[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 15959-15960]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       IN HONOR OF DENNIS DONOHUE

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 29, 2012

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, what an honor it is to recognize the work and 
achievements of one of the nation's most remarkable mayors. Dennis 
Donohue will step down as the Mayor of Salinas in December after 
serving in that position since 2006. He leaves office after six 
remarkable years that saw the city gain national attention for its 
efforts to solidify itself as the center of the nation's diversified 
fresh salad economy and turning the city away from its decades-old gang 
violence problem. Dennis stood at head--and heart--of both of these 
efforts and his leadership on these and other issues will be felt 
around California for years.
  As a young boy, Dennis' family moved to Salinas. He graduated from 
Palma High School in 1972 and, ever since, has been a fixture at Palma 
sporting events. He earned a BA from the University of San Francisco 
and an MA from Gannon University in Pennsylvania. He then returned to 
California where he worked for several years in Silicon Valley's high 
tech industry. In 1988, he returned to Salinas to begin a career in 
agriculture, eventually rising in 1998 to become CEO of Salinas

[[Page 15960]]

based European Vegetable Specialties, the world's largest radicchio 
producer. In 2005-06, he served as Chairman of the Salinas based 
Grower-Shipper Association of Central California.
  In addition to his business leadership, Dennis took on many community 
service roles. He co-chaired the campaign committee for Measure V, a 
half-cent sales tax proposition that rescued the City from a fiscal 
emergency. He helped bring national attention to saving the city 
libraries by working with the Steering Committee of Rally Salinas!, a 
coalition formed to fundraise for Salinas' threatened libraries. He was 
a director on the board of Second Chance Youth Program, a gang-
prevention nonprofit, since 1992; and on the Palma High School Board of 
Directors; and on many other boards, commissions, and community 
efforts.
  Although Dennis is fond of reminding folks that Salinas is the 158th 
most populous city in the United States, it is still small in 
comparison to major metropolitan centers. In many ways it retains the 
feel of a small farm town. That is--except for the curse of a big city 
gang violence problem. Several years after his 2006 election as Mayor, 
the city's long standing gang problem erupted in an explosion of youth 
violence. Dennis helped lead a community wide collaborative effort to 
bring together law enforcement, social services, faith, and community 
leaders, to begin a sustained and comprehensive response. That effort 
has drawn national attention and the White House selected Salinas to be 
among just six cities nationally to participate in a pilot project to 
turn back gang violence. Helping to put Salinas on the long term path 
to solving this problem will perhaps be counted as his greatest 
achievement as Mayor.
  Dennis is married to the former Paula Johnson, who grew up on the old 
Williams Ranch in the Alisal. Paula, an alumna of Notre Dame High 
School, teaches physical education at Harden Middle School. They have 
two adult children, Emily and Allan.
  Mr. Speaker, I know I speak for the whole House in thanking Dennis 
and his family for his service as mayor. I thank him for being my 
delegate to the 2012 Presidential Electoral College where he proudly 
supported our president. I personally look forward with pleasure to 
working with citizen Donohue in the years to come. He will always be 
remembered for imagining a great city.

                          ____________________