The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING THE LIFE OF JERRY GLADBACH
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HON. MIKE GARCIA
of california
in the house of representatives
Friday, August 5, 2022
Mr. GARCIA of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Jerry Gladbach, an accomplished, distinguished, and beloved public servant to the City of Santa Clarita for more than three decades. Countless friends, colleagues, and family members remember Jerry for the way he treated everyone he encountered with kindness and respect. In addition to his affable demeanor and his magnetic personality, Jerry also left a remarkable impact on the world of Southern California water, using his unique set of skills and expertise to ensure Santa Clarita had access to clean water as it expanded from a small town to a booming suburb of Los Angeles.
Jerry received his bachelor's and master's degrees from University of Missouri Columbia before moving to Santa Clarita in 1968. Upon arriving in California during one of the most dynamic periods of growth in the State's history, Jerry went to work establishing his roots, raising a family, and throwing himself into his work to provide clean and accessible water to the citizens of Los Angeles County. During his 35 years of service as an engineer at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Jerry was responsible for creating solutions to provide reliable and clean water to millions of people.
In 1985, Jerry was first elected to the Castaic Lake Water Agency Board in 1985, a whole year before Santa Clarita was even incorporated as a city, serving on the board through its merger to become the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency, until his passing. During his tenure, he oversaw the expansion of Santa Clarita from a city of 85,000 to a city of more than 400,000, ensuring access to safe and reliable water to all its residents along the way. Additionally, he took his breadth of knowledge to share with various organizations, including the Local Agency Formation Commission, in which he served as president, chair, and received the ``Most Outstanding Commissioner'' Award in 2013. His dedication and willingness to encourage others left a significant impact on those that worked for and around him.
His lifetime of service has left an indelible mark on our community, and his work on Santa Clarita's water boards will have a lasting impact for generations of Californians. His passion, kindness, and knowledge will undoubtedly inspire others to follow in his footsteps of dedicated public service. Our community is blessed to have had a man like him serving as a proficient steward of our water resources, and those who knew him are blessed to have counted him as a friend. We will continue to pray for his loving family that he left behind, but they can look back fondly at the legacy of Jerry knowing that he made a difference for the city he loved so much.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 132(1), Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 132(2)
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