Central Marin exits: Chu and ‘The Machine’
After serving 16 years on the Larkspur City Council, Larry Chu will step down in December.
“Dan Hillmer has 26 years of service and two other members had 20 years each,” says Chu, adding jokingly, “I feel like I’m coming up short.”
As a fixture in Larkspur and Marin County politics since 2003, Chu has watched the role of city government evolve.
“I think city government is the best place where someone can have an impact on the community they live in,” says Chu.
However, he’s also seen the power of cities decline over the years. “We still have a great deal of local control but it is starting to degrade as policy is made at the state level and pushed down to local municipalities.”
Chu’s efforts to reverse this trend are aimed at reform of post-employment benefits for public employees. After organizing in a countywide study of how cities can deal with the rapid escalation of retirement costs in 2011, Chu co-authored another paper in September with Mill Valley Councilman John McCauley. “The study outlines a range of solutions that will allow any public agency to evaluate their financial circumstances and pick the best way to proactively manage revenue opportunities and future liabilities to ensure financial stability.”
Chu assumed the mayorship for the fourth and final time on Nov. 6, taking the helm from Ann Morrison, who is leaving the city council after two terms. In August, Larkspur canceled November elections and appointed two unopposed council members, Scot Candell and Gabriel Paulson.
Looking back, Chu remembers times as mayor when he was reminded that the mayor is a public servant.
“I once had a lady call me and ask, ‘Are you going to the Marin Civic Center today? Could you give me a ride?’” says Chu. “Another woman wanted help removing bees from her yard. I told her I didn’t really have jurisdiction over that.”
Up next: Chu will help his wife with her family’s business as he continues his “day job” in the financial services industry. In the public realm, Chu aims to be involved with the Marin County Wildfire Prevention Authority, a new agency with a parcel tax on the March 2020 ballot.
But Chu is happy to always have a full plate. “I’m retiring from the City Council but not sure I’ll be doing anything less.”
CHP-Mary1 goes “10-10”
Across Highway 101 in Corte Madera, Officer Todd Overset signed “off duty” on Nov. 4 after 30 years on patrol, retiring as California’s most senior motor officer and earning the respected title of “CHP-Mary1.”
Known affectionately as “The Machine” by other patrolmen in Marin, Overzet was known for his dedication and work ethic. Fully 29 of his 30 years on the force were spent on a motorcycle, even after recovering from a life-threatening collision suffered while responding to an emergency in 2010.
So if you’ve ever shaken hands with 30-year CHP veteran Todd Overzet, you’ve felt your metacarpals crushed to dust inside the meat sack that was once your proffered hand. This week I had the privilege to sacrifice several digits to Todd on his last day in tans. #honored pic.twitter.com/yjEt7NRDdQ
— Aristotle Wolfe (@AristotleWolfe) November 7, 2019
“As new officers come in, he’s the one they look to for guidance about how to the job well,” says CHP Officer Andrew Barclay. “He will definitely be missed — not only in our office but around the state.”
After growing up in Novato and Petaluma, Overzet began his CHP career with eight years on duty in Los Angeles County, serving on “protective detail” — riding in the motorcade accompanying visiting presidents and dignitaries — and earning his chops in law enforcement.
“We had a lot of chases involving dope and stolen cars, and a lot of foot pursuits too,” says Overzet, who moved his family back to the North Bay in 1998 and began patrols from Corte Madera. His first beat was West Marin, a place so sleepy he thought his radio was broken.
“I wouldn’t hear a call for a half hour or more,” says Overzet, who sent snapshots of the coast and hills from his new beat to his former co-workers back in L.A.
As the years passed, Marin got a lot busier. “The number of calls has gone up and the commute has gotten more congested,” says Overzet. “You didn’t use to have cars rolling through the back roads to get around the traffic.”
It’s hard to pick the best moments after so many years on the beat. There was a lot of “getting the bad guy” and some big drug busts. Once Overzet pulled over a speeding limo to find “Larry the Cable Guy” in the back. He had been recording at Skywalker Ranch but was now late for a tee time.
And there was a lot of “helping nice people,” too. “We help with all kinds of different incidents: lost pets, lost kids, flats, broken-down drivers,” Overzet says.
He received a thank-you letter recently from a woman he found stopped on an offramp in Mill Valley who was suffering an accelerated heart rate. He was able to keep her company until she calmed down and a family member picked her up.
With two sons in law enforcement and two grandkids running around, Overzet expects a busy retirement. He plans to travel with his wife Laura, get some projects done around the house and take time to pursue his interest in cars and competitive long-range shooting.