August "Augie" Caires, loving husband, family man, and respected community leader, passed away on August 2, 2023 at his home in Alpine, CA, with his wife of 47 years, Leslie, and his daughter April by his side. He was 76 years old. The cause was pancreatic cancer, which he had battled for over 17 months.

Augie's life was defined by his strong Christian faith, unconditional love for his family, and joyful and dedicated service to his community. He is remembered as an adoring husband, father, and grandfather, beloved brother and friend, accomplished community leader, and lifelong Raiders fan.

Augie’s professional life included 41 years of public service, including 27 years as a public agency CEO. At the zenith of his career, he led the Padre Dam Municipal Water District as General Manager from 1993 to 2006 and then served as an elected member of its Board of Directors from 2007 to 2023. He served as Board President in 2009 and 2017 and Vice President in 2008, 2011, 2015-2016 and 2023. Augie served on the East County Advanced Water Purification Program’s Joint Powers Authority Board of Directors from 2019 to 2023. During his tenure with Padre Dam, he represented the District on the San Diego Metro Commission/Metro Wastewater Joint Powers Authority, the San Diego Independent Rates Oversight Committee, the Association of California Water Agencies’ Water Management Committee and the Association of California Water Agencies/Joint Powers Insurance Authority.  

Augie was instrumental at the regional level throughout his career with Padre Dam. As General Manager he led the 3-year negotiation process for the Participating Wastewater Agencies resulting in new 50-year contracts with the City of San Diego; chaired the Metro Technical Advisory Regional Committee for 4 years; participated in numerous committees and work groups of the San Diego County Water Authority; and served on the City of San Diego Public Utility Advisory Commission for 4 years. As a Board Member, he served as Padre Dam’s representative on the East County Advanced Water Purification Joint Powers Authority Board of Directors since its formation in 2019, and served on the San Diego Metro Commission/Metro Wastewater Joint Powers Authority, the San Diego Independent Rates Oversight Committee, the Association of California Water Agencies’ Water Management Committee and the Association of California Water Agencies/Joint Powers Insurance Authority.

In 2001, Augie was one of the first public agency managers to earn the Special District Administrator Certification from the Special District Leadership Foundation, demonstrating knowledge and expertise in the areas of special district management and governance. In 2002, he was honored as one of the Top Ten Leaders in the Public Works Profession in the United States and Canada by the American Public Works Association. Among his many accomplishments as Padre Dam’s General Manager, Augie created the Workforce Partnership, which made labor, management and the Board equal partners in strategic planning – a great tradition of collaboration that continues today. In July 2023, Padre Dam named its Customer Service Center in Augie's honor, recognizing his long and distinguished service to the agency and its constituents.

Augie's commitment to the community extended well beyond his role with Padre Dam; he served on the Grossmont College Foundation Board, and for 40 years was a member of the Rotary Club of Santee-Lakeside, serving as President for three terms and earning the Rotarian of the Year award for demonstrating “Service Above Self." He was also a proud veteran of the United States Army.

Augie was born on October 6, 1946, in Belfast, Maine to John and Alice Caires. While he was still an infant, his family moved to California, where his siblings Tanya and John were born. When his parents later divorced and remarried, the family grew by several half-siblings, making Augie the oldest of eight children. In 1965, Augie graduated from San Lorenzo High School, where he served as Boys State President and competed in track. After graduation he was quickly drafted into the United States Army, where he proudly served two years. Returning from service, Augie focused on his education and became the first member of his family to graduate from college. He earned a BA in business management and a Master of Public Administration from California State University, East Bay (formerly CSU, Hayward). 

Augie began his professional life in law enforcement, attending the Oakland Police Academy and graduating near the top of his class. He served as a police officer with the Fremont Police Department and then Chief of Police of Farmersville, CA, where he simultaneously served as the City Administrator, launching his career as a public agency leader. He subsequently served as City Manager of Shafter, Scotts Valley, and Lake Arrowhead, CA, before making a career pivot into public works management when he joined Padre Dam. 

In 1975, Augie met his future wife Leslie Gonsalves at Chabot Community College, where they both worked at the time. By January 1976 they were inseparable. Augie and Leslie wed in July 1976 and went on to have two children, April and Amy. In 1981, when April and Amy were both toddlers, Leslie was in a car accident that caused a traumatic brain injury and left her in a coma; it became a dramatic turning point for the family. Leslie's prognosis was dim, and doctors advised Augie that she was unlikely to recover. An atheist at the time, Augie prayed for his wife's healing. After six surgeries - including two brain surgeries - Leslie began a multiyear recovery that included re-learning how to talk and walk. Augie and Leslie credited the car accident and her recovery as the reason for their strong Christian faith. Augie later told the Santa Cruz Sentinel - who interviewed him in 1987 as a young City Manager with a dramatic personal story - "I had prayed for a miracle, and God granted that miracle. Leslie is a miracle." 

Augie was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer - one of the deadliest cancers and the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States - in April 2022. He battled the disease privately with the support of his family, undergoing chemotherapy and radiation and enduring significant pain and fatigue as the disease wore on. Against steep odds (only 20% of pancreatic cancer patients survive one year), Augie survived over 17 months from the time his symptoms began, enabling him to spend precious time with family and friends, take his grandchildren on special trips to Disneyland and Joshua Tree National Park, keep up the work and hobbies he loved, and continue his earthly life with Leslie for as long as possible.

Augie lived in Alpine with Leslie for the past 30 years, where they attended Bethel Christian Assembly Church. In addition to being a public servant and adoring husband and father, Augie loved being a grandfather. He helped raise his grandchildren, Kristen and Evelyn, who both lived with him and Leslie for substantial portions of their lives. In his free time, Augie loved tending his garden, traveling to national parks, playing and watching poker, and watching football - especially his beloved Raiders. 

Augie is survived by his wife of nearly half a century, Leslie, who he referred to as "the love of my forever." He is also survived by his daughter April and granddaughter Evelyn, and his siblings, Tanya Caires-Neubauer, Cynthia Parlanti, Michael Caires, Carol Guthrie Schrader, and Nanci Goodman. Augie was preceded in death by his youngest daughter Amy and granddaughter Kristen; he looked forward to reuniting with them - as well as his parents, his brothers John and Floyd, and his grandparents, Augusto and Eliza - in Heaven.

In lieu of flowers, the Caires family asks you to consider donating to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. A link to donate can be found on the homepage of this website. 

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