Obit: UC Berkeley chief legal counsel dead in hit-and-run near Guerneville

UC Berkeley’s chief legal counsel, Christopher Patti, was killed in a hit-and-run accident Sunday. (Alain McLaughlin/Impact Fund) 

Westbound Highway 116 at Summer Crossing, west of Guerneville.

SONOMA COUNTY — A member of UC Berkeley’s legal team died Sunday after being hit by a car in a hit-and-run crash near Guerneville, authorities said.

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The Sonoma County Coroner’s Office confirmed Monday that 59-year-old Christopher Patti, the campus’ chief legal counsel, died Sunday morning. He was stopped on his bike on the right shoulder of westbound Highway 116 around 8:45 a.m. when a BMW slid onto the shoulder and hit him, according to a statement by the California Highway Patrol.

“I speak for the Berkeley community in saying how grief-stricken we are at Chris Patti’s untimely death,” UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ said in a statement. “He was an extraordinary colleague. He loved the university, and he had a deep core of integrity that motivated everything he did. He was smart, he was compassionate. He was everything you wanted the counsel of the campus to be. We offer our sympathy to his family and his friends for this tragic loss.”

Patti joined the university in 2010. Before that, he worked for two decades in the general counsel’s office at UC’s Office of the President.

“Chris was a wonderful colleague and friend who cared about people and doing the right thing. He was an extraordinary lawyer to whom we all turned for advice and counsel. His loss is unfathomable,” Charles F. Robinson, general counsel and vice president of legal affairs with UC, said in a statement.

The CHP on Monday identified 28-year-old Jonathan Ritter, of Rio Nido/Monte Rio, as a person of interest. The driver of the vehicle that hit Patti continued west on Highway 116, then turned around and went back past the scene in the eastbound direction, the agency said.

Police want to find out if Ritter was driving the car.

Officer Jon Sloat told the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat that Patti was about 20 feet to the right of the highway, and that evidence at the scene indicates the vehicle drove fast and perhaps recklessly.

“He was well off the road,” Sloat told the Press-Democrat. “He should have been safe.”

Patti earned his bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and his law degree from the University of Virginia. Before joining UC, he worked as a litigation associate in San Francisco. He is survived by a wife and two sons.

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From: regentsoffice@ucop.edu and

When I sent this I was just pissed off.  Next time it will have the death of UCOP Attorney Charles Patti

Subject: G4S connections

From: outlook_6cd656d49f755d86@outlook.com

To: president@ucop.edu

Date Received: Friday, June 17, 2016 5:20 PM

They are made of mercenaries, well equipped, access to government intelligence systems, they're able to travel around the globe.

Subject: Thank you for your email

From: regentsoffice@ucop.edu

To: Pete Bennett (pete@petebennett.net)

Date Received: Thursday, December 3, 2015 12:09 AM

On behalf of The Regents of the University of California, thank you for your email. Your correspondence will be included, as appropriate, in the next summary of communications to the Regents.

Correspondence sent to the Board of Regents may be answered by staff in the Office of the Secretary and Chief of Staff to the Regents, in the Office of the President, or at the appropriate campus. The Office of the Secretary and Chief of Staff retains copies of all correspondence sent to the Regents; such correspondence is considered a matter of public record and, therefore, is potentially subject to disclosure under the California Public Records Act.

Correspondence addressing items on the agenda of the Board of Regents or its committees must be received by the Office of the Secretary and Chief of Staff no less than twenty-four (24) hours in advance of the beginning of the regular two-and-a-half day Board and committee meetings or any off-cycle or special meeting of the Board or its committees.   

The email must clearly identify the agenda item being addressed. Each communication should include a subject line identifying the specific agenda item being addressed; failure to do so could prevent delivery of your comments. Such materials will be distributed to members of the Board, or its appropriate committee, prior to beginning of the Board or committee meeting.

We appreciate your interest in the University of California and for taking the time to write.

Best regards,

Correspondence Coordinator

Office of the Secretary and Chief of Staff to the Regents

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