CLEVELAND, May 9 — Ryan K. Snow was reelected to his second term as Chairman of the California State Legislative Board during the Board’s 8th quadrennial session in Lake Tahoe, Calif., April 24-26, 2018.
A member of BLET Division 126 in Bakersfield, Calif., Brother Snow is a Union Pacific locomotive engineer. He first joined the Brotherhood on December 1, 1999. He hired out with the Union Pacific at Bakersfield, Calif., in 1998 and earned promotion to locomotive engineer in 1999, learning from former Vice Chairman Ron Marney. Brother Snow was elected to the office of 1st Vice Chairman at the California State Legislative Board’s 2010 quadrennial meeting and was reelected by acclamation in 2014. Brother Snow began serving his first term as Chairman following the retirement of Timothy L. Smith on January 31, 2017.
Also elected during the quadrennial session were: 1st Vice Chairman John B. Mobley, Division 398 (San Bernardino, Calif.); 2nd Vice Chairman Jose M. Vargas, Division 214 (Long Beach, Calif.); and Secretary-Treasurer A. O. (Tony) Langel, Division 664 (San Luis Obispo, Calif.). Brother Langel was elected by acclamation.
The delegates elected the following members to serve on the Board’s Executive Committee: R. L. (Rick) Rodriguez, Division 20 (Los Angeles, Calif.); Jose M. Vargas, Division 214 (Long Beach, Calif.); Robert J. Tuttle, Division 692 (Tracy, Calif.); and Joshua S. Faulkner Division 739 (Bakersfield, Calif.).
The following were elected to serve on the Rules Committee: Christopher D. Camara, Division 283 (Oakland, Calif.); Chad E. Castagnetti, Division 800 (Portola, Calif.); Lon Simmons, Division 660 (Los Angeles); Christopher J. Delgado, Division 415 (Roseville, Calif.); and R. L. (Rick) Rodriquez, Division 20 (Los Angeles, Calif.).
Three members were elected to serve on the Board’s Audit Committee: Joshua S. Faulkner, Division 739 (Bakersfield, Calif.); Christopher D. Camara, Division 283 (Oakland, Calif.); and Stefan Alexis, Division 56 (West Colton, Calif.).
National Division officers at the meeting were: National President Dennis R. Pierce; First Vice President E. Lee Pruitt; and Vice President & National Legislative Representative John P. Tolman. Also representing the BLET National Division were: Director of Regulatory Affairs Vincent G. Verna; and Director of Political and Legislative Affairs Robert F. Hagan.
“I am pleased to congratulate Brother Snow and all officers of the California State Legislative Board,” President Pierce said. “I thank them for making time in their busy lives to serve our Brotherhood, and I have every confidence that they will do an excellent job of representing the interests of our members in the proud State of California.”
Special guests included: Mathew Parker, Nevada State Legislative Board Chairman; Brian Carr, Union Pacific-Western Lines General Chairman; Susie Burrola, National 1st Vice President, BLET Auxiliary; and Kathleen Bisbikis, 2nd Vice President and National Legislative Representative, BLET Auxiliary.
David O. Cameron, Assistant to the Director of the Teamsters Rail Conference, was in attendance and gave a presentation on the California high-speed rail project. Additional guest speakers included: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Region Seven Chief Inspector Mark Gallegos; and Brian Lewis and John Herriman of the National Association of Retired and Veteran Railway Employees (NARVRE).
Many spouses of BLET members were in attendance to hear the presentation by Kathleen Bisbikis of the BLET Auxiliary, and various BLET members were also in attendance, including Oscar A. Burrola, Local Chairman of Division 839 (Richmond, Calif.). Retired Brother Darrell Azarcon, the long-serving former First Vice Chairman of the California State Legislative Board, was also in attendance.
Brother Snow is a U.S. Navy veteran, having proudly served from 1982-1986. He and his wife Verna were married in 1987.
The BLET California State Legislative Board represents nearly 3,000 active and retired members in 19 different Divisions.