HELEN MacLEOD THOMSON
Helen Thomson began her public service career in 1974 when she was elected as a member of the Davis Joint Unified School District Board of Education where she served for three terms. She was elected to the Yolo County Board of Supervisors in 1986 and re-elected in 1990 and 1994. In 1996 she won the 8th District seat in the California State Assembly where she served three terms.
In the Assembly, Thomson chaired both the Health Committee and the Select Committee on Mental Health. Additionally, she served on five Assembly standing committees: Agriculture, Appropriations, Business & Professions, Local Government, and Water, Parks & Wildlife. During her tenure, Assemblywoman Thomson served on the leadership teams of four Speakers, including positions as Majority Floor Whip and Assistant Speaker Pro Tem. She authored 81 bills signed into law by both Democratic and Republican governors. Most notably was AB 88, the mental health parity bill, which ended the historic discrimination in insurance benefits for those who suffer from mental illness. In 2002, when her assembly term ended, Thomson again was elected to the Yolo County Board of Supervisors. She was re-elected without opposition in June 2006.
Supervisor Thomson has served on a variety of local and statewide boards, including a term as President of the California Elected Women’s Association (CEWAER) and as First Vice President of the California State Association of Counties (CSAC). She remains active in both California Women Lead (formerly CEWAER), and CSAC where she is a member of the Health and Human Services Committee. She currently serves as Chair of the Yolo Natural Heritage Program Joint Powers Authority, the Legislative Committee of the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District, the Yolo First Five Commission, The Future of the Safety Net in Yolo County and the Children’s Alliance of Yolo County. She was the 2009-2010 Chair of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments and is currently a member of their Transportation, Government Relations and Public Affairs, and Strategic Planning Committees.
Supervisor Thomson also serves as a member of the UC Davis Landscape Architecture Advisory Board, the University Retirement Community Foundation Board of Directors and the California Coalition of Compassionate Care Steering Committee where she is the POLST Taskforce Chair. She serves as an advisory board member of the Government Finance Education Institute of Sacramento and on the California Health Policy Forum. She previously served on the committee which recommend that the University of California President establish a School of Public Health at UC Davis, as well as the selection committee for the Vice Chancellor and Dean of the newly-established Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis.
A major goal of Supervisor Thomson’s was the update of the County General Plan, and in December 2009, Yolo County’s new General Plan was adopted. The 2030 General Plan continues Yolo County’s historic preservation of agricultural lands, natural resources and open space, while creating opportunities for strategic economic development and emphasizing policies that aim to address the issue of climate change. Supervisor Thomson’s 2010 goals include implementation of the “smart growth” principles of the General Plan, an update of the Yolo County Parks Master Plan with a review of the Oak Woodlands Master Plan, and completion of the Yolo Natural Heritage Plan.
Of continuing importance to Supervisor Thomson is the Children’s Health Initiative, which aims to insure children 0-18 who are not covered by other health insurance programs, the Yolo Indigent Health Medical Services Program and the County’s alcohol, drug and mental health programs.
Supervisor Thomson is a registered nurse and the mother of three grown children as well as the proud grandmother of four grandchildren. She lives in Davis with her husband, Captane P. Thomson, M.D., a practicing psychiatrist.
Supervisor Thomson's Board assignments to Yolo County Advisory Boards, Commissions, Committees, and Councils are as follows:
Your interests, concerns, and questions are important to Supervisor Thomson. She encourages public participation in local government and urges those persons interested in serving on a Yolo County Advisory Board, Commission, Committee or Council to contact her.
You may contact Supervisor Thomson by
email at helen.thomson@yolocounty.org or by phone at (530) 757-5557
You may contact her Deputy, Laura Bibelheimer, by
email at laura.bibelheimer@yolocounty.org or by phone at (530) 666-8620
To schedule an appointment with Supervisor Thomson, please fill out the attached Scheduling Request document and email to above address or fax to (530) 666-8193.
Supervisor Thomson can also be reached by mail at:
625 Court Street, Room 204
Woodland, CA 95695
Meetings of the Yolo County Board of Supervisors are held on Tuesdays beginning at 9:00am and are recorded and broadcast throughout the County on community television. In Davis, these meetings can be viewed on Channel 7 on Sundays at 7:00pm and Mondays at 1:00pm.
(updated July 1, 2010)