Sonoma assemblyman plans move to Marin to run in redrawn district

Marin Independent Journal (San Rafael, CA) - Friday, September 2, 2011
Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Assemblyman Michael Allen, D-Santa Rosa, announced he intends to move to Marin County and run for re-election in the new 10th Assembly District. 

The district encompasses all of Marin and parts of southern and western Sonoma County, including a portion of Santa Rosa. It resulted from recent changes in political lines made by the state Citizens Redistricting Commission. 

Allen, who was first elected to the Assembly last year, currently lives in Oakmont. He represents the 7th Assembly District, which includes portions of Sonoma and Solano counties and all of Napa County. 

The decision was one of two moves Allen was said to be contemplating after redistricting changes placed him in the same district as Assemblyman Wes Chesbro, D-Arcata. 

The other possibility for Allen was to move east, into the redesigned 4th District, which takes in the Sonoma Valley and Napa, Lake, Solano and Yolo counties. 

Allen, a former labor union official, Santa Rosa planning commissioner and district director for former state Sen. Pat Wiggins, said the Marin and Sonoma County-based district was a good match for his politics. 

"Both Sonoma and Marin counties share a commitment to environmental protection and to investing in a strong, sustainable local economy," he said in a prepared statement. 

Marin and southern Sonoma counties are currently in the 6th Assembly District and represented by Assemblyman Jared Huffman, a San Rafael Democrat who will be termed out in 2012 and is running for Congress.