Alice Dowdin Calvillo can trace her family's roots in the Auburn area to at least 1852. Her mother still lives on the ranch where the family settled.
Dowdin Calvillo left for UC Davis and built a career in state government, working in the Legislature and serving two governors. But when she decided she wanted to hold elected office herself, she knew where she wanted to do it.
"I'm going to do it in my hometown," she remembers thinking. "I'm going to do it where it matters."
Nearly three decades after she was first elected to the Auburn City Council, that local commitment has grown into a distinctly regional perspective. Dowdin Calvillo serves on the Council, chairs Pioneer Community Energy, and has become a longtime supporter of the Placer Business Alliance.
As she prepares to co-chair this year's PBA Summit, we talked with her about why Auburn's future is connected to what happens throughout Placer County, what the region needs to get right as it grows, and why she wants more women to step into leadership.
PBA: You were an early supporter of PBA. What did you see in the organization that made you want to be involved?
Alice Dowdin Calvillo: I see PBA as public-private collaborative. An opportunity for local government, business big and small, non-profits, the education sector, chambers of commerce, and others to come together to work on big issues, share ideas, advocate, and solve shared problems.
None of us live or work in a bubble. What happens in one part of the County can and does impact us all. To be successful, we need to work together to not only plan for and promote our region as a fantastic place to have a business, live, and play, but we must work together to ensure we have the proper infrastructure to support that. This includes housing, good access to health care, high performing schools, and solid transportation systems and streets.
This collaboration is even more important today. On the public sector side, there are only so many dollars available, especially when we talk about funds for transportation. We must be able to demonstrate how our asks benefit more than just one city or area.
PBA: What happens elsewhere in Placer matters to Auburn. What does that look like in practice?
Dowdin Calvillo: Roseville, for example, is doing big things with the recruitment of international companies like Bosch. While those jobs will be in Roseville, employees may live in Auburn and/or choose to recreate in our backyard, the American River canyon. More people visiting, shopping, and dining in Auburn benefits our city.
At the same time, other Placer County cities can use Auburn as a recreation meca as an example of the high quality of life this region offers. This makes our county more attractive to business and non-profit CEOs.
PBA: When you look at Placer County's growth more broadly, what do you think we most need to get right?
Dowdin-Calvillo: Transportation and infrastructure.
We have big growth on the horizon, and growth requires infrastructure. Infrastructure is really expensive. We need to get transportation right and that takes big dollars.
That's where the federal government and state government come in. We have to get those infrastructure dollars into our region, whether we are talking about improvements onHighway 65, the I-80 corridor, or other connectors.
We also need to get housing is part of that. We're required to plan and zone for housing based on numbers assigned by the state and distributed through SACOG. Affordable housing can be incredibly difficult. Housing in general is difficult.
At the same time, we must continue to be business friendly. Our mom-and-pop shops are the backbone of our communities.
PBA: You see another side of the regional economy through Pioneer Community Energy. How does energy fit into that growth conversation?
Dowdin Calvillo: Pioneer is a not-for-profit community choice aggregator (CACA), and we provide residents and businesses in Placer County, except Roseville who has their own utility, a choice from whom they wish to purchase electricity.
For the most part, we are able to offer electricity at a lower rate than PG&E. That's important to residents trying to stretch their dollars to meet basic needs and to businesses where overall operational costs continue to escalate.
We work with the Greater Sacramento Economic Council, and our lower rates becomes another marketing tool to encourage businesses to come to Placer County. In addition to all the other great things that Placer County has to offer, we can also offer a savings in electrical costs through Pioneer Community Energy.
There are other connections, too. Biomass is one example.
We all know the importance of healthy forests here in Placer County, especially up near Tahoe, Auburn, and Colfax where the risk of wildfire is high. Biomass not only gets rid of highly flammable forest waste, but through that waste reduction, we can also make electricity.
It's expensive, though, so we're working with the state to find programs and dollars that can help offset some of those costs. Grass Valley is installing its own biomass facility, and Pioneer will purchase power from it at a negotiated price.
PBA: Transportation, housing, economic development, energy. Is seeing those connections part of what keeps bringing you back to the PBA Summit?
Dowdin Calvillo: Absolutely.
This will be my third year attending as Chair of Pioneer, and I love the Summit because it gives multiple sectors an opportunity to come together to discuss the issues most important to our county and work towards solutions.
You have nonprofits. You have health care and education. You have the public sector and private businesses all coming together for the betterment of our county.
We really don't have any other mechanism for that. That's what's so great about the PBA Summit. It brings together all these different collectives in an environment where we can get down to business without the day-to-day distractions.
And we connect. Health care goes hand in hand with jobs. Jobs go hand in hand with education.
This year, I'm especially excited to co-chair the Summit with Willie Duncan, President of Sierra College. Willie and his board have done some incredible things to prepare students for area jobs.
There's also something valuable about physically getting away. When you're at home in the region, you think, "Oh, I have another meeting ten minutes." When we're in Washington, we can focus without the day-to-day distractions.
There have been some really important discussions at past Summits and action plans that came out of those discussions.
I fully support the Summit, and I'm grateful I have the opportunity to participate through Pioneer.
PBA: You think about many of these issues regionally, but your connection to Auburn is deeply personal. What has kept you here? Dowdin-Calvillo: Auburn is my home.
I was born and raised here. I went to Placer High School. I was recently inducted into the Placer High School Hall of Fame for lifetime achievement, which was incredibly special.
I went to UC Davis and was away from Auburn for about nine years, but I came back. I've been back for 30 years now.
My family is here. My mom still lives on the same ranch my family settled.
I've spent nearly 40 years in governance and public service. I started working for the State of California when I was a freshman at UC Davis. I've worked in the Legislature, served two governors, and held appointed and elected positions.
I stay here because this is my home. I'm firmly rooted here in Placer County. Serving locally is my way to utilize my skill set to give back to my community.
PBA: Do you remember when you decided you wanted to serve Auburn yourself?
Dowdin Calvillo: I remember the moment. I had an epiphany really.
I was working as a chief consultant in the California State Assembly, oh, how I loved that job. It was intense. This was before the Internet, so all our analyses had to be done on computers at the Capitol. Sometimes you worked seven days a week. I remember writing bill analyses on Easter.
But I loved the policy work, and I loved working with legislative members on both sides of the aisle to find solutions and compromise. I loved the art of governance.
One day in the mid-1990s, I was walking down the steps of the State Capitol thinking about how much I loved my job in elected politics, and I thought, "I can do this."
Then I thought, "I'm going to run for office in my hometown. I'm going to govern where it matters most."
And so, I began my journey for Auburn City Council.
As I began to campaign, folks would ask me, “Are you sure you want to do this? You’re so young."
And I thought, "Yes. Darn it, I am. I can do this!”
I was elected in 1998, re-elected in 2002, and served until 2005 when I left the Council a year early to become member of Governor Schwarzenegger’s Senior Staff.
Years later, people started asking when I was going to run for Auburn City Council again. I was hesitant at first because my daughter was young at the time. But then one morning at breakfast, my daughter told me that I “had to run because the people need you, mama.”
So, I did, and I was elected once again in 2020 and then re-elected in 2024.
PBA: You were a young woman when you first joined the Council. Today, Auburn has its first all-women City Council. What has changed, and what do you want the women coming next to know?
Dowdin Calvillo: As for advice, don't be afraid to take risk.
That's something I've done throughout my career. I've taken some immense risks.
Also, always be prepared and take time to listen to what people have to say. It's important that people know you're listening. Build relationships. Be gracious.
And don't be afraid to take a seat at the dais.
When I first ran for office in 1998, it was a very different time for women. I remember being questioned whether I could manage serving on the Council while married and holding a full-time job out of town. They weren't asking the men that question. I also got a few raised eyebrows due to my young age at the time.
Now we have councilwomen with young families and full-time jobs. I'm glad I was able to chip away at some of those old expectations.
I remember when I was younger, my fellow Councilmen would say, "We've already talked about this."
And I would say, "Well, I wasn't on the Council then. So, I'm going to ask my questions."
I've got questions. I'm going to ask them. I'm going to do my job.