WHEREAS, Senator David E. “Dave” Cogdill, Sr., was born on December 31, 1950, in Long Beach, and was raised in San Bernardino until moving with his family, in his senior year of high school, to Bridgeport; and

WHEREAS, After high school, Senator Cogdill enlisted in the United States Air Force and served as a member of the Air National Guard; and

WHEREAS, Senator Cogdill began his professional career in Bridgeport in 1971, as a clerk-typist in the Mono County Assessor’s Office, eventually becoming Chief Appraiser, then, at the end of the decade, moved to Modesto, where, in 1981, he and David R. Giomi cofounded the appraisal firm Cogdill & Giomi, which became one of the oldest, best known, and most respected appraisal firms in the Central Valley; and

WHEREAS, In Bridgeport and Modesto, Senator Cogdill demonstrated a tireless commitment to his church and community, taking on leadership roles in organizations ranging from the Bridgeport Fire Protection District, the Bridgeport Volunteer Fire Department, and the YMCA of Stanislaus County to the Modesto Chamber of Commerce and the Modesto City Council; and

WHEREAS, In 2000, Senator Cogdill was elected to the California State Assembly to represent the 25th Assembly District, which included Calaveras, Mariposa, Mono, and Tuolumne Counties, and portions of Madera and Stanislaus Counties, and, during his six-year tenure, became Assembly Minority Floor Leader; and

WHEREAS, During this time, Senator Cogdill, with Senator Charles S. “Chuck” Poochigian, revived the California State Legislature Rural Caucus to amplify the concerns of rural communities, including by collaborating with local leadership to advocate for access to health care and quality education in those communities; and

WHEREAS, In 2006, Senator Cogdill was elected to the California State Senate to represent the 14th Senate District, which included Mariposa and Tuolumne Counties and portions of Fresno, Madera, San Joaquin, and Stanislaus Counties, and, in 2008 and 2009, was Senate Republican Leader; and

WHEREAS, As Senator, Senator Cogdill was recognized as Senate Small Business Legislator of the Year by the California Small Business Association, and honored by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation with the prestigious Profile in Courage Award for taking on a challenging leadership role during the first year of the state budget crisis of 2008–12; and

WHEREAS, Senator Cogdill remained active in community and statewide organizations after leaving the Legislature, becoming Stanislaus County Assessor in 2011, and President and Chief Executive Officer of the California Building Industry Association in 2013; and

WHEREAS, Senator Cogdill was devoted to his wife, Stephanie, his son, David Cogdill, Jr. (Carrie), his daughter, Meghan Merrell (Michael), and his grandchildren Connor, Kathleen, and Cooper, and enjoyed spending time with family and friends at his summer home in Bridgeport hiking, hunting, and fishing; and

WHEREAS, Through his untimely death on July 23, 2017, at 66 years of age, Senator Cogdill was a man of faith, stoic and steadfast, who strove to do more than his duty to make the lives around him better; now, therefore, be it