In a surprise announcement, Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg) will not seek his 6th and final term in the Assembly. Wood was elected to the 2nd Assembly District in 2014, representing Del Norte, Humboldt, Trinity, Mendocino and northern Sonoma counties, including the city of Santa Rosa, before term limits would have ended in December 2026.In a press release last week, Wood responded, “ I’ve practiced for nearly 30 years as a family dentist in Cloverdale and served on the Healdsburg City Council, including a term as mayor, where I gained a tremendous sense of community and in-depth understanding of the challenges of this mostly rural district faces. The District is vast in geography but smaller in population and includes 300 miles of spectacular coastline. I’ve been an outspoken advocate for rural communities, regularly reminding my colleagues that in a state as large as California, solutions cannot be one-size-fits-all.Wood will serve the balance of his 5th two-year term which will end by year’s end 2024.Wood has chaired the Assembly Health Committee in the Democrat-dominated Golden State. The Assemblymember routinely gathered significant victories in retaining his seat. In 2022, he won with nearly 70 percent of the vote but never prevailed in a Del Norte County election.#placement_573654_0_i{width:100%;max-width:550px;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid573654 = window.pid573654 || rnd;var plc573654 = window.plc573654 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=573654;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid573654+';place='+(plc573654++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');Wood gave his reasons for not running for a final term. “ Many in public office say they are leaving for personal or family reasons, but that is very real for me.” He continued, “ my mother has been in declining health and now requires an increasing level of care and I want to be a meaningful part of that.”The Assemblymember did not endorse or announce support for his replacement.Del Norte Unified School District Trustee Michael Greer, a Republican, declared his candidacy for the Office, last week. The filing period window has begun.The primary election is scheduled for Tuesday, March 5. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1515727'); });