Michael Masuda was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin to a middle class household with his parents and two brothers. His parents are Air Force veterans who worked on F-15 fighter jets at Holloman Air Force Base before settling down in Green Bay. He is the descendant of German and Polish Americans living in Northern Wisconsin on his mother’s side. He has fond memories learning to fish at his grandparents’ home on a small lake and swinging from the rope swing in the barn at the family farm. Michael’s paternal grandparents were Japanese Americans living in the San Francisco Bay Area before being forcibly relocated to the Topaz Internment Camp in Utah during World War II. After the war, they moved back to the Bay Area before moving to Amador County in the early 1970’s.

Michael moved to Amador County in 1999 at age 10 with his family after the passing of his grandfather.  He spent his formative years in the back roads of Amador County with his parents, two brothers, two cousins, their dog, and Grandma Masuda right next door.  He attended Sutter Creek Elementary, Ione Junior High, and Amador High School where he played basketball and baseball.  During the summers in high school, Michael worked delivering ice cream for the Amador Creamery to stores throughout Amador, Calaveras, and Tuolumne Counties.  In 2007,  Michael left for Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo to pursue an electrical engineering degree.  It was during this time that Michael met his wife-to-be, Brittany.  They spent the first 4 years of their relationship long distance, traveling hours on weekends to spend time together.  On a sunny, warm afternoon two days after Christmas 2014, on the hills behind Amador City, Michael proposed to Brittany and in 2015, they were married.

In the following years, they moved to Washington, DC to start their careers. Michael worked as an engineer at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory where he developed his appreciation for the role that technology plays in keeping American soldiers safe and ensuring the U.S. military remains the most capable in the world.  In 2021, he was selected for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellowship and joined the Department of State as a civil servant. It was there that he grew to understand the role of diplomacy in protecting the American people, creating opportunities for American companies, and preventing conflict around the world.  During the COVID-19 pandemic, Michael and Brittany did what so many other couples did: they adopted a COVID pup, Luna, and got to work having kids. They now have a 3 year old son and a 1 year old daughter who are the joy of their lives.

Michael’s values are rooted in Amador County and his 15 year relationship with Brittany. He strongly supports civil liberties. Growing up in small town Amador County, he learned the importance of serving your community and looking out for your neighbors.  His parents instilled the importance of hard work in him throughout his youth, lessons that he carries forward to this day.

As an engineer, Michael has dedicated his life to solving problems. Rather than only addressing a problem’s symptoms, he tries to understand the cause and figure out how to solve it. He plans to bring that mentality to Congress so we can address the big problems like reducing the threat of wildfires, increasing access to affordable healthcare, investing in education for kids and young adults that prepares them for meaningful careers, and ensuring everyone has an opportunity to find a job that pays a living wage. Michael is here to work for the people of the 5th District.

Every year, communities in CA5 and across California prepare for fire season. And every year, wildfire seasons continue to worsen, homeowners lose insurance or face increasingly unaffordable premiums, and people are left wondering if this will be the year they, or someone they love, loses everything. This crisis stems from chronic underinvestment in forest management, a Congressman who refuses to fight for needed resources for our communities, and a climate crisis that is endangering all of us. I will fight for more resources, smarter wildfire preparation and response strategies, faster federal emergency response, and recruitment and retention of federal wildland firefighters. Every dollar invested in wildfire prevention and mitigation saves taxpayers multiple dollars in emergency response, disaster recovery, and long-term economic losses.

My priorities as your next Congressman are:

• Protect Communities with Federal Defense Programs by expanding grants for evacuation planning, home improvements that resist fire, and creating defensible space including firebreaks and prescribed burn areas. I will renew and drastically expand the Community Wildfire Defense Grants, fully fund FEMA fire assistance when fires overwhelm local resources, and ensure rural communities can access federal funding for fire-resistant infrastructure.

• Strengthen Professional Forest Management by requiring the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service to rapidly establish more cooperative agreements for public land management, forest thinning, and restoration with state, local, tribal, and community nonprofit organizations. I will review federal laws and bureaucratic processes that unnecessarily slow down prescribed burns while ensuring we continue to protect our natural environment and water resources from contamination. I will also ensure fuel treatment grants for firebreaks automatically include annual or bi-annual maintenance funding.

• Strengthen Local Workforce by fighting for federal contracting rules that prioritize local hiring for forest management work, and I will work with the local timber industry, biomass industry, tribal nations, fire districts, and environmental groups to advocate for policies that remove fuels from forests with a focus on protecting communities first and improving overall forest health. I will support forest management approaches that create local jobs, produce biomass energy, and build the coalitions needed to get this work done at the scale our forests require.

• Secure Federal Funding to Protect Our Electrical Grid in partnership with the state by bringing federal grants to CA5 to support burying power lines, installing protected power lines, and adding sensors in high-risk areas. I will push federal agencies to prioritize proven wildfire risk reduction projects.

• Expand Fuel Treatment and Post-Fire Recovery by fighting for increased US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management funding so money flows before fire season, securing multi-year commitments, streamlining coordination between agencies, and supporting post-fire recovery through faster FEMA aid deployment, emergency watershed funding, Small Business Administration disaster assistance, and USDA emergency programs for affected farmers and ranchers.

• Address the Insurance Crisis by supporting federal tax breaks for home improvements that harden homes to reduce insurance premiums, appropriating grants and educational assistance to establish new Firewise Communities in partnership with local organizations, working in coordination with state insurance regulators, ensuring FEMA disaster assistance and SBA disaster loans are fully funded for homeowners whose losses exceed insurance coverage, and securing federal grants to support state programs that help homeowners afford fire-resistant roofs and defensible space around their homes.

We need to stop treating wildfires as an emergency and start managing forests year-round while investing in prevention. Firefighters, tribes, forestry workers, and utility crews have the expertise to reduce risk. It's time they have a representative who will fight for the federal funding, laws, and multi-year planning that makes prevention possible.

Our communities in CA5 face an affordability crisis. The cost of housing, fire insurance, healthcare, power, water, groceries and everyday goods continue to rise while paychecks stay the same. This isn't just about money—it's about dignity. Every family deserves to know their hard work can support them in the community they call home.

These are my priorities as your next Congressman:

• Make housing affordable and encourage more construction by funding USDA programs that help rural families buy homes with zero down payment, and expanding VA home loans for veterans. Tom McClintock has voted against these programs for 16 years.

• Support our farms and ranches by protecting farmers from trade wars that hurt their ability to sell crops, building local processing facilities that create jobs and lower food costs, funding water projects that keep our farms running, and helping small farms get loans and reduce red tape.

• Bring healthcare costs down by targeting profiteering in the healthcare industry that is allowing drug and insurance companies to enrich wealthy shareholders at our expense. I will support letting Medicare negotiate lower prices on more medications, restoring Affordable Care Act subsidies, protecting Medi-Cal and Medicare, and supporting community health centers and telehealth that reduce travel time and improves rural access, and ensuring our veterans get timely, quality care.

• Protect earned benefits by defending Social Security and Medicare that families paid into, and protecting food assistance programs like SNAP and WIC that prevent hunger. Families shouldn't lose benefits because of budget cuts or political games.

• Make childcare affordable by fully funding childcare assistance programs, expanding Head Start in rural communities, supporting new childcare facilities and home-based providers, and providing tax credits for families.

• Reduce energy costs by investing in rural energy programs, supporting projects that turn forest waste into clean energy while reducing wildfire risk, and upgrading our electrical grid to lower bills and improve reliability.

• Invest in infrastructure by fixing water systems, expanding broadband internet access, building community facilities, and making it easier to build affordable housing while preserving our towns' character.

Affordability means understanding how housing, healthcare, energy, and everyday prices add up. Federal programs exist to help. I will fight to fund them, expand them, and bring them home to CA5.

Everyone deserves access to quality, affordable healthcare. Healthcare is about security. The security of knowing you can get the care that you need when you need it, that a medical emergency won't bankrupt your family, and that your local hospital will be there if you or a loved one are having a medical emergency.  But our healthcare system has failed us. Large healthcare corporations and the wealthy have enriched themselves at immense harm and cost to American families and taxpayers. It’s time for that to end, and for us to fix our broken system. 

These are my priorities as your next Congressman:

• Target Profiteering from drug companies, medical device makers, pharmacy benefit managers, for-profit hospitals, and health insurance companies. Over the last 20 years, the healthcare industry has sent $2.6 trillion in profits to stock buybacks and investors instead of patients. That’s nearly 95% of the profits made by the largest U.S. healthcare companies. I will support laws that stop this kind of profiteering and protect taxpayer dollars, so money meant for Medicare and Medi-Cal goes to patient care, not corporate profits.

• Protect Rural Hospitals and Clinics by fully funding the facilities that serve as lifelines in our communities and expanding telehealth so patients can see specialists without long drives. I will also support payment increases for Medicare and Medi-Cal in rural and low income areas where healthcare providers face greater financial obstacles. Tom McClintock voted to cut over $1 trillion from Medicaid, threatening the very hospitals that keep rural communities alive.

• End Maternity Care Deserts by increasing payment rates for pregnancy and birth care in rural areas, expanding loan forgiveness to recruit doctors and nurses to areas with fewer providers, and supporting midwives and birth centers. This includes allowing family planning and prenatal care providers like Planned Parenthood to be eligible for federal funds.

• Fix the Broken Prescription Drug system by regulating the middlemen who drive up drug prices while profiting at patients' expense, establishing transparency laws for drug price negotiations between private companies, and requiring transparency in drug billing so families aren't hit with surprise bills.

• Bring Transparency to All Healthcare Costs by requiring healthcare providers and insurance companies to show full procedure costs upfront so families can make informed decisions and avoid surprise medical bills.

• Protect Medi-Cal Access so hundreds of thousands in our district, including children, people with disabilities, and low-income families, continue to have access to healthcare. No benefit cuts, no harder applications, no reduced coverage. I'll defend what McClintock has repeatedly voted to gut.

• Ensure Our Veterans Receive Timely Care by fully funding VA facilities, expanding mental health services through telehealth and in-person options, and increasing healthcare access in rural areas so veterans don't wait months for appointments they've earned. This includes reversing attempts to cut doctors and privatize the VA. 

• Expand Mental Health & Address Addiction Crises by investing in treatment and recovery services, expanding telehealth access especially in rural areas, reforming drug laws to focus on treatment instead of jail time for low-level offenses, and targeting high-level drug dealers who profit from addiction.

Quality healthcare shouldn't depend on your zip code. Rural communities deserve the same security, the same access, and the same chance at healthy lives as anyone else. CA5 needs a representative who will fight to keep our hospitals open, not vote to cut their funding.

Our communities have nearly everything needed to thrive—hardworking people, natural resources, strong farms and ranches, and a resilient spirit. But over time, many of our communities have struggled with job loss and lack of investment. I will fight to bring federal investments and new industries to our communities to create good-paying jobs, support small businesses, and revitalize mainstreet. 

My priorities as your next Congressman are:

• Strengthen Workforce Training by supporting federal apprenticeship programs in agriculture, tourism, healthcare, forestry, and construction. I will push for local hiring requirements in federal contracts, prioritize veteran hiring, and expand community college job training programs that partner with local employers. I will fight for the reauthorization of the National Apprenticeship Act to create 1 million new opportunities by 2030, ensuring these programs remain tied to strong labor standards and union partnerships.

• Support Small Businesses by fully funding small business help centers that provide free expert advice, business planning, and access to loans. I will help local businesses compete for Small Business Administration loans and federal grants for downtown revitalization and startup programs.

• Expand Rural Broadband Access by fully funding USDA programs that bring high-speed fiber internet to rural areas, accurately mapping what areas lack coverage, and ensuring reliable internet essential for farming, remote work, telehealth, and education.

• Upgrade Our Infrastructure and Roads by securing increased federal funding for road maintenance, bridge repairs, transportation routes critical to agriculture, tourism, and timber industries, and upgraded water and wastewater treatment facilities.

• Strengthen Local Food Processing by targeting federal grants to support facilities that process food locally, agricultural technology businesses, and small-scale specialty manufacturing. This includes wineries, craft breweries, specialty food production, and farm-to-market operations that complement our agricultural strengths. Ensure local hiring in all federal programs.

• Enhance Tourism and Outdoor Recreation by working with local businesses and elected officials to bring federal resources and investment to federal lands, such as the Yosemite gateway communities and Sierra Nevada wilderness areas, to expand tourism revenue for the benefit of local communities. I will support federal grants for recreation infrastructure that create jobs in hospitality, guiding services, and outdoor retail. I will also support more funding for our National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and land conservation.

• Promote Trade Stability by working across party lines to ensure stable access to export markets for California's specialty crop farmers. I will support policies that reduce unpredictable costs for farm supplies while protecting workers with strong labor standards.

Building opportunity means investing in job training, supporting entrepreneurs, upgrading our infrastructure, and partnering for opportunity. CA5 has the people, resources, and infrastructure to thrive—we need a representative who will fight for federal programs with local control and local hiring, unlocking the economic potential our communities deserve.

In CA5, housing costs are crushing working families. The core problem is straightforward: we need to build more homes. But everything is working against us. Regulations are slowing down construction, tariffs on materials are driving up costs, and wildfire insurance is disappearing or becoming unaffordable. When you stack all of that together, home and rent prices keep climbing while families get priced out in the communities they serve. I will be a strong voice in Congress advocating for increasing affordable housing. 

My priorities as your next Congressman are:

• Expand Federal Rural Housing Programs and Support First-Time Homebuyers by fighting for full funding of USDA home loans that provide zero-down homeownership with affordable interest rates, expanding loan guarantee programs that leverage private capital, creating federal tax credits for first-time homebuyers to help working families, and ensuring seniors can access grants for critical home repairs.

• Increase Affordable Rental Housing Production by expanding the Federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit, a primary tool that incentives developers to build and renovate affordable rental housing. This program works, and I will advocate for more funding to meet the scale of our housing crisis.  

• Reduce Construction Costs and Barriers by reducing tariffs on construction materials and appliances that inflate building costs, streamlining federal environmental reviews and permitting processes that delay rural housing projects, and working with state and local governments to cut regulatory red tape while maintaining safety standards.

• Champion Innovative Construction by tackling regulations that impede housing innovation. California leads the nation in modular and factory-built construction, which dramatically reduces building costs. I will fight to increase production of these homes, including multi-family buildings, so we can build more housing faster and affordably.  

• Expand the Construction Workforce by working with the Department of Labor to increase journeyman and apprenticeship programs in the construction trades. This includes advocating for more community college training programs, technical courses in high schools, and partnership with construction trade groups to train the workers we need to build homes. 

• Tackle the Wildfire Insurance Crisis by holding Congressional hearings to investigate insurance companies abandoning rural homeowners, establishing federal tax credits for fire-resistant construction, working with California programs to support home hardening, and ensuring disaster assistance helps families rebuild after fires.

• Address Rural Homelessness by working with California and local governments to fund programs that prevent families from losing their homes, expanding access to voluntary mental health treatment, supporting coordinated services through federal-state partnerships that help people transitioning from foster care, rehabilitation, and the justice system find stable housing, and ensuring rural communities have resources to address the unique challenges of homelessness in non-urban areas where people may be living in cars, couch surfing, or staying in substandard conditions.

From streamlining regulations to training construction workers to supporting mental health services, I will work for the families of CA5 to make housing affordable and keep our communities strong.

Education is the foundation of opportunity in America. Every child, regardless of background, deserves a high-quality public education that opens doors to college, career, or entrepreneurship. Schools are community hubs that connect learning, safety, and opportunity. In CA5, we must ensure every student has the resources, guidance, and support to reach their full potential.

As your next Congressman, I will: 

• Fund Special Education and Student Support by increasing federal funding for Special Ed so schools can provide personalized attention, speech therapy, and specialized lesson plans without overburdening local budgets, relieving financial pressure, and freeing resources for Career and Technical Education (CTE) and other programs. I will also support expanding early intervention programs, Head Start, and universal pre-K, ensuring high-quality teachers, fair pay, and full certification requirements.

• Expand Career and Technical Education (CTE) that provide hands-on experience, certifications, and pathways to high-skill, high-wage careers. I will ensure federal funding through the Carl Perkins Act remains sustainable and accountable, provide grants and technical support to rural and smaller districts to compete for workforce programs, and recognize CTE as a lifelong opportunity, including career transitions for adults and veterans.

• Support Teachers and Workforce Development by expanding student loan forgiveness, signing bonuses, and housing assistance to recruit and retain teachers, especially in rural communities. I will support competitive salaries, healthcare subsidies, mental health services, and work-life balance programs for educators, invest in professional development and mentorship programs, and strengthen “Grow Your Own” pipelines for teachers rooted in their communities. I will advocate for smaller class sizes to improve student-teacher interaction and learning outcomes.

• Secure Funding for Schools by fighting for robust federal investments in Title I, IDEA, and school infrastructure. I will prioritize fair federal tax policy, close loopholes, and target corporate profiteering to fund public education while continuing to support rural and underfunded districts. I will oppose privatization schemes that enrich private and for-profit school owners and weaken public schools.

• Strengthen School Safety and Violence Prevention by supporting school-based mental health programs to address trauma, prevent violence, and improve student well-being. I will promote gun safety measures, detection systems, violence intervention programs, and preventative programs in collaboration with communities, while ensuring that school security measures protect students without harming learning environments.

Our schools are the heart of our communities. By fully funding public education, supporting teachers, expanding CTE programs, and protecting safe learning environments, we can ensure every child in CA5 has the opportunity to succeed. Education is not just about classrooms — it is about building strong families, healthy communities, and a thriving economy. Together, we can create a future where public education remains the cornerstone of opportunity and democracy.

Our farmers deserve dignity and respect. They work the land, produce world-class food, and steward our natural resources for future generations. They deserve stable markets where hard work pays off, not chaos where they're left waiting for emergency handouts. But Washington treats our farmers like an afterthought. The Administration starts trade wars that destroy markets, then bailouts mostly Midwest crops while California specialty crops get table scraps. It also redirects water to large industrial farms while threatening salmon and the Delta, and freezes conservation payments farmers already earned. Our farmers deserve better.

Here's what I'll fight for:

• Require Congressional Approval for Tariffs by voting to restore Congress's constitutional authority over trade policy so the President can't start trade wars on a whim. I will fight for trade agreements that open markets for California agriculture without requiring taxpayer bailouts.

• Amend the Farm Bill to Include Specialty Crops Equally by changing funding formulas so our specialty crops get proportional treatment in disaster and support programs. I will also ensure that we restore income limits and per-person payment caps so federal support gives a hand up to family farms instead of billion-dollar corporate operations.

• Protect our Water and Invest in Infrastructure by voting against executive orders that bypass environmental protections for Delta operations and ensuring Congress maintains oversight of the federal Central Valley Project so our communities are not left behind when water is diverted. I will also support federal funding for water storage and drought resilience.

• Restore Conservation Funding and Staffing by voting to release Inflation Reduction Act conservation payments and hire back the Natural Resources Conservation Service staff who process reimbursements, so farmers finally get paid for work they've already completed.

When farmers have problems, I'll solve them. When programs ignore specialty crops, I'll fight to fix them. That's what engineers do – listen, identify problems, and build solutions.

America benefits from immigrants who work hard, pay taxes, and strengthen our communities. Yet our broken immigration system is hurting immigrant families while letting employers exploit vulnerable people to drive down wages and working conditions for everyone. We should deport violent criminals, traffickers, and gang members for our public safety. But today, our immigration system is focused on deporting people who are not dangerous and who contribute to our economy. These approaches cost taxpayers billions of dollars while doing little to make our communities safer. We can do better by focusing our resources where they actually protect people.

Here's what I'll fight for:

• Broaden Legal Path to Citizenship by reforming the current process to recognize years of work, tax contributions, and community ties, while ensuring background checks for public safety. I will ensure that families are kept together and that Dreamers and recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals are provided  a clear path to citizenship. 

• Support Farmworkers and Farmers by providing pathways for experienced farmworkers to work legally, farms to legally hire and protect the workers they need, and our food supply stays strong. In doing so, I will ensure that employers are held accountable for abusing workers by requiring strong labor protections and worker portability so that workers are not exploited for corporate convenience. 

• Fix the Immigration Court Backlog by funding more judges and better technology so cases are decided faster, families aren’t stuck waiting for years, and serious public safety threats are handled first. I will also work to prevent separating U.S. citizen children from their parents, unless there is a real safety risk, and focusing enforcement on serious criminals.

• Secure the Border and Fix the System by investing in smart border security and making sure people use legal ways to enter the country, so the system is fair, orderly, and enforced. This means funding for border security, upgrading ports of entry infrastructure, and deploying drug detection technologies to stop drug and human trafficking.

• Enforce the Law with Accountability by giving border and immigration officers, as well as federal agencies, the training and tools they need, while holding them responsible if they violate people’s rights. I will also pass legislation that ensures law enforcement accountability by requiring officers to be clearly identifiable during interactions with the public. 

We can be a nation of laws and a nation of fairness. That means a secure and orderly border, legal ways to immigrate, and earned paths for people who have contributed to our country. Families in CA5 should not pay billions for a broken system when that money could be spent on schools, roads, and health care. Our farmers need workers and our communities need stability. Our workers, regardless of immigration status, deserve protection from exploitation, which is how we protect American workers' economic security too. Our values call for treating people with dignity while enforcing the law.

America was founded on the basic human principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The fundamental rights shared by every American binds us together as a nation built on freedom. I will support civil liberties, equal protection under the law, and equal access to services and opportunities that help create strong communities. That means protecting the rights of everyone to be who they are, protecting the LGBTQ+ community from violence and discrimination, and promoting equal opportunities to pursue education and work.

These are my priorities:

• Strong enforcement of anti-discrimination laws in schools, the workplace, and in public spaces. Our communities are at their best when everyone has an opportunity to live, learn, work, and play without fear of discrimination or violence.

• Support struggling LGBTQ+ youth by fighting for resources for government and community organizations focused on address homelessness, hunger, mental health, and navigating basic government services needs among LGBTQ+ youth. I will support legislation to make our schools and streets safer, and ensure we have crisis support in our communities for everyone.

• I will protect access to healthcare and gender affirming care, because healthcare decisions should be made between a patient and their doctor, just like any other medical decision. I will support fair access to science and medical research funding that seeks to better address the physical and mental health needs of transgender and non-binary people. This includes create incentives for more doctors, nurses, therapists, and healthcare professionals who serve the queer community to practice in rural and disadvantaged communities.

As an electrical engineer who developed defense technology supporting American troops and a diplomat who negotiated on behalf of U.S. interests, I know that smart foreign policy prevents expensive wars while protecting our economic interests. The dismantling of America's diplomatic capacity has created a vacuum that China and Russia are filling. This isn't just a national security problem; it's an economic problem. Every dollar we waste on avoidable wars is a dollar not invested in CA5's infrastructure, schools, and families.

My priorities as your next Congressman are:

• Restore America's Diplomatic Capacity to Prevent Wars by supporting appropriations for development programs that address instability before it requires military intervention, and providing Congressional oversight to ensure diplomatic personnel have the resources and authority to protect American interests abroad. Smart diplomacy costs pennies compared to wars that cost trillions.

• Protect Agriculture Through Strong Trade Policy by supporting trade agreements that open export markets for our farmers and ranchers, voting against retaliatory tariffs that hurt agricultural communities, ensuring Congressional oversight holds trading partners accountable for fair practices, and fighting for programs that help California producers compete globally.

• Support Alliances That Keep America Safe by strengthening NATO and Indo-Pacific partnerships that deter aggression, supporting appropriations for military aid that prevents regional conflicts from becoming American wars, and ensuring Congressional oversight of defense relationships that protect our troops and national security without requiring endless deployments.

• Lead the Technology Competition with China by securing federal R&D funding for emerging technologies, supporting STEM workforce programs and talent exchanges, voting for appropriations that protect critical and emerging technology from theft or exploitation, and pushing for U.S. leadership in setting global technology standards that protect democratic values.

For 16 years, Congressman McClintock has consistently voted against the diplomatic and development programs that prevent conflicts, calling them "bloated," while the wars we fight instead have cost American taxpayers trillions. But the best way to support our military is to prevent the wars they'd have to fight – a lesson I learned as an engineer developing defense technology to protect our troops and negotiating as a U.S. diplomat to advance American interests without military force. CA5 deserves a representative who knows that investing in diplomacy, development, and alliances is fiscal responsibility and strategic strength, not a weakness.