Former Santa Maria City Councilmember Leo Trujillo, who was known for his fiscally conservative budgeting and active community involvement, died on Nov. 29 at Marian Medical Center in Santa Maria. He was 76 years old.
Trujillo was admitted to the hospital on Nov. 24 and underwent surgery for a ruptured aortic valve, the city announced in a recent press release. There will be a funeral mass celebrating his life on Dec. 4 at 9:30 a.m. at St. Louis de Montfort Church in Orcutt. Magner-Maloney Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.
Trujillo and his wife, Eileen, moved to Santa Maria in 1998. Two short years later, Trujillo was elected to the City Council, where he served as a member for eight years and as mayor pro tem for two years.
Drawing on his businessman roots, Trujillo advocated early in his first term for generating greater financial reserves.
“It was his push for putting away more money,” Mayor Larry Lavagnino said, “that put the city in such a good position during the [economic downturn].”
The city is currently using some of those funds to help balance the 2009-2010 budget.
During his tenure as a councilmember, Trujillo also voted to establish numerous city programs and developments, including the construction and remodeling of city fire stations, and the construction of the new Santa Maria Public Library and a handful of city roads.
Trujillo served as the city’s representative on the Central Coast Water Authority, which he chaired in 2007. He also served on the Santa Barbara County Housing Advisory Committee and on the Association of Water Agencies of Santa Barbara County.
Other projects Trujillo played an instrumental role in include the establishment of the Breeze transit service to Lompoc and Vandenberg Air Force Base and the land purchase for the city’s regional landfill.
In a December 2008 interview with the Sun, Trujillo recalled Mayor Lavagnino had some hesitations about buying the 1,800-acre plot for the landfill. Trujillo said he had to use his skills as a businessman to appease the mayor’s doubts.
“I told him, ‘This is a good business opportunity. If the city doesn’t buy [the land], I will. And I’ll call it Trujillo Meadows,’” he said.
It was Trujillo’s sense of humor, business savvy, and generosity that made him a pleasure to work with, according to his peers.
“It was a real privilege to serve with Leo,” City Councilwoman Alice Patino recently told the Sun. “He was a kind
man. He was always a gentleman, and he always had the best interest of the people of Santa Maria in mind when making his decisions.”
For example, Patino said, Trujillo worked with her to set aside funds for the city’s teen leadership program.
“We wanted to help kids develop their leadership skills,” Patino said. “We knew we couldn’t do it every year because of the budget, but we wanted to do something.”
Now in its second year, the Teen Leadership Santa Maria Valley Program is composed of students from all six local high schools. The program helps teens develop civic leadership skills through monthly seminars and community projects. Program members also get to spend time talking to current community leaders.
“Leo gave a lot to the community. He loved Santa Maria,” Patino said. “We’re going to miss him.”
Trujillo also played an active role in the community during his personal time, serving as director and/or adviser to nearly 25 charities and business organizations, including the Santa Maria Rotary Club South, the Navy League, the American Legion, and many more.
“Leo always wanted to do his part in every way he could, and he always did come through,” Rotary Club president Bob Ogden said.
Trujillo did the big things, like organizing club projects, and the little things, like driving a fellow club member home after meetings, Ogden noted.
Born April 3, 1933, Trujillo grew up in a farming community in Colorado. He was commissioned as an ensign into the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War, and eventually retired as a captain. He held a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in business administration. Before coming to Santa Maria, he held several management positions at Litton Industries in Woodland Hills and TRW, Inc. in Redondo Beach.
This article appears in Dec 3-10, 2009.
