Tribute in Honor of Mark Ghilarducci

Floor Speech

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Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mark Ghilarducci on his retirement from his position as the Director of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services. He served in this role since 2012 and retired at the end of 2022 and is an extraordinary public servant.

Mark Ghilarducci grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and began responding to emergencies when he was 16 years old as a volunteer on a mountain rescue team. A graduate of UC Davis, he decided to become a paramedic at age 19, leading to his lifetime of coordinating resources, caring for people and cleaning up after various community catastrophes. He worked in Asia, including China and Indonesia, and that work helped shape his career. Responding to the earthquake in Humboldt County, a cyber-attack on the California Department of Finance, dreadful fires and disastrous floods were all part of his job and his mission.

In 2020, when the Santa Cruz Mountains were set ablaze by the CZU Lightning Complex Fire, Mark was instrumental in coordinating with federal and local partners to help put out the fires and get thousands of displaced residents back on their feet. He was steadfast when my constituents needed it the most, and he was one of our strongest advocates in Sacramento, pushing for resources to be allocated to our region during one of the worst fire seasons in recent history. After the fires, Mark met with me personally to solve individual constituents' problems, which helped Santa Cruz County to rebuild. It was Mark's unique combination of courage and compassion that made responding to this catastrophe possible.

Mark has been a dedicated and dependable partner in working to update California's emergency communications infrastructure. He supported the adoption of FirstNet in California, advocated strongly for implementing the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, and has worked closely with me to secure federal funding for California and other states to transition to Next Generation 9-1-1.

Mark loved his work and he loved the people he worked with. Retirement won't come easily to him and we know he'll be there for us when he's needed. It's now time for him to take some well-earned rest and spend some uninterrupted time with his family.

Governor Newsom trusted Mark to tackle the state's most difficult crises, and he reflected on Mark's distinguished service with the following statement:

``For more than a decade, Mark has expertly guided our state through some of the most complex and challenging disaster conditions in the nation--coordinating California's emergency response to unprecedented wildfires, severe drought, earthquakes and cybersecurity threats, as well as our nation-leading efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

``Mark's tireless work to improve and modernize our emergency management, preparedness and recovery efforts has protected communities across California and better positioned the state to respond to a myriad of challenges now and into the future. On behalf of all Californians, I thank Mark for his tremendous leadership, perseverance and committed service. Our state is stronger and more resilient because of his efforts.''

Mr. Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in thanking Mark Ghilarducci for his extraordinary service. California is better and stronger, and our Nation is greater because of Mark Ghilarducci and his superb work. He is a national treasure.

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