SHINGLE SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA By Cris Alarcon, InEDC Writer. Feb 27, 2026)
Ted Gaines has formally entered the race for El Dorado County Supervisor in District 4, announcing this week that he has filed his paperwork and taken the oath of office as a candidate.
“I’m in!” Gaines wrote in a public statement. “I’ve submitted my paperwork and took the oath to run for El Dorado County Supervisor in District 4. El Dorado County is the best county in the state and I promise to fight to keep it safe, rural, and prosperous!”
Gaines currently serves as vice chair of the California State Board of Equalization, representing the 1st District, and has been elected to serve as chairman in 2025. That role also places him on the three-member California Franchise Tax Board, which oversees the administration of the state’s personal income and corporate taxes.
Before joining the Board of Equalization in 2019, Gaines spent 12 years in the California State Legislature, serving in both the State Assembly from 2006 to 2011 and the State Senate from 2011 to 2019. Earlier in his career, he served eight years on the Placer County Board of Supervisors and two years on the Roseville Planning Commission. In the private sector, he has operated Gaines Insurance for more than three decades.
A fifth-generation Californian, Gaines traces his family’s roots in the state to the Gold Rush era. Born in Roseville, he has frequently described growing up along the Sacramento River in a rural setting, an experience he credits with shaping his appreciation for Northern California’s open space and agricultural heritage.
Gaines and his wife, Beth Gaines, a former member of the California State Assembly, have been married since 1985. The couple has six adult children and 13 grandchildren as of mid-2025. They reside in Shingle Springs, where they built a home several years ago to maintain what Gaines describes as a rural lifestyle.
Throughout his career, Gaines has positioned himself as a taxpayer advocate, earning high ratings from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and the California Chamber of Commerce. He recently congratulated the California Taxpayers Association on its 100th anniversary, noting its century-long role in promoting “fairness and transparency” in state tax policy.
In recent months, Gaines has appeared at several public policy events, including the Pacific Research Institute’s “California Ideas in Action” conference in Sacramento, where he participated in a panel discussion focused on insurance market challenges following major wildfires. He also represented California at the National Gathering for Prayer & Repentance at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., marking the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary.
His campaign platform, as outlined in early statements, centers on public safety, preserving rural character and economic growth. “El Dorado County is the best county in the state,” Gaines said, “and I promise to fight to keep it safe, rural, and prosperous.”
The District 4 seat represents communities including Shingle Springs and El Dorado Hills. Additional candidates and filing details are expected to be released by the El Dorado County Registrar of Voters as the election cycle progresses.
