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Former Sacramento City Councilman Robbie Waters Dies From Coronavirus

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Robbie Waters, a long-time Sacramento politician and former law enforcement member, passed away at 84 years old.

The Sacramento Bee reports Waters fell and broke his hip on June 30. While he was recovering from hip surgery, Waters' family was informed that he had tested positive for COVID-19. He passed away Monday.

Waters dedicated much of his life to public service. After serving in the Air Force, he graduated from Sacramento State with a degree in criminology and spent nearly 30 years in law enforcement. He was a lieutenant with the Sacramento Police Department, then was elected to be county sheriff in 1982.

Waters then served 16 years on the Sacramento City Council where he would be the only conservative voice during that time. Mayor Darrell Steinberg sat next to Waters on the City Council for four years in the 90s, and while they came from different political perspectives, he called Waters a dear friend and a fighter who stood up for the community.

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"Robbie was very much about the community, the community he represented in Sacramento. He was old school, he cared about people. If he felt you were honest and that you cared about the community, the political point of view was less relevant and important to him than whether or not you cared about and loved Sacramento," Steinberg said.

Sheriff Scott Jones shared a statement about Waters which reads in part: "We lost a former Sheriff today. Robbie Waters was more than an elected Sacramento County Sheriff—including a former member of the Air Force, a Sacramento Police Officer, a Sacramento City Councilman, a member of numerous community and charity boards, a lifelong Sacramentan, and many other things—but today we feel the loss in our Sheriff's Family. To a true public servant and a consummate gentleman, Rest in Peace Robbie."

We lost a former Sheriff today. Robbie Waters was more than an elected Sacramento County Sheriff—including a former...

Posted by Sheriff Scott Jones on Monday, July 27, 2020

The Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven Library still stands, a tribute of sorts to the legacy Waters leaves behind. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Judie, their three children and two grandchildren.

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