With tremendous sorrow, we announce the passing of one of CAPE’s strongest organizers, CAPE Director Brent Decker. Brent died on Thursday, Sept. 22, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident on Sept. 4, 2016.
Brent’s service with the Office of the Assessor began in 1989 as an Appraiser Trainee. His first assignment was at the former Pasadena regional office, where his abilities and strong work ethic caught the eye of Assessor management. After subsequent assignments in other regional offices and Major Real Properties, Brent was sent to the Assessment Appeals (AAB) section, where he volunteered as an Assessor’s Representative, a position that represents the Assessor and its appraisers at the Assessment Appeals Board. At this time, the AAB section was undergoing restructuring, but, as always, Brent stepped up and helped work to bring about lasting changes. Prior to returning to a regional supervision assignment, Brent’s expertise and professionalism were again noticed by management, and he was sent to the Training section, where he oversaw the education of new classes of Appraiser Trainees. As a 13 year member of the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO), a professional organization for those employed in the assessment field, Brent was always actively involved in promoting the continuing education and advancement of the appraisal profession, and it showed in every assignment he undertook. Brent dedicated 28 years to his career with the Assessor’s office.
As a CAPE volunteer, Brent tirelessly pursued equity for all of his fellow employees. He was a CAPE member for 24 years, and in that time, he volunteered to serve on numerous committees and salary contract negotiations on behalf of Appraiser and Supervisory Appraiser units. Brent’s desire was to see management treat employees fairly and professionally. He was elected to the CAPE Board of Directors in 2014, as he wanted to take a more active role in serving CAPE and making this union even stronger. Along the political front, Brent was also quite active in Democratic politics, a role that goes hand in hand with union advocacy. He had run for State Assembly at one point, coming in second, but still determined to make a difference.
Outside of his professional life, Brent was an excellent musician and an avid USC fan. During his military service in the United States Air Force, he played brass in the 562nd Air Force Band. When he attended USC, his enthusiasm and talent for marching bands made it the natural choice to join the USC Trojan Marching Band. Music was very important to Brent, and he was still actively playing with local big bands on a regular basis, so much so that one of his bands had recently went into the studio and recorded some demo projects. As usual for Brent, he wanted to pass on his passion and expertise to less experienced musicians and was working with local community college students to help them achieve their own goals and dreams.
Brent’s family and friends have set up a fund to assist with uncovered expenses like medical bills, transportation, funeral and legal fees. See the attached link for more information. https://brentdecker.org/donate/
Brent will be missed.