don oaks
Don Oaks married his high school sweetheart, Suzi, in 1961 and began a fire service career that spanned four decades. He spent 13 years with the City of El Segundo, in the Los Angeles area, before moving to Santa Barbara County as the Fire Marshal. He performed the additional role of Fire Chief for the City of Buellton from it’s incorporation until his retirement in 2001. He is a past president of the Santa Ynez Rotary Club, current member of the Buellton Rotary Club, member and past chair of the Salvation Army Board, and member of the YMCA Board. He is a past Boy Scout Roundtable Commissioner, and Little League baseball and Pop Warner football coach. Suzi is past president of the Optimist Club and member of the Christian Women’s Club. They have a son, Steven, a Captain with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, and a daughter, Tiffany, a California lawyer, and five grandchildren, living in the Santa Ynez Valley.
Don holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration from California State University at Long Beach (1973), with postgraduate work in political science/public policy at UCLA and USC, and a doctorate in law from the California Law Institute at Santa Barbara (1978). Don is a California attorney. He has represented organizations at the Federal, State, and local level. He maintains active membership in a variety of professional associations. He has authored statutes, ordinances, and codes for California communities including those relating to fire protection, toxic and hazardous materials, and land use controls. He has authored fire protection, emergency procedure, and organizational management books and professional journal articles. He holds teaching credentials and various professional certifications and designations, and has taught in several California colleges and universities.
Don, in semi-retirement, provides land use, hazardous materials and fire protection design, application, interpretation, and advocacy consulting services. He also provides expert witness services, and is currently involved in a project to design, produce and market environmentally friendly fire suppression systems for racecars and other specialty vehicles.
Promoting lower taxes since 1956!
