Grass Valley, CA — Longtime public servant, rural leader, and Democrat Heidi Hall announced her campaign for Congress today, bringing a people-first, problem-solving approach to represent California’s 3rd Congressional District. A former Environmental Protection Agency official and current Chair of the Nevada County Board of Supervisors, Hall has spent over three decades working with others to solve problems, protect our land and water, improve health, and build opportunities for others.
“I’ve worked in public service for decades, helping protect communities from toxic waste—now I’m ready to take on the toxic politics in Washington,” Hall said. “I was raised to stand up for the vulnerable and work hard to make a difference. As a Nevada County Supervisor, I’ve delivered results by expanding broadband access, working across party lines to tackle homelessness, and reducing crime and illicit cannabis growth.”
“I worked for the EPA to stop the dumping of hazardous waste and hold polluters accountable. Then, I went on to work at the California Department of Water Resources to protect our rivers and lakes and refurbish our groundwater supply,” Hall continued. “I’m running for Congress to put people first. Right-wing billionaires and super rich corporations are taking advantage of the toxic politics in Washington to prioritize themselves and their bottom lines ahead of workers and retirees. Kevin Kiley is part of the problem and we deserve better.”
Raised in a working-class household in Contra Costa County, Heidi’s parents worked hard as educators to help their family get ahead. An Army veteran, Heidi’s dad grew up picking fruit to help support his family, and her mom fled post-war Germany for a better life in America.
Growing up around the civil rights movement, Heidi was driven to work hard and serve. She developed an interest for environmental advocacy at an early age and began volunteering to protect the environment with Save the Whales and stop development on Mt. Diablo. At 13 years old, she started baby sitting and got a job at McDonald’s at 16, and she spent summers scooping ice cream in Grass Valley to help afford college.
Determined to protect the environment, Heidi went to work for the Environmental Protection Agency, stopping the dumping of toxic waste and holding polluters accountable. Then, she continued her work by serving at 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.
Now serving in her second term as Chair of the Nevada County Board of Supervisors, Heidi flipped her seat from red to blue and won her first election outright to avoid a runoff. She’s delivered real results and focused on strengthening protection from wildfires, addressing the fire insurance crisis, and protecting public lands for recreation.
Heidi lives in Grass Valley with her husband Enrique and is a proud mother, stepmother, and grandmother. She earned her undergraduate degree in International Relations from Pomona College and holds two graduate degrees from Columbia and Rutgers. To read Heidi’s full biography, visit HeidiHall.com/about.
Kevin Kiley, a Republican, has proven time and again that he’s out of step with the needs and values of California’s 3rd Congressional District. Backed by Big Pharma and corporate special interests, he’s taken thousands in campaign cash while voting to raise prescription drug costs and gut healthcare access. He supported a $1.8 billion cut to wildfire suppression funding—endangering rural communities—and he’s pushed anti-abortion legislation despite a majority of voters in CA-03 supporting enshrining reproductive freedom in the state constitution.
California’s 3rd District is geographically large and made up of rural, working-class, and suburban communities stretching from the Sierra Nevada to Death Valley. Rated R+2 by the Cook Political Report and listed among the top 15 red-to-blue pickup opportunities in the country, the fundamentals of the district have shifted toward Democrats in recent years. Kamala Harris won a larger share of the vote in the district than she did in other California districts Democrats won in 2024. With voter sentiment shifting as a result of the partisan chaos led by MAGA Republicans in Washington, the district is more competitive than ever and Heidi Hall is the right candidate with the story, record, and message to flip it.