Louise Lopeman

April 5, 1943 - December 18, 2023

Louise was born in Compton on April 5, 1943, and was inordinately proud to be the first native Californian in her family. She attended Lynwood High School, where she played field hockey and enjoyed sisterhood and spirited hijinks as a member of the TriAnnes club.

The next phase of her journey included marriage, motherhood, and moving to Thousand Oaks, which was widely considered to be the hinterlands in 1969. In her new town, she dove into all things 70s, including antiwar activism, Unitarian Church attendance, local politics, and getting the Jane Fonda shag haircut for herself and her daughters, Laura and Leslie.

At the age of 31, she began attending Cal State Northridge in pursuit of a degree in urban planning. She graduated Magna Cum Laude while working and being a single mom. During her undergraduate years, she would reward herself for her academic achievements with a trip to the Jack in the Box drive thru. If she got a B, she could have a taco. If she got an A, she could upgrade to a super taco.

Degree in hand, she started her career in the Ventura County Planning Department and then the City of Simi Valley Planning Department. She then moved over to the private sector, stepping into the role of Executive Director of the California Building Industry Association. From there, she worked for GlenFed Development Corp. and then hung out her own iconic shingle: LRL Consulting. Up and down the state of California, local cities and counties learned to love and fear the inimitable Louise Rice-Lawson, entitlement consultant par excellence.

Her many projects led her to the northern California city of Hercules, where she returned to public service as their assistant City Manager and found love in the arms of oil industry wildcat Jim Lopeman. The two of them wed in 2006 and embarked on a series of adventures in Jim’s trusty coach: from tracing the roots of Louise’s family through the southwestern United States, to volunteering for the 2008 Obama campaign in Nevada, always accompanied by their cats Felix and Harry. In retirement, they honed their skills as top notch grandparents to Dillon, Lane, James, Jordan, Emma, and Finn.

Alzheimer’s took this amazing mom, wife, friend, sister, aunt, grandma, and all-around force of nature away from us far too soon. She was brilliant, principled, funny, and dearly loved. We will miss her whoops and wisdom every day.

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