Thomas "Rico" Oller is a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 from California. He served in the California State Assembly

California State Assembly

The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...

, representing the 4th District from 1996 to 2000, and the California State Senate

California State Senate

The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...

, representing the 1st district from 2000 to 2004. In 2004, Oller ran for Congress in California's 3rd congressional district

California's 3rd congressional district

California's 3rd congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S. state of California. It covers most of Sacramento County and part of Solano County, as well as all of Alpine, Amador and Calaveras counties...

, but lost the election to former California Attorney General Dan Lungren

Dan Lungren

Daniel Edward "Dan" Lungren is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. The district covers most of Sacramento County and part of Solano County, as well as all of Alpine, Amador and Calaveras counties...

. On January 10, 2008, Oller again ran for Congress, this time in California's 4th congressional district

California's 4th congressional district

California's 4th congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S. state of California. It covers the northeastern corner of California along Route 395, encompassing El Dorado, Placer, Nevada, Sierra, Plumas, Lassen, and Modoc counties, as well as parts of Butte County...

, for a seat being vacated by retiring Congressman John Doolittle

John Doolittle

John Taylor Doolittle , American politician, was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1991 to 2009, representing . In the 109th Congress, he held a leadership role as the Deputy Whip for the Republican party in the House...

. He faced opposition from former Congressman Doug Ose

Doug Ose

Douglas Arlo "Doug" Ose is a former California congressman who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1999 to 2005, representing California's 3rd Congressional District...

. On March 4, 2008, Oller dropped out of the race when California State Senator Tom McClintock

Tom McClintock

Thomas Miller McClintock II is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Republican Party. He is a former Assemblyman and state Senator...

 (R-Thousand Oaks) announced that he was running for Doolittle's seat. In a statement, Oller said his decision was "a bitter pill indeed for me to swallow." But, he said he was endorsing McClintock to prevent the election of Ose, whom he labeled as "an unarguably liberal Republican."

Legislative record

Oller fought against the expansion of Smog Check II and authored legislation to abolish the program. He opposed the use of MTBE (methyl tertiary-butyl ether) in fuel. He also passed legislation to protect the endangered Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep

Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep

Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep is a subspecies of bighorn sheep. Early taxonomic schemes included herds from British Columbia to southern California in a broader subspecies Ovis canadensis californiana. More recent genetic testing has indicated that O. c...

. He convened an oversight hearing into the spread of noxious weeds across California and carried legislation to promote the reactivation of the controversial Auburn Dam.

Oller was named Legislator of the Year by California Small Business Association and American Electronics Association. He also received an award from Women's Safety Alliance for dedication to safety and an award from the National Rifle Association

National Rifle Association

The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...

.

Campaigning

Oller has won the endorsement of Republican organizations such as the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association

Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association

Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is a political organization that helped sponsor Proposition 13 in California in 1978.It was founded by California Republican Howard Jarvis. The organization has outlived its founder, and continues to operate to the present day under the same name, opposing all...

, the California Taxpayer Protection Committee, the Club for Growth

Club for Growth

The Club for Growth is a politically conservative 527 organization active in the United States of America, with an agenda focussed on taxation and other economic issues, and with an affiliated political action committee . The Club advocates lower taxes, limited government, less government spending,...

, the California Republican Assembly

California Republican Assembly

The California Republican Assembly is a conservative California Republican activist group. It is the oldest and largest grassroots volunteer organization chartered by the California Republican Party....

, the Placer County Republican Central Committee, and Concerned Women for America

Concerned Women for America

Concerned Women for America is a conservative Christian public policy group active in the United States best known for its stance against abortion...

.

Personal history

Born in Fresno, California

Fresno, California

Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...

, Oller graduated from California State University, Stanislaus

California State University, Stanislaus

California State University, Stanislaus, also known as Cal State Stanislaus or simply Stan State is a campus in the California State University system which was established in 1957 in Turlock, California. It is also the only campus in the CSU system to offer a bachelor's degree in cognitive studies...

 in 1980. In 1981, Rico Oller started his building materials business. He is currently Owner and Chairman of Board of Material Ventures, Inc, the distribution company he founded. He resides with his wife and children in San Andreas, California

San Andreas, California

San Andreas is an unincorporated census-designated place and the county seat of Calaveras County, California. The population was 2,783 at the 2010 census, up from 2,615 at the 2000 census. Like most towns in the region, it was originally founded during the California Gold Rush...

.