Northern California Republican Congressman Doug LaMalfa Dies at 65

Republican lawmaker Doug LaMalfa, a rice farmer who represented rural Northern California in Congress for more than a decade, has died.

LaMalfa, 65, was in his seventh term representing many of the state’s northernmost counties. He was elected to the House in 2012 after serving in both the state Assembly and Senate.

“Doug was everywhere — he would be at every community function, he would go to the furthest parts of the district,” said Assemblymember James Gallagher, R-Yuba City, who called LaMalfa a mentor in an interview.

“It was really important to him that people saw him in every part of his district, and he had a very big district and a lot of ground to cover,” Gallagher said. “And he did it — sometimes probably exceeding the speed limit while he did.”

No cause of death has been announced, and it’s unclear whether LaMalfa had been struggling with any prior health issues. The Butte County Sheriff’s Office said it received a 911 call about a medical emergency at his home about 6:50 p.m. Monday. He was taken to Enloe Hospital in Chico, where he died during emergency surgery.

In a statement, his office said, “Early this morning Congressman Doug LaMalfa returned home to the Lord.”

“He leaves a lasting legacy of servant leadership kindness to the North State,” chief of staff Mark Spannagel said. “Congressman LaMalfa cared deeply for the people he served and worked tirelessly to hold the government to its word to fix our failing forests, build water storage, and leave people to be free to choose what is best for themselves.”

His death further reduces Republicans’ slim House majority to five seats after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, resigned, serving her last day in office on Monday, and Democrats are expected to pick up another seat in Texas during a runoff election at the end of the month.

LaMalfa, whose district spans much of the Oregon-California border down through rural Shasta and Siskiyou counties, was a strong advocate for farmers and ranchers, and supported conservative ideas of limited government, lower taxes and cultural ideologies, proposing limitations to gender-affirming care, voting against federally codifying marriage equality, and supporting the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

State Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Huntington Beach, was LaMalfa’s roommate when they served together in the Legislature. Years later, LaMalfa officiated Strickland’s wedding.

Strickland compared LaMalfa to the pure-hearted politician in the film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

“The power never got to his head,” Strickland said. “He was just a genuine person, very thoughtful.”

Lawmakers who served with LaMalfa recalled trips to his North State district, to tour farms and businesses — or even share a ride on his combine harvester.

“While on the farm, he invited me to take a picture on the harvesting machine,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement. “Then he said, ‘Now, harvest this plot.’ And I did. We laughed about that day for years to come.”

LaMalfa even joined a 2021 House Agriculture Committee hearing virtually while driving his combine harvester, questioning Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack as he cut rice in the rain.

His seat was one of five targeted by Democrats in new gerrymandered congressional maps approved by voters in November, and he would have faced a tough reelection campaign. District 1 will lose rural Modoc County and pick up tens of thousands of Sonoma County voters who cast their ballots for former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024. California Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire, D-Santa Rosa, entered the race to challenge LaMalfa days after Proposition 50 passed.

In the run-up to the special election, LaMalfa warned that the new maps would hamper the voices of rural voters he had long represented.

Gallagher said LaMalfa was up for the challenge of running for reelection, despite the long odds.

“He was excited to go into Sonoma County and win people over and say, ‘Hey man, I can give you the same kind of representation that I’ve given this district.’”

LaMalfa served on the Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Transportation and Infrastructure committees, and in 2024, he was unanimously selected as the chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, a congressional membership group focused on rural policy issues.

“[He was] a fierce champion on California water issues,” said President Donald Trump at a Tuesday gathering of Republican House members. “He was great on water — ‘Release the water!’ he’d scream.”

Republican colleagues praised his deep knowledge of water and natural resources issues, often top of mind in the fire-prone district that relies heavily on agriculture.

After his district was hit by two of the state’s most deadly and destructive blazes in recent years, the Camp and Dixie fires, LaMalfa led efforts to pass legislation barring federal income taxes on fire recovery funds and changing forest management policy to reduce wildfire risk.

“Congressman Doug LaMalfa was a devoted public servant who deeply loved his country, his state, and the communities he represented,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “While we often approached issues from different perspectives, he fought every day for the people of California with conviction and care. He will be deeply missed.”

Newsom now has 14 days to declare a special primary election for the seat, followed by a special general election between the top two finishers.

Either of those dates may be consolidated with California’s June 2 primary election. Under that scenario, many voters in LaMalfa’s district would vote for two congressional offices on the same ballot — a short-term replacement for LaMalfa under the current district lines and a new representative under the Proposition 50 district lines.

Jan. 6: A previous version of this story said LaMalfa was elected to the House in 2013. He was elected in November 2012, and began his term in 2013.