes134,097 100%
California State Senate election, 2008 Republican Primary
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanSashi McEntee 23,791 100.0%
Total votes23,791 100.0%
California State Senate election, 2008 General Election
PartyCandidateVotes%
DemocraticMark Leno 326,755 80.21
RepublicanSashi McEntee80,61719.79
Total votes407,372 100.00
Turnout 78.08
Democratic hold

2004

California State Senate election, 2004
PartyCandidateVotes%
DemocraticCarole Migden 258,166 70.40
RepublicanAndrew D. Felder98,33226.81
LibertarianDavid Rhodes10,2342.79
Total votes366,732 100.00
Democratic hold

2000

California State Senate election, 2000
PartyCandidateVotes%
DemocraticJohn L. Burton (incumbent) 238,372 72.92
RepublicanTerence Faulkner71,25621.80
Natural LawCeleste Joy Blau Joki17,2775.29
Invalid or blank votes12,7843.76
Total votes339,689 100.00
Democratic hold

1996

California's 3rd State Senate district election, 1996
PartyCandidateVotes%
DemocraticJohn L. Burton 215,831 70.82
RepublicanCurtis Rau72,09723.68
LibertarianDonald E. Harte16,8195.52
Invalid or blank votes37,01810.83
Total votes304,747 100.00
Democratic hold

1992

California State Senate election, 1992
PartyCandidateVotes%
DemocraticMilton Marks (incumbent) 225,869 66.44
RepublicanBill Boerum85,32325.10
LibertarianWill C. Wohler16,5904.88
Peace and FreedomGiovanni Graham12,1633.58
Invalid or blank votes41,37051.2
Total votes381,315 100.00
Democratic hold

See also

References