Dakota Morlan

1 month ago | comstocksmag.com | Dakota Morlan

Our annual salute to the women who lead the Capital Region Patterson returned to public policy in 2019 as the legal affairs secretary for Gov. Newsom, where she spent a good portion of her early work as counsel on the energy team, tackling the PG&E bankruptcy after the destructive North Bay and Camp fires. As cabinet secretary, Patterson advises the governor on policy and oversees all state agencies and departments within the administration.

Oct 8, 2024 | comstocksmag.com | Dakota Morlan

This story is part of our October 2024 issue. To subscribe, click here. You can’t force someone into the funeral business. It takes a special kind of person to act as the shoulder to lean on, the facilitator and the mediator that the job requires. So even though he’s the fourth-generation Gormley to willingly enter the trade, Patrick “Rick” Gormley, 68, was surprised when his own son wanted in.

Jul 31, 2024 | comstocksmag.com | Dakota Morlan

Like birth, the twilight season of life can be a painful passage. But for those who have the luxury of quality time with their elderly loved one, it can also be beautiful. “You love them so much, you want them to have a special end chapter,” says Ann Evans, 73, who took care of her mother, Audrey, for the majority of the final months of her life before she died peacefully last year at the age of 100. “When they’re in your home, it’s just like having a kid.

Jun 6, 2024 | comstocksmag.com | Dakota Morlan

Executive Director, San Joaquin County Historical Museum This story is part of our June 2024 issue. To subscribe, click here. Phillip Merlo isn’t much of a self-promoter. A voracious reader, he quotes a sentiment he internalized from a John le Carré spy novel: “I give my life to institutions, and I expect nothing in return” (or something like that). “All you can do is give your life to making things and places and people better,” he says.

Mar 11, 2024 | comstocksmag.com | Dakota Morlan

This story is part of our March 2024 issue. To subscribe, click here. Vice President of Government Relations and Sustainability, Sunkist Growers and Fruit Growers Supply Company Growing up, Rayne Thompson was influenced by several different locales (California, the East Coast and England), as well as a politically active family. When her aunt, Ann Evans, successfully ran for mayor of Davis, she joined the campaign and went door to door meeting constituents.