Elizabeth Betancourt – Board Member  

Elizabeth Betancourt does not just dabble in politics; she is an active and able leader. Currently the Chair of the Shasta County Democratic Central Committee, Elizabeth has also served as the Northern Region Chair of the California’s Democratic Party’s (CADEM) Rural Caucus since 2019 and has represented rural interests on CADEM’s Anti-Racist Organization Work Group (2021-22), and on the CADEM Platform Committee, as chair of the Energy and Environment Plank (2021-22).

       Leadership

Elizabeth learned about “where the rubber hits the road” in politics when she ran for office; first, in a special election for the State Assembly (AD District 1) in 2019 and then as the Democratic nominee in the same district in 2020. Although not successful in either race (registration is overwhelmingly Republican in AD 1), she was a credible and competitive candidate both times, raising more money than any Democrat in the district in the previous four decades, primarily via small dollar donors from within the district! She tallied a higher percentage of the vote than any Democrat in AD 1 since 1980. Elizabeth knows rural issues and is passionate about building rural California’s capacity.

Elizabeth has a Master’s degree in Watershed Science from Colorado State University, and Bachelor of Science in Environmental Biology and Management from UC-Davis. Her day job is in natural and working lands state policy, focused on climate resilience and economic sustainability, largely in rural communities.

To stay busy, she and her husband, Pedro, own a small Shasta County farm which they share with a puppy, four cats, Soay sheep, and forty or so chickens. The farm is an extra-active place as it also provides educational programs for underserved and at-risk youth.