Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee Named 2006 Cuesta College Honored Alumnus of the Year

Sam Blakeslee has accomplished a lot in between his time as a Cuesta College student and his present position of State Assemblyman, carrying on a family tradition of community service, a passion for education and environmental stewardship. This is among many reasons Blakeslee has been named the 2006 Cuesta College Honored Alumnus of the Year.

“The faculty and staff at Cuesta College are among the finest in the state,” said Blakeslee. “For more than 40 years, their efforts have changed lives and helped us as students realize our hopes and dreams.  We are fortunate to have such an extraordinary institution right here in San Luis Obispo County.”

A Cuesta College 1980 graduate, Blakeslee was elected to represent the 33rd Assembly District in November 2004, winning by a 24-point margin of victory in the District which includes the communities of Santa Maria, San Luis Obispo, Lompoc, Atascadero, Paso Robles, Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach, Morro Bay, Pismo Beach, and Guadalupe. As Assemblyman, Blakeslee has already authored seven bills which have been signed into law, including one that requires California's energy agencies to evaluate the progress electrical companies have made toward meeting the goal of using renewable energy sources.

Blakeslee was elected for two terms on the Cuesta College Board of Trustees prior to his service on the State Assembly. He has been active in a variety of environmental causes. Blakeslee authored the successful DREAM Initiative in 1999, which passed by 75 percent. The DREAM Initiative was a countywide advisory ballot measure that sought to create a long-term vision for the conservation of PG&E’s 12 mile coastline known as the Diablo Canyon Lands.

Additionally, Blakeslee co-chaired San Luis Obispo's Housing Task Force which helped develop a city housing element that earned a state award for enabling more affordable housing. He was honored with the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce Leadership Alumni Award in 2000 and received the Rhode’s Leadership Award from the League of Women Voters in 2001.

Blakeslee received a master’s degree from UC Berkeley in geophysics and a Ph.D. from UC Santa Barbara. After receiving his Ph.D., Blakeslee served as a research scientist and later as a strategic planner in the Exxon Corporation research laboratory in Houston, Texas and received a patent for inventing an algorithm that uses CAT-Scan technology to create detailed images of geologic formations between oil wells. He returned to San Luis Obispo in 1995 to work in his family business, Blakeslee and Blakeslee, a financial planning firm with offices throughout the Central Coast. 

Blakeslee is a graduate of San Luis Obispo High School. He moved to San Luis Obispo in 1965 at the age of 10 when his father, Earle Blakeslee, accepted a job as head of the Fine Arts department at Cuesta College. His mother, Diane Blakeslee, is a long time Cuesta supporter, and was an active member of the Cuesta College Foundation Board of Directors from 1986 until 1993.

Blakeslee makes his home in San Luis Obispo with his wife Kara and three children.