Biography
The Saylor Family.
From left: son Aaron, wife Julie, Don, and daughter Kate.
Don Saylor was elected to the Davis City Council in March 2004.
Don and his family moved to Davis in 1987. He and Julie, his wife of 33 years, raised two children in Davis.
Don earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Wyoming and Master in Public Affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. While a student at the LBJ School, Don served as Research Assistant for former Texas Congresswoman Barbara Jordan.
Serving as a member of the Davis City Council is a natural progression of Don's lifelong commitment to public service. Don's public service career spans over 30 years and includes administrative, planning and analytical positions in local government and both the legislative and executive branches of California state government. Don's California state service career has included extensive strategic planning and financial management background and numerous presentations on leadership, planning and related topics. He served five years as a Program and Financial Analyst with the California Legislative Analyst Office with responsibility to advise the legislature on health care and social services programs. In addition, he held administrative and executive positions under three governors with responsibilities for managing over $500 million in state capital outlay projects and leadership of 300 employees. His administrative positions included financial management, personnel, training, research, management analysis, strategic planning, and information management. He managed a statewide medial care delivery system, juvenile delinquency prevention program and supervised the education programs in six high school programs for incarcerated adolescents.
Prior to his election to the Council, Don was elected to two terms as a School Board Trustee for the Davis Joint Unified School District from 1995 to 2003 where he was twice elected by fellow trustees to serve as President of the Board. Don served as the Government Relations Chair for he California School Boards Association for the 8th Assembly District. During this tenure on the School Board student achievement in Davis schools ranked among the highest in California.
Don also served as the PTA President of Ralph Waldo Emerson Junior High School, President of the Spanish Immersion Parents Association, Coordinator of the Davis Odyssey of the Mind program, and in numerous other community service leadership roles.
In 2004 Don pledged to focus his Council service on fiscal balance, responsible planning, supporting families and children, and restoring civility to our public discourse. Over the last four years, he has fulfilled these commitments. He worked to enhance partnerships with the University of California at Davis, the Davis Joint Unified School District and Yolo County.
With Don's support, the Council has taken concrete steps to preserve open space and agricultural land within our city and region. In addition, Don has focused much of his attention toward supporting public safety, added park space, targeted housing, and enhancement of the downtown through investment in the Varsity, Bistro 33 and other public resources. During Don's tenure on the Council, the City and its community have made major strides in economic development, restoring fiscal order to the City of Davis, reaffirming support for our parks, and both maintaining and improving the overall quality of life.
In 2007, Don was elected by Council members from throughout the region to serve as President of the Sacramento Valley Division of the League of California Cities. The Sacramento Valley Division includes 58 cities in 19 northern California counties. He also served as a member of the League's Public Safety Policy Committee and has been a trainer and panel moderator for the League conferences and workshops.
From left: Don, Aaron, Kate and Julie.