Dave Cogdill was a respected leader and a man of great integrity. He cared deeply about his community, those he worked with and his loving family. Honorable, principled and virtuous, Dave always strongly believed in doing what was right and best for all – even if it meant putting people before politics. All of us who were blessed to work for him will miss him tremendously and there is no question that our state is a much better place because of Dave Cogdill – a great man and leader.
For those who didn’t know Dave: Former Senator Dave Cogdill most recently served as president and chief executive of the California Building Industry Association, a role he assumed in October 2013. Prior to this, Cogdill served as Stanislaus County Assessor from 2011 to 2013. After leaving the legislature, Cogdill also served as a Commissioner of the California Water Commission and as the Chairman of the Maddy Institute at Fresno State University.
Cogdill was the California State Senate Republican Leader from 2008-2009. He was elected to represent the 14th District in 2006. Cogdill served as vice chair of the Public Safety, the Revenue and Taxation, and the Joint Legislative Audit Committees. He previously represented the 25th Assembly District for six years. As a former chair of the Rural Caucus he dealt with issues concerning rural residents such as water, health care and education. In 2007 he was named Senate Small Business Legislator of the Year by the California Small Business Association.
Dave was especially passionate about the homebuilding industry and would often say, at times, that working for CBIA was the best job he has ever had. He loved working to ensure all Californians could have the opportunity to enjoy the American Dream of Homeownership. Under his leadership, CBIA not only led major efforts, but our industry scored unprecedented victories – the biggest being the protection of California’s highly successful school facilities program and the passage of the $9 billion statewide school bond (Proposition 51) on the November 2016 General Election ballot.
In 2010, Cogdill was awarded the prestigious Profile in Courage Award from the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation for his work on the California budget crisis of 2009.