[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 147 (Thursday, December 4, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1735]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        IN HONOR OF STEVE PRICE

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 4, 2014

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of myself and my dear 
friend and colleague Representative Lois Capps to honor the career of a 
remarkable public servant whose work and character should serve as a 
model for us all. Mr. Steve Price is retiring from CalTrans after 
nearly 35 years in various engineering positions. In that time Steve 
carved out a reputation for integrity and unfailing honesty. If it 
could be done, Steve would make it happen. If an idea was impractical, 
Steve let you know. Simply put, Steve made government--at least the 
portion that he controlled--work for the people of California.
   We had the great pleasure to getting to know Steve in his capacity 
as the maintenance supervisor for CalTrans District 5, which 
encompasses both of our congressional districts. California's Highway 1 
connects our districts from Moro Bay and Hearst Castle in the south up 
through Carmel and Monterey in the north. Along the way the road passes 
through Big Sur and offers one of the most spectacular views of land 
and sea anywhere in the world. But as Steve likes to remind us all, 
that land has been falling into the sea for eons and the highway's 
construction 80 years ago did nothing to slow that. So every time a 
slide, wildfire, or washed out bridge closes the highway, we find 
ourselves sitting at the table with Steve and the local community 
working out solutions to keep the coast highway open. And it has been 
in those community settings that Steve's particular brand of diplomacy 
made its greatest impact. Where some work to sooth community anxieties 
with gentle words and reassuring platitudes, Steve offers unvarnished 
honesty. Steve's presence in the room always helped bring the 
conversation back to the practical.
   But above all, Steve was a tremendously skilled and innovative 
engineer. He has been a strong advocate for worker safety and sought 
out opportunities to include maintenance staff in the project design 
process. Steve has received a Tranny Award in 1995 for leading the 
Caltrans effort on the Hearst Scenic Conservation purchase; acted as 
the Interim State Traffic engineer; participated in Transportation 
Research Board study on Design of In-Vehicle Driving Behavior and Crash 
Risk Study; received the Karl Moskowitz award for Outstanding 
Engineering in Transportation in 2014; and served as the State Pavement 
Engineer in 2014, just to name a few accomplishments. He has also 
applied his engineering skills to aid in Haiti's recovery from the 
devastating 2010 earthquake.
   Mr. Speaker, we know we speak for the whole House in offering this 
body's gratitude for a job well done. Steve's leadership will be missed 
by us, his colleagues, and numerous communities up and down the Central 
Coast. We wish Steve and his family every success in retirement and can 
rest assured that his voice will continue to be heard.

                          ____________________