ABOUT DOUG LAMALFA

Doug LaMalfa loves to pitch himself as the folksy, fourth-generation rice farmer who took Cal Poly's good sense to Sacramento and then Washington to "fight for limited government." The biography is real enough—Northern California roots, ag-business degree, Assembly, State Senate, then Congress since 2013 (LaMalfa, n.d.). But the brand collapses the moment you line it up against his actual positions and votes.

Climate Reality? He Shrugs

LaMalfa has spent years minimizing human-driven climate change, defaulting to lines like "climate has always changed" and pressing the tired "CO₂ is only 0.04%" talking point (Vavra, 2017; Kertscher, 2023). In one Oroville town hall, he brushed off human contribution—prompting boos from a packed room (North State Public Radio, 2017). Even amid catastrophic wildfires, he mused about "sunspot activity" or "magma" instead of accepting the scientific consensus (Wilson, 2018). The science isn't on his side: tiny percentages can have outsized effects, and CO₂'s radiative forcing is well-established (Reuters Fact Check, 2024).

Environmental Rollbacks Dressed Up as "Water for People"

In 2025, LaMalfa authored a Congressional Review Act measure (H.J.Res. 78) to nullify endangered-species protections for the San Francisco Bay-Delta longfin smelt—protections granted after years of documented decline (Congress.gov, 2025; Duggan, 2025). Ecologists warned that gutting the rule could crater a keystone species in the food web and set a destructive precedent for the Endangered Species Act; LaMalfa plowed ahead anyway (Duggan, 2025).

Health Care and the Safety Net: He Voted to Take the Ax

LaMalfa voted yes on the American Health Care Act (AHCA) in 2017—the Obamacare repeal bill that squeaked through the House 217–213 (Office of the Clerk, 2017; ABC7, 2017). Independent analyses at the time concluded the AHCA would've cut Medicaid and raised costs for many, especially older and rural Americans—aka his constituents (Blumenthal & Collins, 2017). Voters noticed: at town halls, he was booed and accused of spinning away the very cuts his voting record embraced (North State Public Radio, 2017; Vavra, 2017).

Accountability Avoidance, Until the Boos Start

For years, LaMalfa faced criticism for having tightly controlled or sparse in-person town halls. When he finally stepped into hostile rooms, the reception matched the record: booing, jeers, walk-offs, and residents shouting him down over health care and more (North State Public Radio, 2017; Parkinson, 2025; Sosa, 2025).

Trumpism to the End: Overturning a Certified Election

LaMalfa joined 125 other House Republicans on the Texas v. Pennsylvania amicus brief seeking to nullify results in four states Joe Biden won—a stunt the Supreme Court swatted away (U.S. Supreme Court, 2020). Then, after the January 6 attack, he voted to sustain objections to Electoral College slates (Nixon, 2021; Office of the Clerk, 2021). That's not "limited government." That's trying to overturn voters.

Bottom Line

Doug LaMalfa markets himself as the straight-talking farmer fighting for rural families. The record shows a congressman who downplays climate science, tries to rip away endangered-species safeguards, votes to gut health protections, ducks robust public accountability for years, and lines up behind efforts to overturn a presidential election. If you're a constituent who wants breathable air, stable water ecosystems, affordable care, and a representative who accepts certified results, it's hard to see LaMalfa as your ally. The brand is rustic; the votes are pure party hardline—too often against the real needs of CA-01 (Duggan, 2025; Blumenthal & Collins, 2017; Nixon, 2021).