About Aaron Draper

Aaron has a long history in our district that began with his birth in Yuba City. He attended elementary in Olivehurst and East Marysville. Aaron’s cousins lived in Sutter where he would often spend his summers eating peaches, exploring the Buttes and swimming at the local swimming pool. Another of Aaron’s fondest memories was riding his bike to Flipper Flapper (arcade) at The Peach Tree Mall before it was destroyed in a flood.

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Aaron is the oldest of 5 children and his childhood reflected that of a working-class family. His family moved to Washington due to a downturn in construction in California. During his 4th grade summer, Aaron picked strawberries every morning  in the frosty fields near Centralia, Washington to earn a bike to ride to school. 

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The family returned to California due to instability in construction. In 7th and 8th grade Aaron worked as a paperboy for the Appeal-Democrat in Marysville. He had three routes and was carrier of the month twice. For this honor he was gifted a bike.

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While attending Oroville High he balanced playing soccer while he worked at Little Caesars' Pizza, Rico’s Pizza, Butte Oro Veterinary Hospital and the Oroville Cannery. After high school Aaron served a two-year mission for the LDS Church in Milan, Italy. It is still one of the most defining experiences of his life.  

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After returning from Italy, Aaron worked locally at Oroville Funeral Home as a funeral director assistant and did removals and was deputized by the Butte County Sheriff’s Office. He later worked as a special needs aid at Nelson Elementary, a forklift driver for Wal-Mart in Red Bluff and as a writer for the Mercury-Register newspaper in Oroville. 

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After a 20-year career as a photographer, Aaron returned to Chico State and finished his English degree. In the span of the next seven years, he finished a MFA at the Academy of Art in San Francisco, began teaching photography at Chico State and finished a Masters in Legal Studies and a law degree. 

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As a long-time resident of this district he’s seen life in California change for the worse. Homelessness has increased. Wildfires have increased. Prices on everything from gas to groceries have soared. Housing has become unaffordable for many Californians. And the middle class is an endangered species.