A Grass Valley man is getting ready to take over the California Conservation Corps. Governor Newsom has appointed Jarred Patton to replace Bruce Saito, on November first, who is retiring. Patton has been the Regional Deputy Director for Corps centers from Sacramento north since 2020. That’s also when he moved from Sacramento to this area…

click to listen to Jarred Patton

Corpsmembers are 18 to 25 years old, and up to 29 years old for veterans. And Patton says interest in the work is quite high, with waiting lists. It can provide excellent career stepping stones…

click to listen to Jarred Patton

In this area, you can see corpsmembers at state parks that include a lot of fuels reduction work. They can also work for up to 14 days at a time, often pulling 16-hour days. The number of available members are shared with other state agencies and made available for immediate dispatch 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Among his goals, Patton says he’d like to get more women to work for the Corps.