She gets things done

Throughout her career, Debra has learned to collaborate with unlikely partners (Republicans, Democrats, Independents, and nearly anyone truly interested in solving issues) to identify the problems and needs of a community. She's learned how to achieve a working consensus on goals and priorities and how to fund them. 

For the past 18 years, Debra has been involved in economic development in Butte County - five of which she served as CEO of Butte County Economic Development Corporation. As a consultant to the County of Butte, Debra worked to recruit agricultural interests, industry and business to our region. She worked diligently to enhance the working environment for business and directed Butte County Cultural Tourism for 10+ years. 

Earlier in her career, she worked for an international furniture trade association for five years, had a leadership position in a $5 million family business for two years, was a journalist for eight years; and now has 18 years of consulting experience to business, government and nonprofits.  

Recent accomplishments:   

• When the Oroville Dam crisis began (as a former reporter)  Debra was asked to help populate Oroville Dam Evacuation Help facebook page. She continues to post information each day. The facebook page grew to nearly 5,000 overnight. 
• When Bidwell Mansion was slated for closure by state officials, Debra worked with a broad cross-section of constituents to keep the iconic state park open and helped to raise $140,000 in just a couple of months. 
• Annually, for more than a decade, She has worked with agriculture and local businesses to showcase the bounty of Butte County through the award-winning Butte County Booth at the California State Fair.
• When the local economy took a downturn, the Butte County EDC, under her direction, created an agricultural "speed-dating" concept between local growers and producers and buyers like restaurants and grocery store chains. This event created hundreds of thousands of dollars of business in just three short hours. Eight other counties copied the format due to its effectiveness. We also used this concept in the hard-hit construction industry - "dating" independent specialty contractors and general contractors.
• When Debra realized our region had little to no voice in the arts regionally, statewide or nationally, she rallied local arts agencies, CSU, Chico and other partners to form the True North Arts Culture & Media Alliance - now a recognized regional network of the CA Arts Council. This network delivers high quality arts programming to six True North Counties - Butte, Tehama, Shasta, Trinity, Siskiyou and Modoc. Her work across the arts, culture and tourism realm has received statewide recognition.  
• When she discovered most Butte County schools were not offering digital media arts classes (videography, TV production), she wrote a PG&E Community Vitality grant to address career and educational training for young adults and received one of 10 awarded in the state. This program, administered by BCAC.tv public access television for at-risk youth, continues at Fair View High School in Chico and the local community access station is now in relationship with Butte College and CSU, Chico.   

She is a person of action and like to get things done. She is committed to Butte County. She is committed to you.

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Debra Lucero for Butte County District 2 Supervisor in Chico

She was born at Enloe Hospital in Chico, raised in Corning, attended Shasta College and graduated from CSU, Chico, with a Bachelor's in Communications. Her mother and grandmother were born in Oroville. She has deep Butte County roots - going back to 1850s when her great, great, great grandfather, Phillip Klos settled in Mountain Spring and then moved to Enterprise where her great, great grandmother Lena Klof (Klos) was born in 1863. And to 1898 on her great grandfather's side. He is described in George Mansfield's History of Butte County, California, as "A worthy descendant of a 'forty-niner,' and himself the father of an enterprising and energetic family, is Thomas J. Lucas, of Bidwell’s Bar. Thomas J. Lucas married Miss Lena Klof, born at Enterprise, Butte County, the daughter of Philip Klof, the pioneer hotel- and store-keeper at Enterprise."  It goes on to describe Thomas J. Lucas as an excellent butcher and rancher and " ... active in any movement for the development of the county; and to this development Mr. Lucas has contributed in a considerable measure by his untiring research work and experimentation."

Her father was the first person in his family to attend college. He became a teacher, a volunteer firefighter and an advocate for girls sports at the school board level and for teachers at the state level. He was also an unofficial spokesperson for the hundreds of migrant farm workers who passed through Corning as they picked olives. It was his activism that inspired Debra to become an advocate and community organizer. 

Debra raised her three children in Chico. She is married to Raymond Laager who is president of a local business group and underwriting director for a local radio station. 

For nearly two decades, not only has she been involved in economic development but has been at the helm of nonprofits, active in community media, arts, culture, heritage and agricultural pursuits. At the core of this activity is the belief that economic and community development should be built around our local assets and our local people. 

Her eight plus years as an award-winning journalist and editor, as well as a "tour of duty" in Washington, D.C. as an information specialist for an Hispanic lobbyist group, seasoned her in government relations and negotiations. Her extensive grant writing background has enabled her to augment educational programs, festivals and events throughout her career. She has long worked with college-age adults, developing specialized internship programs in public relations, marketing, video and television production, as well as event and festival production.

In addition to several other boards, she sat on the Shasta-Cascade Wonderland Board of Directors - representing eight Northern California counties - for more than a decade. Currently, she sits on the Chico Arts Commission as well as on two state boards - California Arts Advocates and Californians for the Arts as well as on the Western Region of the Alliance for Community Media - representing Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico. 

She would be proud to represent Butte County as an elected official. "I've been doing it unofficially for years!" 

Thank you for your support.