As one of the “original nine” rangers hired by Midpen, David Sanguinetti, or “Sango” as he was more commonly known around the organization, has a thorough recollection of the early days at Midpen. “It was like a startup,” he explained. “We did law enforcement; we did trail building and maintenance. We did it all. We were true generalist rangers. We had the unique opportunity to create the culture and style of the agency and programs.”
Hired in 1980, eight years after Santa Clara County voters voted to create what is now known as Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, Sango witnessed the evolution of the agency from its original six preserves to 26. In his time, the rangers went from what he described as a “helter-skelter crew” to a professional team that had matching uniforms, well-maintained vehicles, and a reputation for approaching all visitors with a willingness to help and provide a touchpoint for preserve-goers.
At age 17, he discovered his love of the mountains and set his sights on becoming a ranger. “There was something magnetic (about the Santa Cruz Mountains),” he explained. “It just drew me in.” While working as a radio dispatch for the Aptos Fire District, he came across a job ad in the Santa Cruz Sentinel for a ranger at a small agency he wasn’t familiar with. “I realized that I had hit the jackpot and this was a perfect fit and I never left,” he said. “I committed to spending my career –almost 34 years– to the growth and protection of District Lands in the Santa Cruz Mountains.”
However, being one of the original rangers for Midpen, didn’t come without its challenges. As a new agency with new lands, neighbors were often resistant to the agency. “We called it the Wild West,” Sango explained as he recounted stories of being greeted by the “one-finger salute.”
“It requires the development of what I call a '6th Sense’ due to the nature of the job requiring rangers to work alone at all times of the day, in remote places, with long response backup. We needed to know our surroundings intimately so that we could operate safely when making contacts, especially after dark.”
One of the key components of Sango’s job was to make contact and develop relationships with neighbors and work with them to create solutions showing the value of Midpen. “Everywhere we went, we had to win them over. It was endless in the 80s and 90s, he explained. “Even the 2000s when we went to the Coastside, it was like, here we go again. I think by the time I left 2013 we won that one too.”
Going the extra mile and giving a personal touch, he explained, was the best a way to work with neighbors. He explained, “Our job is to be good neighbors to take care of the land, to deal with issues that are affecting you as well as protecting that land.” Sango took this charge to heart. “I've always been on a mission. I never did it for money. I did it because I believed it and I loved it. I couldn't believe that I was getting paid to do it. I feel like I lived the dream. I rarely had a day I didn’t love.”
Now retired and living in the Santa Cruz area, he serves on the Parks & Recreation Commission for the City of Scotts Valley. “It’s a way to scratch my open space itch,” he said as he proudly recounted his efforts to help the city establish three open space preserves.