More than two decades ago, Jim Wood, D.D.S., was approached by his local community who recognized him as a practical and efficient problem solver and urged him to run for elected office. Answering that call, he ventured into local government before serving as the Assemblymember for California’s diverse and sprawling North Coast district from 2014-2024. Assembly District 2 is one of the largest assembly districts in the state spanning from Santa Rosa to the Oregon border and includes more than three hundred miles of rugged and beautiful California coastline.
He has over two decades of experience in public service fulfilling constituent needs as Planning Commissioner, Councilmember, Mayor and finally culminating as a State Assemblymember.
While serving in the legislature Dr. Wood developed significant expertise in health care policy. He was the Chair of the Assembly Health Committee for 8 years – the longest tenure since the 1950s. There, he focused on California’s most pressing healthcare issues including access, affordability, prevention, workforce expertise and efficiency. Not afraid to tackle difficult issues he was recognized early on by experts and colleagues for his ability to navigate complex policy challenges and produce significant positive results for his constituents and Californians. He brings a detail-oriented, tenacious, never quit attitude to his clients as he works to achieve the best possible outcomes on their behalf.
In addition to his expertise in health care, Jim emerged as a policy leader in areas critical to the needs of California residents such as homeowners’ insurance, wildfire protection, energy infrastructure, broadband and natural resource conservation. He consistently pushed for increasing the efficiency of government agencies, as well as technical assistance and flexibility for rural communities.
Jim owned and operated a family dental practice in Cloverdale for over twenty-five years while becoming involved in advocacy efforts for the California Dental Association. As a business owner he understood the need to support small businesses and the economic contributions they make in our state.
While in the legislature Jim continued to work in dentistry as a forensic dental consultant to law enforcement for 5 northern California Counties. A nationally recognized expert in forensic dentistry, he served on the Department of Homeland Security’s Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team and was assigned to help identify victims after 9/11 at the World Trade center and Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana. He led the dental identification efforts for wildfire victims in his district after fires in the wine country in 2017 and the Camp Fire in Butte County in 2018.
Dr. Wood earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of California at Riverside and a doctorate in dental surgery from Loma Linda University where he graduated in the top five in his class.
In early 2026, Dr. Wood was elected to the California Health Care Foundation’s Board of Directors. His deep experience as a health care provider combined with his legislative experience assists the foundation’s goal to improve access to care, lower costs for families, and strengthen the workforce in rural and underserved communities.
Jim and his wife Melissa live in Healdsburg. Melissa owns and operates a very successful video production company. They have three adult children. Jim enjoys golf, photography and cooking great meals in his spare time.
