{"id":31050,"date":"2026-06-12T17:13:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T00:13:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/?p=31050"},"modified":"2026-06-12T17:14:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T00:14:16","slug":"from-protecting-californias-agriculture-to-protecting-lives-three-cdfa-employees-receive-governors-medal-of-valor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/index.php\/2026\/06\/12\/from-protecting-californias-agriculture-to-protecting-lives-three-cdfa-employees-receive-governors-medal-of-valor\/","title":{"rendered":"From Protecting California\u2019s Agriculture to Protecting Lives: Three CDFA Employees Receive Governor\u2019s Medal of Valor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9587-scaled.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"483\" src=\"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9587-1024x483.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-31062\" srcset=\"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9587-1024x483.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9587-300x142.jpg 300w, https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9587-768x362.jpg 768w, https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9587-1536x725.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9587-2048x966.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>CDFA Medal of Valor Recipients Eduardo Guerrero (third from left); Bailey White (ninth from left), and Felix Salas (eight from right) &#8212; pictured with Secretary Karen Ross, Deputy Secretary Arima Kozina, Victoria Hornbaker, Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services Division Director (second from right), including relatives, and CDFA management staff.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every day, California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdfa.ca.gov\/plant\/pe\/\">Pest Exclusion employees<\/a> stand on the front lines of protecting California\u2019s agriculture from invasive pests and diseases. But on two separate days in 2024, three employees faced emergencies where their commitment to public service extended far beyond their normal duties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today, three CDFA employees with the Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services (PHPPS) Branch&#8217;s Pest Exclusion Program were recognized with the <a href=\"https:\/\/medalofvalor.ca.gov\/\">Governor\u2019s State Employee Medal of Valor<\/a> for demonstrating courage, quick thinking and selfless service during dangerous situations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Eduardo Guerrero, Agricultural Technician III (Seasonal)<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Felix Salas, Plant Quarantine Supervisor I<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bailey White, Plant Quarantine Inspector<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9596-scaled.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"677\" src=\"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9596-1024x677.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-31057\" srcset=\"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9596-1024x677.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9596-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9596-768x508.jpg 768w, https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9596-1536x1015.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9596-2048x1353.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Pictured: Eduardo Guerrero; Secretary Karen Ross, Bailey White<\/em>, <em>Felix Salas, Deputy Secretary Arima Kozina.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The awards were presented during the 2026 Governor\u2019s State Employee Medal of Valor Award Ceremony at the California Highway Patrol Academy in West Sacramento, where 36 state employees from six departments were honored for heroic actions that protected the lives and safety of others. The award, given on behalf of Governor Gavin Newsom, is the state\u2019s highest honor for heroism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Untitled-June-12-2026-at-16.52.15.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"537\" src=\"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Untitled-June-12-2026-at-16.52.15-1024x537.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-31058\" srcset=\"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Untitled-June-12-2026-at-16.52.15-1024x537.png 1024w, https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Untitled-June-12-2026-at-16.52.15-300x157.png 300w, https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Untitled-June-12-2026-at-16.52.15-768x402.png 768w, https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Untitled-June-12-2026-at-16.52.15.png 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>CDFA Deputy Secretary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdfa.ca.gov\/exec\/leadership\/arima_kozina.html\">Arima Kozina<\/a> participated as the department\u2019s medal presenter.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCDFA employees work every day to protect California\u2019s food safety, strengthen agricultural communities and safeguard our natural systems, often in remote locations and under challenging conditions,\u201d said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. \u201cEduardo, Felix and Bailey represent the very best of public service. Their courage, professionalism and willingness to act in moments of crisis made a profound difference and exemplify the values we hold at CDFA.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Governor\u2019s State Employee Medal of Valor is one of the highest honors bestowed upon California state employees and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary courage, often placing their own safety at risk to protect the lives of others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Eduardo Guerrero: Stopping a Wildfire Before It Spread<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On September 8, 2024, Eduardo Guerrero was working at the Tulelake Border Protection Station in Siskiyou County when a passing motorist reported a small wildfire burning along the highway near state-owned housing cabins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While his colleague, Plant Quarantine Inspector Erin Addison, called 911, Guerrero immediately grabbed a fire extinguisher and rushed toward the flames. In the hot, dry conditions of a remote area near the Modoc National Forest, the fire had already begun spreading through dry grass and threatened to become a larger wildfire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After knocking down most of the flames, Guerrero noticed embers still burning. The fire reignited and he had to use a shovel and use dirt to put it out completely\u2014working tirelessly for an hour at night. Knowing emergency responders could take time to arrive due to the station\u2019s remote location and limited cell service, he returned to retrieve a shovel and continued working alone to extinguish the remaining hot spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His decisive actions prevented the fire from spreading, protected nearby state housing and helped ensure the safety of travelers and residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9610-scaled.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"668\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9610-668x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-31059\" srcset=\"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9610-668x1024.jpg 668w, https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9610-196x300.jpg 196w, https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9610-768x1178.jpg 768w, https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9610-1002x1536.jpg 1002w, https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9610-1336x2048.jpg 1336w, https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9610-scaled.jpg 1670w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 668px) 100vw, 668px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Felix Salas and Bailey White: Running Toward a Burning Vehicle to Save a Life<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At approximately 2:40 a.m. on December 8, 2024, Felix Salas and Bailey White were working at the Blythe Border Protection Station in Riverside County when a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed crashed into a safety barrier and became engulfed in flames.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Without hesitation, the two employees grabbed fire extinguishers and ran toward the burning vehicle. Working together, they extinguished the flames and discovered the driver trapped inside the heavily damaged cab, unable to escape because his leg was pinned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With smoke filling the vehicle, Salas and White pried open the door to allow the driver to breathe. They remained with him, offering reassurance and keeping him calm until emergency medical personnel arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their bravery, teamwork and willingness to put themselves in danger saved the driver\u2019s life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CDFA congratulates Eduardo Guerrero, Felix Salas and Bailey White for their remarkable service and for representing the very best of California public service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9604-scaled.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"865\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"31060\" src=\"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9604-865x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-31060\" srcset=\"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9604-865x1024.jpg 865w, https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9604-253x300.jpg 253w, https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9604-768x909.jpg 768w, https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9604-1298x1536.jpg 1298w, https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9604-1730x2048.jpg 1730w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 865px) 100vw, 865px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9612-scaled.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"585\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"31061\" src=\"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9612-585x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-31061\" srcset=\"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9612-585x1024.jpg 585w, https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9612-171x300.jpg 171w, https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9612-768x1345.jpg 768w, https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9612-877x1536.jpg 877w, https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9612-1170x2048.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9G2A9612-scaled.jpg 1462w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 585px) 100vw, 585px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every day, California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Pest Exclusion employees stand on the front lines of protecting California\u2019s agriculture from invasive pests and diseases. But on two separate days in 2024, three employees faced emergencies where their commitment &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/index.php\/2026\/06\/12\/from-protecting-californias-agriculture-to-protecting-lives-three-cdfa-employees-receive-governors-medal-of-valor\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\r\n<title>From Protecting California\u2019s Agriculture to Protecting Lives: Three CDFA Employees Receive Governor\u2019s Medal of Valor - CDFA&#039;s Planting Seeds Blog<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/index.php\/2026\/06\/12\/from-protecting-californias-agriculture-to-protecting-lives-three-cdfa-employees-receive-governors-medal-of-valor\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From Protecting California\u2019s Agriculture to Protecting Lives: Three CDFA Employees Receive Governor\u2019s Medal of Valor - CDFA&#039;s Planting Seeds Blog\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Every day, California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Pest Exclusion employees stand on the front lines of protecting California\u2019s agriculture from invasive pests and diseases. 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