SACRAMENTO, CA. – The State of California honored 11 state employees with the Governor’s State Employee Medal of Valor Award (Medal of Valor Award) for their acts of heroism in a ceremony at the California Highway Patrol Academy in West Sacramento. The Medal of Valor Award is the highest honor the state can bestow upon its employees, given on behalf of Governor Gavin Newsom.
“We honor their actions that go well beyond the call of duty,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. “Despite the odds being stacked against them, they demonstrated remarkable courage and fortitude, navigating complex situations to help someone in need, even if it cost them greatly.”
The 11 awardees represented four state departments: the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), California Department of Public Health (CDPH), California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and the California Highway Patrol (CHP).
Actions taken by this year’s recipients include rescuing two drivers from a burning crash scene amid exploding ammunition and a collapsing power pole; saving a young man from a house fire; preventing a man in distress from jumping off a safety railing; helping children escape a school bus after a collision with a fuel truck; and providing critical aid at vehicle accidents in separate incidents involving CHP, Caltrans, CDPH, and CDCR employees.
This year’s recipients, the level of their award and their employing department are as follows:
- John Bedolla, Silver, Caltrans
- Isai Camino, Silver, Caltrans
- Vernon Ladd, Silver, Caltrans
- Jarett Walter Lopez, Silver, Caltrans
- Jeronimo Prado, Silver, Caltrans
- Eraclio Sandoval, Silver, CDPH
- Jappreet Singh, Silver, CDPH
- Thomas Coyle, Gold, CDCR
- Charles Davis, Gold, CDCR
- Rogelio Tienda, Gold, CDCR
- Jesse Rogers, Gold, CHP
The Medal of Valor Award is sponsored by CalHR. Award nominations are made by the employee’s department, reviewed by the State Merit Award Board and approved by the Director of CalHR. Since the program began in 1959, over 800 state employees have received the Medal of Valor Award.
The award comes in two distinctions: the Special Service Award (Silver) for an act of heroism by a state employee extending above and beyond the normal call of duty or service performed at personal risk to his or her safety to save human life or state property, and the Special Act Award (Gold) for an extraordinary act of heroism by a state employee extending far above and beyond the normal call of duty or service, performed at great risk to his or her own life in an effort to save human life.
For more information about the Medal of Valor Award, visit the Medal of Valor website. Details of each recipient’s award will be posted to the website after the ceremony.
About CalHR
CalHR is responsible for all issues related to employee salaries and benefits, job classifications, civil rights, training, exams, recruitment and retention. For most employees, many of these matters are determined through the collective bargaining process managed by CalHR.