By admin 
The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors’ 4th District race pits outgoing State Board of Equalization member Ted Gaines against first-time candidate Gina Posey. Neither candidate has served on the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors, although Gaines has held several local and state elected offices. Supervisor Lori Parlin did not seek reelection in the 4th District.
Read more Ready to shred? Colfax skatepark opens Saturday with grand opening celebration
Gaines won June’s primary election, receiving about 47% of the vote. Posey finished second with about 25%.
The candidates are competing to represent a largely rural district where development, wildfire preparedness, roads and county spending have emerged as key issues. Both have pledged to preserve the area’s rural character while taking different approaches to growth and county government.
Where is the district?
The 4th District spans a geographically diverse swath of northern El Dorado County, combining suburban communities near Highway 50 with rural foothill communities stretching north through the Georgetown Divide.
Who are the candidates?
Ted Gaines, a member of the California State Board of Equalization, has held several local and state offices. He served on the Placer County Board of Supervisors from 2000 to 2006, when he was elected to the state Assembly. Gaines won a special election to the state Senate in 2011 and was elected to the Board of Equalization in 2018.
Gaines’ website describes him as a “rock-solid conservative,” and he was elected to his state offices as a Republican.
His prior experience as an elected official at the state level would be valuable on the Board of Supervisors, he said.
“A lot of the funding for programs comes from the state for the county to implement,” he said. “I still have contacts in state government. And my hope is that if we run into issues, that I could act as an intervener and an opportunity to bring parties together to try to resolve issues.”
He said he planned to work with local fire departments and the Sheriff’s Department on wildfire mitigation. He also said he would look for grant money to help ensure that defensible space is maintained around the homes of elderly residents who might not be able to clear brush or maintain fire-safe landscaping themselves.
Economic development and affordability were also priorities, Gaines said. “I just want to make sure that people have an opportunity to start a business here or to grow an existing business,” he said. “I think we can do some things at the county level to help streamline the permitting process for businesses. And then if we are successful in doing that, we can then create additional tax revenue that can help in a number of areas.”
One of those areas that could receive support, he said, is the county’s infrastructure, including road improvements.
Gaines said a major goal would be ensuring that the district remains rural. “It’s got a very special and unique character to it, and I want to make sure that folks are safe in the community,” he said.
Gina Posey is a retired sales and marketing executive with more than 40 years of experience working at technology companies such as Hewlett-Packard and Oracle. Posey also served two terms on El Dorado County’s civil grand jury.
In an interview, Posey said her work experience had prepared her to help generate revenue and manage budgets. Her educational background, which includes a computer science degree and a master’s degree in business administration, had also prepared her to be a supervisor, she said.
Posey’s years of volunteering in the community showed her commitment to residents, she said. “I show up, and I work hard,” she said. “As a supervisor, this is a local position, and so you need to understand the people.”
A top priority is wildfire prevention, Posey said. She suggested working with the county’s Office of Wildfire Preparedness and Resilience, as well as state legislators, to support fire mitigation efforts.
Read more Roach nymphs, egg sac, at this Sacramento market. What else did inspectors find?
Her second priority if elected would be balancing the county’s budget. Posey would “look for ways where we can be more productive and more efficient so we can do more with the current resources that we have,” she said.
Raising taxes would be a last resort. “I would hope we would never have to get there because to me it means that something else is wrong,” she said.
Posey said she supported “managed growth” for new development. Potential financial benefits, she said, should be balanced against infrastructure needs and the goal of preserving the county’s character. “We moved here because we wanted to live a particular way,” she said. “we do have a right to live rural. We are not a stopover to urban.”
If elected, Posey said she would have an open-door policy for constituents to discuss both serious and lighter issues.
“I’m going to constantly be solving problems, but I also would like to see if we can’t also have a little more fun in our county,” she said.
Who is funding the race?
Posey received about $46,590 in contributions since January 2025, according to campaign filings covering contributions through Sept. 19. Her largest contribution, about $10,690, came from Monte Osborne, the owner of Cameron Park-based A-Total Fire Protection Co.
Her next largest contributor, at $9,020, was Michael Posey, a family member.
Posey also received $5,000 from Public Employees Union Local #1, a labor union that represents public-sector workers, including El Dorado County employees.
Gaines received $138,650 in contributions since January 2025, according to campaign filings covering contributions through Sept. 19.
Some of Gaines’ largest contributions came from individuals and companies with ties to the building and development industries, including $11,800 from Rancho Cordova-based Pacific Coast Cos. and $6,500 from Charles Demmon, a partner at Sacramento-based real estate developer Demmon Partners.
Gaines received the most money from the Gallaher family, longtime developers of housing and senior living communities in Northern California, including Oakmont of El Dorado Hills.
Gaines received $5,900 each from Gallaher Companies founder Bill Gallaher and Gallaher’s wife, son, daughter and son-in-law. Altogether, members of the family contributed $29,500.
Political action committees contributed a combined $11,600 to Gaines, including $5,000 from the political action committee of business tax consulting firm Ryan LLC and $2,500 from the Personal Insurance Federation of California Agents & Employees PAC.
Who else is supporting the candidates?
Gaines has received endorsements from U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock, El Dorado County Sheriff Jeff Leikauf, District Attorney Vern Pierson and county Supervisors Brian Veerkamp, George Turnboo and Greg Ferrero. He has also been endorsed by the El Dorado County Republican Party, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association PAC and the El Dorado County Association of Realtors, according to his website.
Posey has received endorsements from former El Dorado County Supervisor Ron Briggs, El Dorado Hills Community Services District Director Steve Ferry and Cameron Park Community Services District Director Sidney Bazett. She has also been endorsed by the Georgetown Divide Taxpayers Association, according to her website.
Read more Anatomy exhibit opens in Sacramento, taking visitors on a tour inside the human body