Volunteer Spotlight: Tim Dec
By Katie Zakrzewski
This month’s volunteer spotlight is on Tim Dec, a climate-conscious Republican running for California State Assembly. Tim grew up in Oregon before relocating to the Bay Area and Silicon Valley after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. After leaving his last corporate job at Apple, Tim started a technology coaching business focused on helping seniors. Today, he is an avid biker, hiker, and camper, and enjoys almost anything outside. Tim and his wife, Dianne, have two sons and a new grandson, whom they spend time with every week.
We asked Tim about his work in CCL, his political campaign, and his climate journey.
What do you do within CCL?
I live in the South Bay area of San Francisco and have been part of my local Silicon Valley North chapter ever since it started in 2013. Soon after I joined, I decided to put my energy into the state of Idaho since I have family there and travel up to the Boise area often. At that time, they only had one chapter in the state shared with Washington, so I made efforts to expand chapters throughout the state, starting with Boise. We currently have six chapters across the state.
What projects and roles have you been involved in?
During my time with CCL, I have been the group leader for my chapter and media liaison. I’m also a climate advocate trainer and have trained volunteers for other chapters in the area. I’m part of our Conservative Caucus, and I’m on their executive team. With a focus on my campaign, I don’t currently have any projects with CCL but am continuing to support Idaho as a state coordinator.
What made you decide to run for office?
I have been a member of the South Peninsula Area Republican Coalition (SPARC) for a few years and felt there was a real opportunity for moderate climate action-friendly Republicans. California is both a high tax and a highly regulated state, so the opportunity to address those issues along with climate drove my decision to run for California’s state assembly in AD-23. Republican Bill Shireman [who will give a speech at CCL’s June Conference] would also be running for assembly in the east San Francisco district AD-17. Bill has a similar political philosophy to mine with a strong climate message, so we are collaborating on our campaigns and messaging. Since I have a strong background in climate policy, I’ve also offered myself as a resource to other candidates connected with the topic of climate.
What is the latest campaign update?
As far as my campaign is going, I think it is progressing well. In California, the top two candidates from the June primary go to the general election in November, which often means two Democratic candidates. That’s not an issue for me since there is only myself and the incumbent. That allows me to conserve my resources for after the primary. My campaign platform of center-right conservative values, a strong climate action message, and the rejection of divisive politics have embraced voters from the left, right, and middle. Bill and I are hoping to build a larger California coalition of conservative common-sense problem solvers who can reach across the aisle. It’s a strongly democratic district and I’ve got a long road ahead, but my campaign is as much about the journey as it is the goal of office. That keeps me centered.
