About Richard J. Oba
Capt. Richard Oba was the operator of PACIFIC
PIONEER CHARTERS LLC., a charter fishing company that operated out of Winchester
Bay, Oregon. He was an innovator in albacore tuna fishing, especially live bait
and fly-fishing for tuna, as well as Pacific Halibut fishing out of Salmon
Harbor. Neither fishery was done by charters before Capt. Oba brought the
SYDNEY MAE II to the harbor in 2001.
Capt. Oba had years of ocean fishing experience in the San Francisco Bay where he fished as a sport fisherman for thirty years. During that time, he operated a number of boats and became active in boating safety with the United States Power Squadron, environmental organizations such as the Save the Bay Association and fishing advocacy with United Anglers of California and the San Francisco Tyee Club. All the while he was working as a career employee of the East Bay Municipal Utility District, the East Bay’s water and wastewater provider.
Capt. Oba has always felt that fishermen have a duty to give back to the environment and ecosystems that provide their livelihood. One of his accomplishments while a member of United Anglers was sparking the cleanup of the United Heckathorn DDT site in Richmond, CA. Capt. Oba organized a “toxic fish-in” to catch fish that were living in the DDT laced waters of Lauritzen-Parr Canal. The analysis of the fish caught showed that DDT was still leaching into the water years after the site had been abandoned. In the late 1990’s the EPA cleaned up the site and removed tons of DDT laced soils.
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/pha/unitedheckathorn/uni_p1.html
Capt. Oba also served as a representative from the fishing community on the San Francisco Estuary Project that wrote a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for the San Francisco Bay in 1993. He did this as a volunteer taking his own vacation time from work to participate in the process that lasted several years. In Oregon, Capt. Oba likewise served on the Governor’s Coastal Coho Stakeholder Committee, which was formed to develop strategies to restore coastal Coho.
Upon moving to coastal Oregon in 2001, Capt. Oba also became involved in the economic and political life of his new home in Reedsport, Oregon. He volunteered to serve as city liaison to the Umpqua Regional Council of Governments and later was appointed to the City Council of Reedsport. He was active in the Lower Umpqua Economic Forum and Winchester Bay Merchants Association.
On September 19, 2005, Capt. Oba was piloting the Sydney Mae when it was struck and sank by waves near the entrance to the Umpqua River, resulting in the tragic loss of three lives. Criminal charges were brought against Capt. Oba as a result of the accident and he will be sentenced in April of 2007.
A formal resume follows-
RESUME
RICHARD J. OBA
BORN
Portland, Oregon
MARRIED
Ms. Sidney Suzanne Pucek
EDUCATION
Highland Park Township High School, Highland Park, Illinois, High School Diploma, 1965
University of Oregon, 1965-69, Major in Sociology, 120 hours completed
Oregon State University, 1970-73, Major in Biochemistry, 60 hours completed
San Francisco State University, B.A. in Psychology, 2006
LICENSES/CERTIFICATES
Received USCG Ocean Master’s License for 50 ton passenger vessels, Sausalito, CA 2001
Better Process Control School Commercial Canning Certificate, University of California, Davis, 2001
EMPLOYMENT VITAE
Pacific Pioneer Charters, Winchester Bay, OR. August 2001 to 2006
Founded Pacific Pioneer Charters with Ms. Sidney Pucek. Our goal in founding Pacific Pioneer Charters was to provide a unique six passenger fishing charter for small groups. We were the first charter office in Winchester Bay to charter fish for Pacific Halibut and Albacore Tuna. The business was featured in the NY Times, Horizon Air Magazine, Oregon Coast Magazine, and Fishing and Hunting News.
Civil Service Career at
East Bay Municipal Utility District
Oakland, CA
I held positions of increasing responsibility in my twenty-five year career at EBMUD. Among them are as follows:
Meter Reading Foreman, 1994- retired in July 2001
Customer Service Supervisor, Meter Reading Supervisor, various 1996-2001
Water System Inspector, Sept. 1990 to 1994.
Service Representative, Summer 1983 & 1985.
Assistant Meter Reading Supervisor, August 1982.
Meter Reader II, 1979-1990.
Structures Maintenance man II, 1976 to 1979.
Meter Reader, 1974 to 1976.
RESUME
Page 2
BLUE BIRD CONSULTING
Self employed as Bluebird Consulting Services, 1987 to 1994.
Provided computer consulting to individuals, small businesses and non-profit organizations on personal computers. Work included building computers, diagnosing and troubleshooting hardware problems, making repairs and upgrades, backing up and restoring hard disks, installation of local area networks, analyzing appropriate software needs and recommending appropriate software applications.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
OREGON
Appointed member of Governor’s Stakeholders Committee on Coastal Coho Salmon Listing, March 2004-Sept. 2005
Appointed City Councilor, Reedsport, OR, May 2003- 2004
URCOG, Reedsport Representative, Jan 2003-May 2004
Port of Umpqua, Budget Committee, May 2003-2005
Lower Umpqua Economic Development Forum, Board Member, 2002-2005
Reedsport-Winchester Bay Chamber of Commerce, Member, 2002-04
Winchester Bay Merchants Association, Member, 2002-06
Reedsport Winchester Bay STEP, donor 2002-05
CALIFORNIA
Save San Francisco Bay Association, Board of Directors Member, 1994-2001
United Anglers of California, Board of Directors, Executive Council, 1986-2001
United Anglers of California, Vice-President, elected in 1989, reelected 1991-2001
San Francisco Tyee Club, Board of Directors, 1987-88, 1996-2000
San Francisco Estuary Project, Delegate, Management Committee, 1987-94
San Francisco Estuary Project, Member, Aquatic Resources Subcommittee, 1992-93
Delegate, 14th District, Assembly Democratic Steering Committee, 1992-1996
AFSCME Local 444, President, 1984
AFSCME Local 444, Recording Secretary 1981-1983, 1988
AFSCME Local 444, Shop Steward 1983 to 1990
Contra Costa Central Labor Council, Executive Board, 1987-94
City of Richmond, Marina Harbor Advisory Commission, 1986-87
Oakland Squadron, United States Power Squadron, Executive Board, 1990-92
Oakland Squadron, United States Power Squadron, Executive Officer, 2000
Oakland Squadron, United States Power Squadron, Commander, 2001-2002
Taught boating safety course, hold Pilots rank with United States Power Squadron
Richmond Annex Neighborhood Council, Member, 1983-2001