As the race for the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors intensifies ahead of the June 2 election, former state legislator and insurance business owner Ted Gaines is positioning his campaign around rural preservation, outdoor recreation, tourism and fiscal accountability.
In a recorded interview with El Dorado County business owner Pier Sumloff, Gaines outlined what he described as the central concerns facing residents of District 4 — maintaining the county’s rural character while improving economic opportunity and government efficiency.
Much of the conversation centered on the economic and cultural importance of the Rubicon Trail, which Gaines and Sumloff described as a major tourism driver for the county. Gaines said outdoor recreation remains one of El Dorado County’s defining assets, pointing to skiing, rafting, hiking, horseback riding and off-road tourism as critical contributors to the local economy.
“The fourth district is very rural and it wants to stay rural,”
Gaines said during the interview.
“We want to focus on the tourism. I think there’s a lot more that we could do from a regulatory standpoint to help so that people can recreate even more than they have historically here in El Dorado County.”
The interview repeatedly returned to concerns over growth and development pressures migrating east from more urbanized regions of Northern California. Gaines argued that many residents relocate to El Dorado County specifically to avoid large-scale urban expansion.
“People would move from the big city because they didn’t want El Dorado County to become the big city,”
Gaines said.
“We hear this all the time — people championing change. We’re almost championing less change.”
Gaines, who said he has worked in the insurance industry for 44 years, also focused heavily on county finances. He criticized what he described as a reported $20 million county budget deficit and pledged to pursue stricter oversight of government spending if elected.
“When I heard that there was a $20 million deficit in their budget, that just is not acceptable,”
Gaines said.
“Government ought to operate that way. There’s inherent problems with government and inefficiencies, but you can do a lot better than the status quo.”
The candidate additionally discussed frustrations voiced by business owners regarding permitting and county processes. Gaines said he wants to simplify regulations to make El Dorado County more competitive with neighboring counties such as Placer County and Sacramento County while still preserving rural land-use priorities.
Wildfire preparedness and insurance affordability also emerged as major campaign issues. Gaines praised recent operational improvements by CAL FIRE in responding to wildfires but acknowledged ongoing challenges facing residents on fixed incomes who struggle with rising fire insurance costs and defensible space requirements.
“We’ve got to help our constituents that are having problems getting fire insurance,”
Gaines said.
“We’ve got some grant money available for that and I want to try to do more in that area.”
The June 2 election will determine representation for District 4, one of the county’s most rural supervisorial districts, where debates over tourism, development, wildfire resilience and infrastructure spending continue to shape local political discussion.
Additional information about Gaines’ campaign is available through his official campaign website, Ted Gaines Campaign.
