RUSS WENHAM ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR REDDING CITY COUNCIL
Fifth-Generation Redding Native and 42-Year Career Civil Engineer Enters Race with Focus on Budget Accountability, Roads, Public Safety, and Jobs.
REDDING, CA — Russ Wenham, a civil engineer with more than four decades of public infrastructure and land development project experience, today officially announced his candidacy for the Redding City Council in the November 2026 election. Wenham was born in Redding and is a fifth generation far Northern Californian.
"Redding is at a critical juncture," said Wenham. "We have large unfunded liabilities, bet on unrealistic revenues, costs continue to rise — and government trust is low. I'm not running to be a politician. I'm running because this city deserves focused, experienced leadership that has the courage to make hard decisions and the experience to make them right."
“The challenges we face are real - but I believe in Redding,” Wenham went on to say. “I will strive to make Redding Northern California’s most thriving and vibrant city. Working together we can have better roads, be fire-safe, grow our vital healthcare services, enjoy extraordinary outdoor recreation, and have a strong economy that supports our citizens and businesses. We live in a great city – and I will never loose sight of this fact.
Wenham’s life-long career and passion, for delivering both private and public infrastructure, makes him uniquely suited for the challenges facing the city. The first half of his career was spent with Caltrans in Sacramento and Redding, where he managed infrastructure programs and oversaw hundreds of employees responsible for maintenance and operations across seven northeastern California — carrying budget responsibility equivalent to half the current City of Redding budget. The second half of his career was spent in engineering consulting, delivering projects for dozens of cities, counties, and private developers under real-world financial and regulatory constraints.
In Redding alone, Wenham has contributed engineering services to more than one hundred projects. He has served as past Chair of Redding’s Planning Commission, where he gained firsthand experience encouraging citizen input, shaping local policy, and making decisions that will guide Redding’s future. This summer, he is stepping away from his position with an international engineering firm to focus full-time on listening to residents and business owners, engaging with current and former city staff, and learning all that he can to be prepared to serve a four-year term on the City Council.
Wenham has identified his first priorities:
Budget Accountability & Transparency
Roads and Infrastructure
Public Safety
Jobs & Economic Growth
"I balance the serious challenges before us with a deep love for Redding," Wenham said. "I know we have great people doing great things here. My responsibility is to create the conditions for success — not just for today, but for future generations. In the months and years to come we will make critical decisions about the riverfront, civic auditorium, Stillwater Business Park, Redding Sports Park, road repairs, park maintenance, improvements to fire stations, public safety staffing, income qualified housing, etc. I’m ready to take on the challenge.”
Beyond his professional record, Wenham has a long history of service to the Redding community, including volunteer construction management for Enterprise Community Park, 32 years of Rotary Club membership, pro bono professional services for veterans' facilities, and service on the Shasta County Grand Jury. He raised his family in Redding with his children going to Redding schools and his daughters graduating from Simpson University. Wenham currently serves on an engineering industry advisory board at Simpson University, with a commitment to grow Simpson’s engineering program.
Wenham's campaign tagline — Real Solutions for Redding — reflects his career background and his commitment to accountability over politics. He also uses the tagline — Courage to make hard decisions. Experience to make them right. — emphasizing that his entire career has revolved around problem solving.
