Heather Hadwick

Heather Hadwick is a Republican member of the California State Assembly representing the 1st District, a vast swath of rural Northern California stretching from the Oregon border to Lake Tahoe across eleven counties. ^[1,2] At 27,276 square miles, it is the largest assembly district by area in the state. ^[2] A farmer, former teacher, emergency manager, and champion of parental rights, Hadwick was born in the tiny town of Dorris in Siskiyou County ^[1] and has spent her career serving the tight-knit communities of the rural North State. She won her seat in November 2024 after a closely watched Republican-versus-Republican general election ^[1] and has quickly established herself as one of the Legislature's most prolific advocates for wildfire resilience, rural equity, and keeping Sacramento's heavy hand out of local classrooms and family life. With an 85% score on the California Family Council's 2025 legislative scorecard, ^[7] Hadwick's voting record reflects a deep commitment to the sanctity of life (Chapter 6), parental choice in education (Chapter 8), religious liberty (Chapter 9), and limited government (Chapter 11) — the core pillars of the California Family Council's worldview framework.

Hadwick assumed office on December 2, 2024, succeeding Assemblymember Megan Dahle, who moved to the state Senate the same day. ^[5] She defeated Redding Mayor Tenessa Audette in the November general election with 59.8% of the vote after finishing first in the March primary with 35.6%. ^[1] Her legislative priorities center on affordability, public safety, wildfire prevention, and defending rural communities from one-size-fits-all Sacramento mandates. ^[5,6]

A first-generation college student, Hadwick earned a bachelor's degree in agricultural science education from California State University, Chico, and a master's degree in leadership and management from Western Governors University. ^[1,3,4] She grew up in Dorris, attended Butte Valley High School in Siskiyou County, and has called Modoc County home for nearly two decades. ^[1,4] There, she and her husband Bryon operate Hadwick Family Farm, raising hay, highland cattle, and running the county's only pumpkin patch. ^[3,4] Bryon works in natural resources as a District Conservationist. ^[3] The couple have two sons: Sam, who attended Midland University studying agricultural business and nonprofit management, and Zack, a student at Modoc High School. ^[3]

Before entering politics, Hadwick built a career rooted in education, emergency management, and community service. She taught at both the elementary and high school levels, spending four years teaching a public safety elective at Modoc High School. ^[3,4] She served as community schools lead for Modoc County, directed the county's Tobacco Use Prevention Education program for six years, and was a certified ALICE active-threat instructor who developed safety plans, vulnerability assessments, and staff training programs. ^[3,4] She also served as a school board president.

Their 86.2% Biblical Values Scorecard rating across 29 scored floor votes demonstrates strong alignment with CFC's worldview framework, reflecting consistent support for the sanctity of human life, parental authority in education, and religious liberty protections.

In her first year in office, Hadwick secured more than $100 million in state funding for wildfire recovery, rural infrastructure, and community services across her district, and authored six bills that were signed into law. ^[2] In February 2025, she introduced a bold wildfire legislation package that included AB 297 to increase arson penalties, AB 429 to exempt wildfire settlement payments from state income tax for victims of the Dixie, Mill, and Park fires, AB 441 to extend the state's wildfire mitigation programs through 2031, and AB 442 to create a CEQA exemption for wildfire projects in communities with only one ingress and egress route.