Rico Oller

Thomas "Rico" Oller (born July 16, 1958) is a Republican U.S. politician from California. He served in the California State Assembly, representing the 4th District from 1996 to 2000, and the California State Senate, representing the 1st district from 2000 to 2004. In 2004, Oller ran for Congress in California's 3rd congressional district, but narrowly lost the Republican primary to former California Attorney General Dan Lungren. On January 10, 2008, Oller again ran for Congress, this time in California's 4th congressional district, for a seat being vacated by retiring Congressman John Doolittle. He faced opposition from former Congressman Doug Ose. On March 4, 2008, Oller dropped out of the race when California 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." Oller ran for the newly former 5th Assembly District in 2012 facing Madera County Supervisor Frank Bigelow in the November general election. Oller lost to Bigelow by 5.7%.

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. 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 the 2000 Defender of Freedom award from the National Rifle Association.

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