Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, District 4

What does a county supervisor do? 

Supervisors govern county programs and departments and approve the county budget. Their largest area of spending is traditionally healthcare and human services. Supervisors are also responsible for local jails and elections, and they make decisions on law enforcement and housing in unincorporated areas of the county. If a supervisor candidate receives over 50% of the vote in the primary, they take office for a four-year term. Otherwise, the top two candidates face off in the November general election.

Candidate Statements

Candidate Statements are excerpted from the statements provided to election offices, where available.

Todd Lands

  • Council member, small businessman
  • Experience: “I worked to keep our county safe as a Sonoma County deputy sheriff and our students thriving as a school board trustee. As mayor of Cloverdale, I led on key issues like balancing our city budget, passing new funding for parks and public safety … getting approval and funding for a critically needed new medical facility.”
  • Housing: “The reality is, the next generation of Sonoma County families is being priced out of the communities they grew up in. That’s unacceptable. … As supervisor, I will be a strong advocate for middle-income housing—the kind that enables teachers, tradespeople, young families and small business owners to build a life in Sonoma County.”
  • Priorities: “I will continue working to improve access to healthcare for rural and underserved communities. I will support new investments in homeless and mental health, public safety, wildfire prevention and ensuring a reliable, long-term water supply.”

Tom Schwedhelm

  • Small business owner, husband, father and grandfather
  • Experience: “As a Sonoma County resident for more than 40 years, I’ve dedicated my life to serving, protecting, and improving our communities as a peace officer, police chief, city council member and mayor. In the aftermath and recovery from the 2017 wildfires, the worst natural disaster in Sonoma County history, I worked relentlessly to bring local, state, and federal leaders together to rebuild and recover.”
    Priorities: “I’m committed to bringing communities together to address our most pressing issues, including: water storage and availability throughout Northern Sonoma County, housing affordability, roads and infrastructure, mental health, public safety, environmental protection, job creation, and caring for our most vulnerable.”
  • Immigration enforcement: “As a former police chief with more than 30 years in public safety, Tom has been devastated by the unlawful arrests and detention of people who pose no legitimate danger to the public … and will work with local law enforcement to protect and care for law-abiding residents … while putting safeguards in place to protect locals from federal law enforcement operations.”

Melanie Bagby 

  • Business owner and IT professional
  • Experience: “As a two-term Cloverdale council member and Mayor during 2019’s unprecedented shelter-in-place order and weeklong Public Safety Power Shutoff, I have the experience to lead during a crisis and the ability to build the coalition needed to … deliver on roads and infrastructure, modernizing county systems, and investing in our workforce.”
  • Priorities: “Complete the SMART pathway and rail … build local food systems that create jobs and make healthy food available to all … ensure our water supply by supporting the Eel-Russian Two-basin Solution.” 
  • Public safety: “We can … protect our community by limiting cooperation with ICE and implementing voter-mandated citizen oversight of the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department.” 

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