Helen Baumann was elected to the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors, representing District II, on November 7, 2000.  Reaching along the southern portion of El Dorado County from the Business Park and Serrano in El Dorado Hills to just beyond the communities of Twin Bridges and Kirkwood, District II is a diverse district that is rich with rural character; enhanced by the growing agricultural and wine industry.

Since her election to the board of Supervisors, Helen has focused on water, transportation, and health care and has made her first priority the adoption of a County General Pan.  She currently sits on the:

• El Dorado County Water Agency
• El Dorado County Transportation Commission
• Local Agency Formation Commission
• Children and Families, Proposition 10 Commission
• Regional Council of Rural Counties
• El Dorado County-City of Folsom Joint Powers Authority
• Health Alliance
• Community Action council
• Intergovernmental Management Group

As an owner/operator of Spanish Creek Ranch and Vineyards for 23 years, which specializes in the production and marketing of high quality, varietal wine grapes, Helen is well acquainted with the challenges face by small business owners who must navigate the County’s planning and permitting processes.  As a member of the El Dorado Wine Grape Growers Association and the El Dorado County Farm Bureau she is an advocate of the important contribution that the growing agricultural and wine industries make to the County’s valuable tourism industry.

Helen was first elected to public office in 1985 to the Pioneer Union School District Board of Trustees, and was reelected to that board for three consecutive terms, before being elected to the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors.  She is still a member of both the El Dorado County and California School Board Award for Excellence in Boardsmanship/Community Services, and the County Educational Statesmanship Award.

A registered nurse, Helen has been employed by the Sutter Memorial Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse for 27 years and is nationally certified in Neonatal Intensive Care.  She is an Advance Life-Support/ECMO Team Unit coordinator and an instructor in neonatal/infant resuscitation.

Helen, and her husband Larry, who is a detective for the Sacramento Police Department, have resided in Somerset for over 23 years and have two children, Sarah and Matthew.  Sarah is married to Steve Niemann, who graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder and is currently attending flight school in Florida in preparation to become a naval aviator.