James Gore - 4th District Supervisor
James Gore was born and raised in the 4th District, living in Cloverdale, Healdsburg and the Mark West area of Santa Rosa. He attended Jefferson Elementary in Cloverdale and graduated from Montgomery High in Santa Rosa.
After high school, James moved away to attend college, graduating from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor’s Degree in Agribusiness. After graduating from college, James joined the Peace Corps and worked in Bolivia, South America. There, he collaborated with community members to build water management systems, better manage agriculture production, and of personal importance, developing a health and hygiene campaign that successfully linked seven isolated communities around medical & dental care and education. It was also during this service that James met his future wife, Elizabeth, a fellow Peace Corps volunteer from Texas.
After serving in the Peace Corps, James worked in the private sector during the day while earning a Master’s Degree at night from George Washington University. After receiving his degree and continuing his private sector career, James secured an appointment from President Barack Obama’s administration as Assistant Chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). During this service, James led nationwide conservation efforts at the intersection of agriculture, business, and the environment. In an effort to enhance both a vibrant economy and protect our nation’s natural resources, James advocated for and led efforts to expand services in persistent poverty areas with underserved communities – leading to the creation and deployment of USDA’s persistent poverty initiative, StrikeForce for Rural Growth and Opportunity. James also helped lead efforts on climate change mitigation and the protection of Pacific salmon habitats. He created and deployed the NRCS Pacific Salmon Habitat Improvement Partnership, which yielded $12 million dollars in federal funding to West Coast watersheds, including the Russian River watershed.
In 2013, James returned home to Sonoma County to raise his family. He was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2014 after running a relentless, positive campaign built on inclusiveness and a commitment to own the future and deliver for the residents of Sonoma County; he was unopposed in his 2018 re-election bid and served that year as Chairman of the Board of Supervisors.
Beyond his work as County Supervisor, James is also serving on several county, regional, statewide and national organizations, including current service as:
- President, California State Association of Counties (CSAC)
- Executive Committee, Latino Caucus of California Counties
- Chair, Resilient Counties Advisory Board for the National Association of Counties (NACo)
- Co-Chair, North Coast Resource Partnership (7 County/30 Tribe Consortium on Water and Fire management)
- Gubernatorial Appointee, California State Wildfire and Forest Resiliency Task Force
- Board of Directors, Sonoma Water
- Board of Directors, Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District
- Board of Directors, Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District
- Board of Directors, Russian River Watershed Association
- Member, Resilient America Roundtable for the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine
- Member, Sonoma County Indian Gaming Local Community Benefit Committee
- Member, Public Policy Facilitating Committee
James Gore is fluent in Spanish and Italian, and enjoys spending time with his family when he’s not out and about in our community. He lives in Healdsburg where he and his wife, Elizabeth, the Co-Founder of tech start-up Hello Alice, are raising two young children: Opal (10) and Jacob (7).