Berkeley City Clerk Deanna Despain
Quick Facts
Alone this death would be tragic but scan the rest of the cases - think again. Public Officials, Elected Officials and Police Officers.
COD: Accident
This case has always been a concern. I was already tracking cases e.g. Glover, Nunn and Shimansky plus new ones as they arose.
City clerk Deanna Despain found dead in Oakland
Update 2:35 p.m. The Associated Press is reporting that Deanna Despain’s death was apparently because of a fall down a staircase in her home. She was found by her husband. There were no signs of foul play.
Deanna Despain, Berkeley’s city clerk, was found dead in her home on the 4100 block of Lyman Road in Oakland at 2 a.m. on Saturday morning. The Oakland police are treating the death as suspicious.
The coroner’s office is not yet releasing any information about the death, referring enquiries to the Oakland Police Department.
Despain became acting city clerk in June, 2008, with the retirement of Pamyla Means. She was appointed city clerk in May 2009. She had worked for the city for over 10 years. The birth of her child, on March 22 last year, was applauded at that evening’s City Council meeting.
“Deanna was super smart, she was really on top of things,” said Mark Rhoades, who worked with Despain when he was in the city’s planning department. “She cared a lot about the city.”
In the city offices today, word about Despain’s death spread without any official news. City staff said they were working with Despain’s family on an announcement, pending official word from the OPD.
Berkeleyside is awaiting information from the OPD and will provide updates as details emerge.
