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Juvie Ortiz Retiresby Mary Golden
California State Park Sector Superintendent San Luis Obispo Coast District, Juventino Ortiz III (Juvie) is one of those best men, who after thirty years with the department will be retiring this fall. "He had the respect of everyone he supervised or taught," says retired Ranger Bill Payne. "He excelled at all facets of the job whether he was teaching, being a ranger, a supervisor or manager. He was genuine. You felt as though you could talk to him and that he listened." As I listen to 65 year-old Ranger Payne gush like a schoolgirl about Juvie's character and abilities, I totally get it. It's a common theme from his co-workers, myself included. You might say there is a culture of Juvie here. You've heard of WWJD – well around here that means "What Would Juvie Do." Really, I'm not making this up. One of his rangers told me this. Juvie's responsibilities would overwhelm most of us. When I first started at CCNHA, I got the official "Windshield Tour" of our parks by the Sector Superintendent. As we bounced around the back roads of Montana de Oro in his patrol car filled with numerous weapons and radio equipment, he was juggling driving the truck, telling me the Latin names for plants in the park, listening to radio dispatch for emergencies, explaining how state parks work, his job, my new job, telling stories like the time he went after a suspect and ended up getting helicoptered off the top of Morro Bay, or pulling a horse out of the back bay with a tow rope and his patrol rig. All he needed was a cup of coffee sloshing but not quite spilling to make this picture complete, I thought -- about the time he took a sip of coffee. "My job is like an air traffic controller," he said. "My job is to make sure all the planes stay up in the air and no one crashes." When asked how he learned to do that, he smiled ruefully. "I was a ranger at Oceano Dunes. I learned to think on my feet." Since that day I have teased him that CCNHA problems are the "Cessna 2 seater" of his world. Nevertheless he always treats CCNHA business as though we are a fully packed 747. His first exposure to Oceano Dunes was as a summer park aide while he was at Cal Poly. After working at the campground and acting as radio dispatch all day, he assisted the Ranger on duty at night as they chased speeders, arrested drunks and responded to accident scenes. The Ranger instructed Juvie to "Jump anyone who jumps me." At six feet tall, with a football player's build, he said his job was to be a "presence." Juvie's career started as so many westerns do with a man on horseback wearing a hat. That man was a National Park Ranger in Yosemite when Juvie was a sixteen-year-old Boy Scout. "That would be a great job," he thought. He spent one summer at the entrance station at Mount Rainer National Park filling in on backcountry patrols and staying overnight in cabins and fire lookouts. The next summer was spent at Coulee Dam National Recreational Area as a seasonal Park Service Ranger. "It was culture shock. Out in the middle of nowhere." After a job interview at a pay phone at Lake Roosevelt, however, he packed his small pickup and headed for Lake Perris SRA in Riverside County wondering what he gotten himself into. But it was a full time job with California State Parks as a peace officer. He went from the sticks to a smoggy urban park with a 486 site concrete campground. The lake was packed with jet skis, and he spent his time breaking up fights, catching kids with beer and arresting drunks. About a year later, he transferred to Pismo Dunes where he spent his time, chasing speeders, arresting drunks and responding to accident scenes. Was this his favorite part of the job? "Yes," he said after some deliberation. It was gratifying to get a speeder or drunk off the beach before he hurt himself or another person." But in addition to his enforcement work, he also was instrumental in the beginnings of the Monarch Butterfly Grove in Pismo Beach where was gave talks and helped docents start selling postcards on a card table. He transferred to Morro Bay State Park in 1990 where he says his experiences at Perris and Pismo served him well with a much larger patrol area and working alone at night. In 1996 he went back to Pismo, now named Oceano Dunes, as a Supervising Ranger. He said it was a challenge, but one of the most rewarding times in his career because he had to make quick decisions with the best information he had at the time. He also loved the team camaraderie he had with his Rangers who he says were "all different people, but did the best we could, and we did it together." It was during this time, he went to a Law Enforcement Night at the San Luis Obispo Farmer's Market. He met a young man named Dale Kinney who has now been a State Park Ranger for ten years. "He was just so positive about the job," Ranger Kinney said. "He fired a spark in me. At every turn in my career with State Parks, Juvie has been instrumental and involved." In 2001 Juvie transferred to Hearst Castle as Supervising Ranger. Although he says it was time to decompress, he was lining up more aircraft to keep in the air as he learned to supervise not only Rangers, but K9 Rangers, firefighter security officers, ticket office-visitor center operations, and campground operations. In 2002, Juvie reached his goal as Supervising Ranger for Morro Bay and Montana de Oro back at the SLO Coast District. More aircraft lined up as he took on additional public safety administrative duties and learned District operations perspectives in Resource Management, Maintenance and Administration as the Chief Ranger and Supervising Ranger at Morro Bay. In 2003 he was promoted to District Services Superintendent where he says he was very fortunate to work with park specialists such as cultural resources, natural resources, maintenance, public relations, special events, filming, project planning and CEQA review. He says this role "really helped me understand that the role of a Park Superintendent was to become a true generalist in park operations and the importance of a balanced approach to managing individual program goals in the context of the State Parks Mission and Values." In 2007, he became the Coastal Sector Superintendent with the challenge of combining the operations of two separate sectors into one including the San Simeon and Estero Bay park units. "We were able to leverage all the advantages of personnel and program coordination to move into a new future of the SLO Coast District. " It was at this time that Chief Administrator Nancy Barnes met Juvie. "He always makes you want to do your job better, because he's striving for excellence in his job. But he doesn't take himself too seriously – just the job." Then she starts gushing about every time she works with Juvie it makes her smile, even when he's bringing her a problem." Although his career has taken him from being a green ranger in the backwoods of Eastern Washington having to call for backup when a group of local anti government backwoodsmen (read anti anything in uniform) started to threaten him, and he realized he was alone along way from anywhere -- to the calm, gentle giant administrator Superintendent we all rely on, he still likes to get in the field whenever he can. Just this last July 4th he rode with the Rangers on duty at night for fun. Ranger Kinney says he has a nickname that he doesn't know about, "I.C." for "Incident Commander." Although not technically in his district when a double homicide happened at Morro Strand State Beach, Juvie responded to help with the scene where a crazed gunman had shot and killed two campers. "He was instrumental, calm and made sure everything was handled correctly, even though for State Parks, having to respond to a homicide scene is rare," says Ranger Payne. When asked what he would like his legacy to be he talks about "The Tradition." "Working in parks was just a side benefit. The best part is the people. All of them, the specialists, maintenance, interpreters, Rangers, seasonals, docents, administrators, they are all committed to the Mission of State Parks. I'm part of a long line of Park Rangers who came before me, and will continue after my time. They are committed to excellence. My career has been so rich with never a dull moment. You are keeping a drunk from hurting someone; you're teaching someone about butterflies; you're getting a splint on someone at an accident scene; you are consoling someone after they have lost a loved one." The most intense of these times for Juvie was a night in Pismo when he got a call about a speeder who turned out to be suicidal and had a 9 mm handgun in his car. After convincing him to go to a secluded part of the beach, Juvie talked to him for an hour and half while other law enforcement people trained guns on the car. "Don't do this," Juvie said. "I don't want to live with the trauma of seeing you blow your brains out. Don't do this. What about your kids? You don't want their last memory of you to be you blowing your head off. Don't do this…" Finally, Juvie convinced him to get out of the car. "Just lay down on the cool sand. I'll be the only one who comes up to handcuff you, and we will get you some help." The man hunched over, putting down what turned out to be the 9mm, got out, and laid on the sand. Juvie said after handcuffing him he just teared up because it was so intense. He felt so bad for the man, and for his family. When asked why the man didn't shoot himself, he said, "I couldn't do that to you, you were such a nice guy." "I just want to be remembered for doing the best that I could," Juvie says. "I always tell new cadets to give back to the career that will give so much to you." Juvie's next steps in life will be just that. Teaching a new generation of Rangers and Lifeguard peace officers to stay safe, give it their best and put something back into the profession he loved so much. Teddy Roosevelt was describing Juvie. The best leaders are those who choose to be on the front lines, get their hands dirty (or bloody), consider everyone's perspectives, value everyone's efforts, and at the end of the day, humbly say, "I want to be remembered for trying my best."
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