Roger Dickinson serves as the Policy Director for CivicWell, providing direction and advocacy at the state and local levels for the policies, programs, and priorities of the organization. In addition, he works with the Housing Concepts Coalition which brings together diverse stakeholders to advocate for legislative and administrative steps to increase housing.
Previously, Roger served as the Executive Director of Transportation California, a nonprofit construction industry coalition which provides public education and advocacy to increase state funding for surface transportation infrastructure. During Roger’s tenure, the legislature passed and the governor signed SB 1, The Road Repair and Accountability Act, the largest transportation funding legislation in California history, and the voters passed Proposition 69 and defeated Proposition 6 in 2018. As a result, California now enjoys an additional more than $5 billion per year in funding for roads, bridges, public transportation, and active transportation.
Roger was elected to the State Assembly in November 2010, and reelected in November 2012, representing the 7th Assembly District including the Cities of Sacramento and West Sacramento. In his first year, he achieved a 100% bill signing success rate – seven bills were approved by the legislature and all seven were signed into law. In the second year of his term, nine more bills were signed by the Governor. In 2013, 11 Dickinson bills were signed into law by Governor Brown. In 2014, his most successful year, 15 bills were sent to the Governor and all 15 were signed in law – another 100% success rate. As a legislator, Dickinson focused on issues related to environmental quality, education, health and human services for children and families, economic development, and consumer protection.
Prior to his election to the Assembly, Dickinson served on the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors from February 1994 through 2010. As a member of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors, Dickinson played key roles on issues such as health care, welfare reform, economic development, clean air, improved transportation, and smart growth.
Roger currently serves on the boards of the MS Society of Northern California, the Aerospace Museum of California, and the Sacramento Tree Foundation, and is a cofounder of SMART, Sacramento Metro Advocates for Rail and Transit. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley where he lettered in varsity basketball and afterward earned a law degree at UCLA in 1976. Dickinson lives with his wife, Marj, in the Woodlake neighborhood where they have owned a home for more than 40 years.