Laird served as an elected member of the Cabrillo College Board of Trustees from 1994 to his election to the Assembly in 2002. He was re-elected to the assembly in 2004 and 2006 before being termed out in 2008. While serving the maximum three terms in the Assembly, Laird authored 82 bills that were signed into law. His election campaigns have often won the backing of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund. 2010 State Senate Run Laird ran for the 15th District California State Senate seat previously held by Republican Abel Maldonado, whom Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger named as Lieutenant Governor in November 2009. He lost to Republican state Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee in a special election primary held on June 22, 2010 and subsequently in the runoff election held on August 17, 2010. Laird lost by a 7.59% margin in the primary and a 3.93% margin in the runoff. California Resources Secretary Laird was appointed by Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. on January 5, 2011 as California's Secretary for Natural Resources. In the Brown administration, Laird oversaw a $10 billion budget and 25 statewide departments, commissions and conservancies, including the departments of water, state parks, fish and wildlife, and Cal Fire, as well as the California Coastal Commission, California Energy Commission, and California Coastal Conservancy. 2020 State Senate Run In January 2019, Laird announced his intention to run for the 17th District state Senate seat in 2020. He pledged to focus on a range of issues if elected, from managing the impact of climate change and wildfires, to protecting California’s ocean policies, supporting the middle class and expanding access to health care, education and affordable housing. California's 17th State Senate District spans the northern Central Coast, including the counties of Santa Cruz and San Luis Obispo and part of the counties of Monterey and Santa Clara. Community activism Laird has been active in the Santa Cruz community, serving as Vice Chair of the City Charter Review Committee, a founder of the Santa Cruz Community Credit Union, and a board member of the Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce. He has been active on a variety of community boards. He has been active with the lesbian and gay community, as a columnist for the Lavender Reader, a commentator on KZSC's "Closet Free Radio", a founding member of the International Network of Gay and Lesbian Officials—and was an original board member of BAYMEC,