April 12, 2012

What motivated you to enter public service?

I have long had an interest in public policy and the ideals of self-governance. As someone with a passion for history, I suppose that having a great, great, great, great grandpa who was a member of the Continental Congress, Titus Hosmer of Connecticut helped spur this interest. More recently, my great, great grandpa, John Brewster, was California’s fourth Surveyor-General, elected in 1855. Almost daily, I think, “what would my grandpas do in this situation?”

What’s the most interesting or fulfilling part of your job?

Without a doubt, the diversity of issues that come before a Board of Supervisors. From budgetary priorities to land use issues, I find this role fascinating.

What’s your proudest professional or personal accomplishment?

While I was proud to become Sierra County’s Sheriff at age 32 and to have served for 4 1/2 terms, getting to now serve as one of nine members of the State Historical Resources Commission is most humbling.

What’s your favorite movie of all time?

Mississippi Burning, the sad story of the 1964 murders of three Civil Rights workers. As a former cop, it still chills me.

Who is your hero?

Hero is a tough word for me to define, but both my parents fit my description and I have great respect and appreciation for them. I also have great respect for Lyndon B. Johnson for signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Justice Lorenzo Sawyer for his 1884 decision in Woodward vs. the North Bloomfield Mining & Gravel Company that defended agribusiness over hydraulic mining. Both were heroic decisions that continue to reverberate to this day.