About Russ
I was born in Redding and raised just south of the city limits in Happy Valley — the fifth generation of a far Northern California family with deep cattle ranching roots. Growing up in a large family, I learned early the value of hard work, personal responsibility, honoring others, living within a budget, and giving back to the community. Those aren't campaign talking points. They're the principles I've built my life around.
After Shasta College, I earned my Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Chico State in 1984. I graduated on a Saturday and reported to my first job in Sacramento at 7:30am Monday morning — a habit of going to work and getting things done that hasn't changed.
A Career Built on Delivering Real Results
The first half of my career was spent in Caltrans offices in Sacramento and Redding. During those years I delivered programs, shaped policies, and managed the implementation of hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure projects — both statewide and here in Redding. For more than a decade, I oversaw hundreds of employees responsible for maintenance and operations of all Caltrans facilities across seven northeastern California counties. I carried budgetary responsibility roughly equivalent to half the City of Redding budget. That experience gave me a clear-eyed understanding of what works and what doesn't, and the complexities of delivering government programs.
The second half of my career shifted to engineering consulting, where I helped dozens of cities, counties, tribes, and private developers plan and deliver projects within real-world financial and regulatory constraints.
I've guided clients through grant acquisition, regulatory negotiations, and multi-agency approval processes — sometimes coordinating with up to eight governmental agencies simultaneously, from local to federal, on a single project. It's a process that demands laser-focus, team building, negotiations, deep knowledge, and a commitment to delivery. In Redding alone, I've contributed critical engineering services to more than 100 projects, large and small.
At the end of June 2026, I’m stepping away from my position with an international engineering firm to focus entirely on meeting people and developing a deeper understanding of our local issues and opportunities — To be fully prepared to serve a four-year term on the City Council.
Community Values
Using knowledge and experience to benefit others was modeled for me before I started school. As a boy I pulled weeds at a community center, shoveled gravel for a volunteer fire station, and swung a hammer building a backstop at a local school. As an adult, I've served as volunteer construction manager for a local park, maintained a 32-year membership in a Rotary club, and chaired the City's Planning Commission. I've also provided pro bono engineering services to fire protection districts, churches, and nonprofits serving homeless individuals and veterans.
Raising my children here gives me a deeper commitment to Redding. I coached soccer, chaperoned field trips, volunteered in classrooms, and spoke during career days. Both of my children attended Shasta College, and both then went on to graduate from Simpson University. I’m very proud of the adults they have become.
Why I'm Running
I'm not a politician. I'm a civil engineer with four decades of experience managing public infrastructure, public budgets, and the complex realities of government. I know how projects get built, where money gets wasted, and how to negotiate outcomes that best serve the public. I'm running because Redding needs a council member with a deep understanding of local government, who has the courage to make hard decisions, and the experience to make them right.
Giving back to Redding
Serving the Community
One of the credos I've had for my life is the importance of always giving more than I receive. In my case, that looks like a combination of both pro bono professional services and giving of my time to individuals and organizations.
Here's a sample of the activities and organizations I've had the pleasure of serving:
- City of Redding Planning Commission, past Chair
- City of Redding community planning ad-hoc committees
- City of Redding fee update ad-hoc committees
- CSU, Chico, Civil Engineering, Professional Advisory Board
- Simpson University, Engineering, Industry Advisory Board
- Shasta County Grand Jury
- American Heart Association, Board Member
- Leadership Redding Alumni Committee (under the former leadership of the Chamber of Commerce)
- Volunteer Construction Manager for the original Fantasy Fountain in Enterprise Community Park
- Volunteer Site Supervisor for the original Kid's Kingdom in Enterprise Community Park
- Traveled to Mexico to serve people in the outskirts of Tijuana
Pro Bono Engineering Work
- Northern California Veterans Cemetery
- Redding VA Clinic
- Housing for formerly homeless people
- New fire stations for two local fire districts
- Sports fields for four different local schools
Rotary Club of Redding West
- Waterfall at Cypress Avenue and Pine Street
- Improvements at T.R. Woods Park
- Maintenance and amenities on Ten-Bridges Trail
- Taste of Redding community event
- Volunteering for One Safe Place crab feed
- Workdays and chaperoning for Foothill High School Interact Club events
- Foothill High School Sober Grad Nite
Licensed civil & traffic engineer
Redding Area Land Development
Negotiating land development processes is not for the faint of heart. I've provided vital professional services for private developers and businesses.
Here's some examples that will be familiar to the Redding community:
Public-sector experience
Service to Northern California Governmental Agencies
I've provided technical services in the areas of community planning, master planning, financial planning, fee programs, environmental permitting, transportation safety investigations, infrastructure design, and construction management.
Agencies served in Northern California include:
Counties
Cities
Education
Tribal Government
Beyond the North State
Breadth Beyond Our Area
While the far Northern California experience is critical to understanding my breadth of experience, my experience serving unique projects outside the area provided professional growth and insights that will serve the Redding community well.
Here's just a sample of projects outside our area:
- Hotels in San Jose, California
- Expressway construction in Tulare County, California
- Rehabilitation of a 90-year-old steel truss bridge over the Russian River in Healdsburg, California
- Natural disaster road restoration in Shelter Cove, California
- New freeway interchanges in Galt, California, and Tulare County, California
- City park in Porterville, California
- City street modernization and reconstruction in Mariposa, California
- City street modernization and reconstruction in Avenal, California
- Chicken Ranch Rancheria, Tuolumne County, California
- Roadway improvements in Napa, California