Don Horsley liked to gaze out on the vast expanse of unincorporated San Mateo County and not-quite-jokingly call all he surveyed "the lands of the Sheriff."
It's an old-fashioned term the former law enforcement officer and San Mateo County Sheriff enjoyed using while traveling through the county as the Third District representative on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors.
He held that position through three elections and twelve years, retiring in 2023 due to term limits and not a personal choice. He would have loved nothing more than to continue in the position he often said was his favorite title of his many responsibilities.
Mr. Horsley died on November 24, 2023, at his home in Emerald Hills, less than a year after he had retired and less than two months after his birthday on October 6. He was 80 years old and had managed to have a family Thanksgiving with his wife Elaine the night before his death.
District 4 Supervisor Warren Slocum, who like Horsley had a previous career as the elected Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder and Chief Elections Officer, was a special colleague, sharing a vast knowledge of San Mateo County and a lengthy 30-year friendship.
"I think Don was born to serve," said Slocum. "Teacher, cop, sheriff, hospital board, Board of Supervisors and Rotary President. Don also felt deeply for the kids of North Fair Oaks as he started CARON. He was a champion of the underserved."
Born in San Francisco, Don Horsley grew up in Daly City. He graduated from San Francisco State with a degree and a desire to become a teacher, something he accomplished as his initial career choice. Had a teachers' strike not occurred, he may have continued down that path, but he found an opportunity in law enforcement and began a decades-long career in Daly City and then Pacifica.
He shifted from city police departments to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office in 1972, working as a patrol officer in East Palo Alto. He set his sights on a political path when he ran successfully for Sheriff in 1993. He took on an entrenched leadership system, successfully, and served as Sheriff for 14 years, until 2007.
As Sheriff, Horsley brought an innovative approach to law enforcement, hiring women along with more diverse applicants. Many went on to have their own careers. One of his most common public comments when addressing a crowd was to lighten the mood by saying he had probably "tagged" everyone in the room with a traffic ticket at some time. Horsley often used his public appearances to provide personal historical memories about his family or his encyclopedic knowledge of San Mateo County to enhance whatever issue was at the core of his duties.
Widely known as a history buff, Horsley would deviate from typical political speeches and lead listeners along a detailed path of anecdotes and illustrations of his own life and of San Mateo County.
Part of his legacy is the collaborative effort he brought to handling a crime epidemic in East Palo Alto so severe the small city was cited as the "Murder Capital of the United States" in 1992. As the new county Sheriff, Horsley created a task force bringing all the various law enforcement agencies together, working with the East Palo Alto Police Department to effectively reduce the staggering murder rate in the first few years of his tenure.
Bringing people together became something Don Horsley would refine in his years in public service. He seldom went anywhere in the county where he did not run into people who knew him and wanted to chat. From custodial staff to members of congress, he was able to engage in personal conversations with countless friends, constituents and colleagues.
Upon his "first retirement" in 2007, Horsley ran for and won a seat on the Sequoia Health Care District Board of Directors. He championed a variety of programs for school nutrition, health initiatives and other programs unique to the district. He also was known as a peacemaker on the Board, often mediating conflicts when colleagues argued whether or not the district should even exist.
In 2010, Horsley ran for the open Third District seat on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. He won in that race countywide and continued to win two more elections when voters were District-only residents.
As a Supervisor, Horsley would joke that he knew how to count to three, requiring a different kind of leadership than when he was the Sheriff, with total control of a large department. At the Board of Supervisors, he became adept at working on larger projects by gathering support from his colleagues. It was a key to his success on issues ranging from health care and homelessness to mental health and farmworker issues.
Horsley was supportive of county staff and often mentored people, some of whom became successful in the county after leaving his legislative staff. He even mentored fellow supervisors.
"He leaves big shoes to fill," said Ray Mueller, who followed Horsley as the District 3 Supervisor. "He leaves behind a legacy on the coast."
Supervisor David Canepa also has noted that he learned from Horsley when he first was elected.
Horsley advocated for the innovative and successful San Mateo County Sales Tax known as Measure K, which produced additional funding for specific county projects that otherwise would not have been possible.
His love for the county park system resulted in successful projects such as the Devil's Slide Trail and the Tunitas Creek Beach, both of which have widespread support. One of his first legislative aides, Nicholas Calderon, went on to become the Director of the Parks Department.
Horsley championed the complete overhaul of the Cordilleras Mental Health Center, turning a dilapidated former TB hospital into a brand new state-of-the-art, world-class mental health complex. Its opening planned for 2024 is a testament to Don Horsley's lifelong commitment to his awareness and support for mental health programs at all levels.
Serving three times as President of the Board of Supervisors, Horsley took the concept of February's Black History Month during one of those years to offer prominent members of the Black community an opportunity to make public presentations at Board meetings throughout the year. These poignant and powerful events ranged across a broad spectrum of topics, from individual Black politicians' personal insights and experiences to a wide variety of groups providing outreach and information.
His love for San Mateo County included an acute awareness of the challenges facing the unincorporated areas, such as Pescadero, La Honda and the Midcoast. He diligently worked to improve a longtime flooding issue in Pescadero, realizing a goal of dredging Pescadero Creek at a safety level never before accomplished. He also began the challenging project of providing fresh drinking water to Pescadero High School, along with the creation of a new fire station there. His support for volunteer fire departments often brought new equipment to them.
When sea level rise threatened the collapse of Highway 1 along the coast, he was able to marshal state agencies, again in his collaborative style, to repair the road and fortify it.
Horsley recognized that housing was one of the premier issues in San Mateo County and helped start the Home for All initiative. He also worked diligently to identify ways to create affordable housing and help local farmers fund farmworker housing that was of high quality.
As a former law enforcement officer, Horsley worked to create programs that brought attention to ways that mental illness contributed to difficult interactions with police and sheriff's deputies. He never fired his gun while on duty during his years in uniform and advocated de-escalating tense situations rather than using force.
Upon his death, a flood of comments filled newspapers and social media outlets, citing his importance to individuals and the county as a whole. He was not one to seek such acclaim, but it came to him naturally and honestly.
"He was a politician in the best sense of the word," said County Executive Mike Callagy. "To change people's lives for the better."
While his public persona entailed service beyond self, Don Horsley's private interests revolved around his family and a lengthy series of beloved pets. During the Pandemic, he often attended Zoom meetings with a tiny dog named Missy in his lap. It was just another symbol of Don Horsley's humanity.
"If love could have kept him alive, he would have lived forever," said his grieving wife Elaine.
Don is survived by his wife, Elaine, son David Allen Horsley (Meng-Hsiung), daughter Christine Diane Horsley, son Matthew Walton Horsley (Adriana), granddaughter Juliette Meng-Lan Horsley, brothers David Horsley (Paula) and Dennis Allen Horsley (deceased) (Bonnie), and many nieces and nephews as well as great-nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 13th at 1:00pm at the College of San Mateo.