Rep. George Whitesides, D-Agua Dulce, has authored a bill to honor a Santa Clarita Valley man who was gunned down while serving as a deputy for the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station.
Whitesides announced Wednesday a legislative effort to rename the Castaic Post Office in honor of slain Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer.
It would be the second local facility named after the former West Ranch High School student.
A good Samaritan found Clinkunbroomer, 30, in his patrol car with a gunshot wound to the head, near the intersection of Sierra Highway and Avenue Q, in front of the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station in September 2023.
Clinkunbroomer was a third-generation deputy murdered just four days after his engagement. His colleagues described Clinkunbroomer as a hard-working deputy who always looked out for others.
“Deputy Clinkunbroomer served the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department with distinction, and devoted his life to protecting our community,” Whitesides said in a news release Wednesday. “His courage, dedication and compassion inspired us all, and I’m proud to introduce legislation that ensures his legacy lives on in his hometown. I’m thankful to our local sheriff’s departments, as well as Deputy Clinkunbroomer’s family, who have been courageous and unshaking in the face of this unspeakable tragedy.”
On the two-year anniversary of his death in September, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion by 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger to rename the Castaic Sports Complex in honor of Clinkunbroomer.
“He was a field training officer, and he always made sure he looked out for his trainees and made sure that his trainees were prepared to go and protect our community,” said Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station Lt. Oscar Martinez, in a previous story.
Clinkunbroomer’s long hours were cited as a potential factor in his shooting death in a lawsuit filed by his family in the months after the murder.
Video indicated the shooter drove up next to Clinkunbroomer’s patrol vehicle, fired one shot and then drove away, according to Sheriff’s Department officials.
Prosecutors and the defense are preparing for a weekslong criminal trial next year for the man accused of Clinkunbroomer’s murder.
Kevin Eduardo Cataneo Salazar, 31, is accused in the Sept. 16, 2023, shooting, which the Sheriff’s Department called an “unprovoked ambush” at the intersection of Sierra Highway and Avenue Q.
