Thomas "Rico" Oller (born July 16, 1958) is a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

from California. He served in the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...

, representing the 4th District from 1996 to 2000, and the

California State Senate The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature, the lower house being the California State Assembly. The State Senate convenes, along with the State Assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Cal ...

, representing the 1st district from 2000 to 2004.

Early life

Born in

Fresno, California Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, makin ...

, Oller graduated from

California State University, Stanislaus California State University, Stanislaus (Stanislaus State, Stan State) is a public university in Turlock, Stanislaus County, California. It is part of the California State University system. It was established in 1957 and is also the only cam ...

in 1980. In 1981, Oller started his building materials business.

Political career

In 2004, Oller ran for Congress in

California's 3rd congressional district California's 3rd congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in California. John Garamendi, a Democrat, has represented the district since January 2013. Effective January 2023, California's 3rd congressional district will include m ...

, but narrowly lost the Republican primary to former California Attorney General

Dan Lungren Daniel Edward Lungren (born September 22, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the U.S. representative for from 2005 to 2013. A member of the Republican Party, during his tenure, the district covered most of Sacramento Count ...

. On January 10, 2008, Oller again ran for Congress, this time in

California's 4th congressional district California's 4th congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in California. Tom McClintock, a Republican, has represented the district since January 2009. Currently, the 4th district encompasses the Sierras from Truckee to the Se ...

, for a seat being vacated by retiring Congressman

John Doolittle John Taylor Doolittle (born October 30, 1950), is an attorney and an American politician. Elected to Congress in 1990, he served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1991 to 2009, representing (numbered as d ...

. He faced opposition from former Congressman

Doug Ose Douglas Arlo Ose (born June 27, 1955) is an American businessman and politician who served as the U.S. representative for California's 3rd congressional district from 1999 to 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party. On March 16, 2021, Ose an ...

. On March 4, 2008, Oller dropped out of the race when California State Senator

Tom McClintock Thomas Miller McClintock II (; born July 10, 1956) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2009. His district stretches from the Sacramento suburbs to the outer suburbs of Fresno; it includes Yosemite National P ...

(R-Thousand Oaks) announced that he was running for Doolittle's seat. In a statement, Oller said his decision was "a bitter pill indeed for me to swallow." But, he said he was endorsing McClintock to prevent the election of Ose, whom he labeled as "an unarguably liberal Republican." Oller ran for the newly former 5th Assembly District in 2012, facing

Madera County Madera County (), officially the County of Madera, is a county at the geographic center of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 156,255. The county seat is Madera. Madera County comprises the Madera, CA Metr ...

Supervisor

Frank Bigelow Frank Bigelow (born July 22, 1954) is an American politician who served in the California State Assembly. Bigelow is a Republican who used to represent the 5th district, encompassing Gold Country and the central Sierra Nevada. Early life On ...

in the November general election. Oller lost to Bigelow by 5.7% in an upset.

Legislative record

Oller fought against the expansion of Smog Check II and authored legislation to abolish the program. He opposed the use of MTBE (methyl tertiary-butyl ether) in fuel. He also passed legislation to protect the endangered

Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep The Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis sierrae'') is subspecies of bighorn sheep unique to the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada mountains of California. A 2016 genetics study confirmed significant divergence between the three subsp ...

. He convened an oversight hearing into the spread of noxious weeds across California and carried legislation to promote the reactivation of the Auburn Dam. Oller was named Legislator of the Year by California Small Business Association and American Electronics Association. He also received an award from Women's Safety Alliance for dedication to safety and the 2000 Defender of Freedom award from the

National Rifle Association The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...

References

External links

Rico Oller's campaign site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oller, Rico 1958 births Living people Republican Party California state senators California State University, Stanislaus alumni Republican Party members of the California State Assembly People from San Andreas, California People from Fresno, California 21st-century American politicians