Meet Adam

Adam Gray is focused on what matters most to the residents of the San Joaquin Valley: health, education, public safety, jobs, and water.

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He was born and raised in Merced and put himself through college working at his family’s dairy supply. After school, Adam worked in the State Legislature where he fought to eliminate the Tractor Tax on farm equipment. He eventually returned home to teach a class on the State Legislature at UC Merced. When the Great Recession hit, Adam chose to step up and be part of the solution. He was elected to the State Assembly where he has represented Merced County and Stanislaus County for the past decade.

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Adam has championed bipartisan commonsense solutions. He was elected by his colleagues to lead the New Democratic Caucus and founded the California Problem Solvers Caucus which brings Democrats, Republicans, and independents together to address California’s most critical issues including homelessness, the pandemic, and drought.

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Adam has led the fight against the State Water Grab. He bucked his own party leaders by advancing legislation to block the water grab and organized the largest water rights rally the State Capitol has ever seen. His efforts paid off when the chief architect of the water grab was removed from the board. Standing shoulder to shoulder with Democratic and Republican lawmakers from the Valley, Adam also delivered nearly $3 billion to build new water storage, $200 million to repair aging canals, and $60 million to bolster groundwater basins.

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To address the Valley’s historic shortage of doctors, Adam secured more than $200 million to establish a joint medical school at UC Merced and UCSF-Fresno which will enroll its first class of future doctors in 2023. He also passed legislation to double the operating hours of rural health clinics to keep them open during hours that make sense for working families.

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When Merced County had the highest murder rate in the state, Adam secured $4.5 million to develop a gang violence reduction program that resulted in the arrest of more than 50 gang leaders and the seizure of 21,000 rounds of ammunition. Adam also passed legislation to crack down on catalytic converter theft and increase penalties on shoplifting rings.

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Adam also secured $400 million to extend the ACE train to Modesto and Merced and passed legislation preventing funding cuts to county fairs and FFA programs and increasing tax credits for small businesses.

 

Adam has a strong track record of fighting and delivering for the Valley. He is running to represent the 13th Congressional District which includes all of Merced County and portions of the counties of Stanislaus, Madera, Fresno, and San Joaquin.