James "Jamie" Johansson
Candidate for Assembly District 3
James "Jamie" Johansson is a first-generation farmer. He is based near Oroville, in Butte County. He founded Lodestar Farms, an olive and citrus operation with its own olive oil brand. He earlier served on the Oroville City Council, including as Vice Mayor. He also served on the Butte County Farm Bureau board. From about 2009 to 2017, he was a vice president of the California Farm Bureau Federation. From 2017 to 2023, he served as its President and CEO. In that role, he pushed water, regulatory, and farm labor policy at the state and federal level. He holds no elected office now. He is running for California State Assembly District 3 in 2026, as a Republican. He frames his run around cost of living, water rights, wildfire, and farm rules that affect the North State. He has been covered widely in ag trade press. That includes Agri-Pulse, AgNet West, Morning Ag Clips, and UnitedAg. Those outlets reflect his background in agriculture. Home: Oroville and South Chico area, Butte County, California. Occupation: Farmer and business owner at Lodestar Farms. He was President and CEO of the California Farm Bureau Federation, 2017 to 2023. Prior office: None currently held. He was a former Oroville City Council Member and Vice Mayor. This is his first run for state legislative office.
On the issues
- Economy & Jobs
Supports reducing agricultural fees and regulations that he says threaten farm jobs, and opposes regulatory costs he views as driving businesses out of California.
Source → - Taxes & Cost of Living
Opposes new income, property, and agricultural land taxes, supports preserving Proposition 13, and has pledged to suspend the state gas tax to address rising costs.
Source → - Housing & Homelessness
Argues state energy-efficiency and regulatory mandates are inflating home construction and HVAC costs, and favors reducing such regulatory burdens to lower housing costs.
Source → - Public Safety & Policing
Supports increased police and prison funding as needed, victim-centered public safety policy, and identifies rising crime as a key district concern; campaign material references a Second Amendment issue page but with no detailed content found.
Source → - Criminal Justice & Courts
Supports harsher sentencing for sexual predators and opioid/drug traffickers ("one strike, and they're out"), reflecting a tougher-sentencing approach to prosecution and drug policy.
Source → - Reproductive & Social Issues
Supports restricting transgender athletes' participation in girls'/women's sports; a "Pro-Life" issue button appears on his campaign site but with no detailed policy text found, and no LGBTQ-rights-specific position was found.
Source → - Education & Schools
Questions school accountability, pointing to low state test-proficiency rates despite above-average per-student spending, though no detailed K-12 funding, curriculum, or school-choice proposal was found.
Source → - Environment, Energy & Climate
Opposes eliminating net-metering solar contracts for agricultural producers and new taxes on existing solar installations, supports maintaining in-state oil refining capacity, and prioritizes active forest management and wildfire prevention over what he calls unmanaged "catastrophic fire" risk.
Source → - Water & Natural Resources
Prioritizes new surface water storage (including the Sites Reservoir) as the primary drought/water-security solution, treats groundwater pumping as an emergency measure rather than a long-term fix, and emphasizes protecting Northern California water rights against southern-California and environmental competing claims.
Source → - Government, Elections & Democracy
Calls for independent audits of state agencies and greater transparency/accountability over taxpayer spending, citing examples like the state Capitol renovation and high-speed rail project as lacking sufficient oversight.
Source →
Profiles are compiled from the candidate’s own statements and public records. We never tell you how to vote.