I’ve often said that the best part of my job at CSAC is getting to know more about the amazing men and women in County Leadership positions and telling their stories to the world. Last month we featured a video and blog to introduce new CSAC President and Sonoma County Supervisor James Gore. Today I’m delighted to share with you a slightly more lighthearted introduction to the newest member of the CSAC Officer Team: Second Vice President and Riverside County Supervisor Chuck Washington.

Supervisor Washington may seem to be a man in no need of introduction. He is a fixture on the CSAC Executive Committee, Board of Directors and the CSAC “Kitchen Cabinet,” which regularly meets with Governor Newsom’s top level advisors to address the COVID-19 public health crisis. Supervisor Washington has also served as Vice Chair of CSAC’s Government Finance and Administration Policy Committee. 

You may not realize that Supervisor Washington has been an elected public servant since 1995, including Mayor and City Council-member for both cities of Murrieta and Temecula, serving twice as Mayor of Temecula. Supervisor Washington received a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and owns a successful business in Temecula. He is a former Navy Officer and Naval Aviator and was a veteran commercial airline pilot for 24 years with Delta Airlines. 

In an effort to dig a little deeper into what drives and motivates Supervisor Washington, we asked some other, more lighthearted questions. His responses follow.

Q: Who is your hero?

A: My dad. Born in poverty in 1929 in Mississippi, he went on to graduate from a black college in Jackson. He then got accepted to Howard University Medical School in D.C. After graduation, he moved my mom and me back to Mississippi where he became the first Negro doctor at a State hospital in Mississippi (Jackson). Eventually, we relocated to California when he was recruited by the Air Force to become their Chief Medical Officer in their Los Angeles Induction Center. He opened a private practice in Pasadena.

Q: What fun, historical facts should we know about Riverside County?

A: This one comes straight from the Third District. Riverside County is home to the longest-running outdoor drama. Every year in Hemet, California, there is a performance of a play called “Ramona.” The play is an adaption of a novel by Helen Hunt Jackson that was published in 1884. “Ramona” will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2023.

Q: What are you currently reading?

A: Like most county supervisors, I have large amounts of reading that covers the material I am required to know and understand for my job. My guilty pleasure is fiction, and I am currently working my way through Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon series about an Israeli spy.

Q: What’s your favorite movie of all time?

A:  Casablanca or It’s A Wonderful Life. I can’t decide.

Q: What’s your proudest accomplishment?

A: My family. I’ve been married to my wife, Kathy, for 46 years. We have a beautiful daughter, Lindsey; a fantastic son-in-law, Elliot, and three wonderful grandchildren.

Q: What motivates you to work hard?

A: I have three grandchildren: Charlie, Kellen and Corbin.  I want to create a better future for them and, by extension, every generation that comes after mine. The best way people in my generation can protect and promote the prosperity of America is by ensuring that our children and grandchildren have safe, healthy and positive childhoods. If we do that, we can create a generation that is capable of achievements beyond our imagination.  

Q: Is your glass half-full, or half-empty?

A: I am definitely a glass is half-full kind of guy. I always see endless possibilities, and I rarely feel hopeless — except, I’m a hopeless romantic.