‘A Hero & A Giant’ FORMER SAC STATE PRESIDENT TRANSFORMED THE UNIVERSITY
which created a system of access for all students. Gerth, who served on numerous boards, also wrote “The People’s University: A History of the California State University,” published in 2010, which celebrates the growth and accomplishments of the CSU system of public higher education. In 2018, Sac State renamed its archives the Donald and Beverly Gerth Special Collections and University Archives. A $300,000 gift from the Gerths allowed the university’s library staff to modernize the collection. “With the loving support of his wife, Bev, who actively served alongside him, President Emeritus Gerth transformed Sacramento State,” says current President Robert S. Nelsen. “He loved Sacramento State and the CSU. His impact on our campus and the system as a whole is unquantifiable. It was my honor to call him a friend and I will miss his wise council. We have lost a hero and a giant of a man.”
Sacramento State President Donald Rogers Gerth transformed the university. Photo courtesy of Sac State
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acramento State’s longestserving president, Donald Rogers Gerth, passed away Dec. 6 at age 93. President Emeritus Gerth led Sac State from 1984 through 2003 and dedicated 45 years of his career to the California State University system, serving in various positions across four campuses.
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Among his many accomplishments, Chicago native Gerth oversaw more than $100 million in public and private funding that added 1.2 million square feet of structures on campus and helped modernize existing buildings. He led fundraising efforts that netted $54 million, and created the School of the Arts, Center for California Studies and Center for Public Policy Dispute Resolution. Gerth created master’s degrees in public policy and administration, as well as the first master’s degree in software engineering at a California public university and a joint doctoral program in public history with UC Santa Barbara. He advocated for the California Master Plan for Higher Education,
Kathy Lester is the city’s new chief of police, succeeding Daniel Hahn who retired at the end of 2021. Lester, a 27year veteran of the Sacramento Police Department, is the city’s 46th chief of police and the first woman to hold the position. During her tenure, which began in 1994 as a dispatcher, Lester established Sac PD’s Pipeline Hiring Program, which has helped increase diversity; created a full-time mental health team; secured grant funding and developed youth-diversion programs as alternatives to juvenile detention; implemented gender-awareness training, and disproportionateminority-contact and implicit bias training for all officers; and created the Outreach and Engagement Division,
which expanded community outreach efforts to multiple ethnic groups. She now leads a department of more than 1,100 sworn and civilian staff. “During her time with the Sacramento Police Department, she has proven herself to be a dynamic leader with an unwavering commitment to diversity, equity, accountability and innovation,” City Manager Howard Chan says.
REDISTRICTING The Sacramento City Council and Sacramento County Board of Supervisors redistricted at the end of last year. The process occurs every 10 years following the U.S. Census to ensure each of the electoral district boundaries have approximately the same number of people and comply with the Federal Voting Rights Act of 1965. The county’s Final Supervisorial District Map is a product of months of drafting, meetings and public input. The Geographic Information System team worked with National Demographics Corporation to proof district lines suggested by the Board of Supervisors and make minor adjustments to address miscoding of census blocks and avoid sliver precincts and new ballot types. County residents can view the interactive map and get more information at redistricting2021. saccounty.gov. For the city, the Sacramento Independent Redistricting Commission engaged in a public process for approximately one year. Just like the county, the city must reestablish boundaries for City Council districts every 10 years after the census to balance population in accordance with local, state and federal rules. For questions, email redistricting@ cityofsacramento.org or call (916) 8087200.
