Written by Robyn Black
Published Issue: Summer 2008
Assemblymember Patty Berg saw a lot of the world before she was elected to represent the first Assembly District. She has lived in Humboldt County, at the top of our state, for more than thirty years, but she was adventurous long before then and obviously wanted to see what life had to offer. She has worked in a New York ad agency and the California vineyards. There was also a time when she was Professor Patty Berg in the psychology and sociology departments of Humboldt State University. However, it was her work as a medical and psychiatric social worker that brought her to the forefront of public service.
Patty was one of the first to discover that seniors were in trouble. She decided to do something about it and became the founding executive director of the Area Agency on Aging serving Humboldt and Del Norte counties.
Patty gained a national reputation with her testimony before the United States Congress, and policy from her own hands led to developing a comprehensive system of services for older adults in California. The resulting legislation prompted one of her predecessors in the Legislature to name her the Outstanding Woman in the County.
Her expertise has not gone unrecognized by her peers. She is the longest serving chair during this term-limited era for the Assembly Committee on Aging and Long Term Care.
There are seniors all over California who are able to live safely in their homes because Patty Berg was willing to lead the charge against a system that forced our aging parents into nursing home care.
Of course, Patty is also known for her particular kindnesses.
Perhaps the best example of what separates Patty Berg from most of us was a committee hearing in which a young woman was willing to provide testimony for a bill by giving details of a terrible illness. Patty Berg left the dais and stood behind the young woman with her hands on her shoulders to let her know she was not alone.
Although the survey is not official, few dispute the findings that Patty Berg is also recognized as the best-dressed person in the Capitol.
December 12, 2005
CDF Firefighters, representing the men and women of CAL FIRE, the largest fire department west of the Mississippi, declared Assemblymember Patty Berg as their Legislator of the Year.
“Patty Berg negotiated the legislation that allows local government and state firefighters to work together to protect otherwise endangered communities,” said Bob Wolf, President of CDF Firefighters. “She directed the discussions with a professionalism that allowed everyone at the table to draft a bill that is both cost effective and critical to the overall safety of Californians...and, of course, I don’t mind saying that we love Patty.”
February 15, 2007
Citing her commitment to the environment, Patty Berg is appointed to the California State Coastal Conservancy. “Of course it is an honor to be appointed,” Berg stated. “I have a personal and legislative record for working hard to ensure that our beautiful coastline is kept open, clean and available for all Californians.”
June 26, 2007
Disaster relief legislation by Assemblymember Patty Berg alleviates red tape during disasters. Berg was quoted as saying, “The horrors experienced during Hurricane Katrina relief effort will not happen in California, as we make it easier for medical professionals, dentists, veterinarians, pharmacists, the funeral home industry and those who provide critical services in a crisis to have easier access to those in need of their services.
Ukiah Daily Journal, December 10, 2007
Assemblymember Patty Berg helps shake $22 million from federal grant money to a program that will bring telemedicine to rural counties. Berg’s efforts mean that the federal grant will expand broadband networks for telemedicine and connect medical experts to clinics in some of the most remote regions of California.
January 2008
Assemblymember Patty Berg has been in the forefront of legislation that will allow terminally ill Californians the right to die with dignity. Her legislation is modeled after Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act, which was supported as the right of personal choice for terminally ill patients with a 6 to 3 vote in an arena no less than the United States Supreme Court.
