Date in office: 1978-1991
Brian Richter was appointed by the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors as the County Executive in March 1978. Recognized as one of Sacramento County’s longest serving County Executives, serving until March 1991, Richter was credited with efficiently running the County during a decade of unprecedented local growth and managing expenditures to prevent fiscal problems.
Richter joined Sacramento County as an Assistant Engineer in the Water Quality division in 1961 and quickly advanced to become the Public Works Director in 1971. Additionally, Richter served as Chief of the Sacramento Regional Sanitation District where he was responsible for the planning and construction of a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plant in Sacramento.
A Sacramento native, born in 1936, Richter graduated from El Camino High School in 1954 and went on to earn a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from University of Nevada, Reno. Prior to his tenure with Sacramento County, he worked for the California Department of Water Resources.
In December of 2014, Richter passed away at the age of 78. At the time of his passing, he was survived by his wife, Lisa; three daughters, Terrie, Tammie and Tracie; son, Brian Jr.; a sister, Sandy; 11 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
