BUNKHOUSE PASSION FOR POLITICAL ACTION by California Cattlemen’s Foundation Public Policy Advocate Lindsay McLaggan Howdy! I am Lindsay McLaggan, the public policy advocate at the California Cattlemen’s Foundation (CCF). I am excited to be a part of this team and use my legislative experience to advocate on behalf of cattlemen through the regulatory process. Born and raised in San Jose, I attended an immersion public school where I had the opportunity to become fluent in Spanish. However, despite living in the city, at 15, I began attending a rural boarding school in Whitmore where we raised cows, chickens, goats and gardened. My interest in legislation developed when California outlawed my boarding school from operating because it refused state funds and operational mandates outlawing Christian teachings. This reality inspired me to expand my education and acquire the skills to advocate successfully. As a result, I went on to earn an associate degree in political science from Santa Barbara City College, a bachelor’s degree in international relations and economics from California State University, Sacramento, and a master’s degree in business management from Western Governor’s University. Before coming on board with CCF, I served as a legislative aide/scheduler for Assemblywoman Megan Dahle, a dry land wheat farmer in Bieber representing the First Assembly District. Before that, I worked as a fundraiser for Capital Development Strategies and later as an Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) administrative assistant at Olson Hagel and Fishburn. Outside of my political experience, I have worked with industrial HVAC installation projects part-time at REO Mechanical, translated legal documents at a workman’s compensation law firm for Hispanic laborers in need of representation and have had several bartending/service jobs along the way. While in school, I studied abroad in Spain and Taiwan to perfect my Spanish and Chinese and backpacked alone through 23 countries (effectively traumatizing my parents). On top of my travels, I have used my experience as a three-sport collegiate athlete in lacrosse, rugby and cheer to found three sustainable women’s sports teams. I established the national women’s lacrosse team in Jamaica on a threemonth mission trip, helped develop the Santa Barbara Mermaids women’s rugby team as a founding member and was the varsity head lacrosse coach at Rio Americano High School during their first two California Interscholastic Federation
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seasons. Making my heart happy, all three of these teams are still operating. In addition to my athletics and academic accomplishments, I recently competed in my first beauty pageant. I was crowned Miss Placer County in June 2021 through Up Pageantry. So naturally, pageantry led me to the rodeo queen world. Since then, I have competed for the Miss Rodeo USA title in Oklahoma. This competition consisted of one whole week of giving speeches, horsemanship competitions and representing the International Pro Rodeo Association during the International Finals Rodeo 52 World Championships. I didn’t win the Miss Rodeo USA title, but I was honored to be voted Miss Congeniality by my fellow contestants. Even though my rodeo queen days are over, horseback riding is one of my passions. I get my fix by sitting on the board of directors for REEL Online Training, awarding youth equestrian scholarships. I am incredibly excited to overlap my knowledge of the legislative process with my passion for agriculture and livestock care to serve our cattle industry effectively. As the public policy advocate, I intend to advance the Foundation’s advocacy priorities and educate state and federal policymakers about the benefits of cattle grazing and beef production. I look forward to working with you in the future, and I feel blessed to join CCF!
