Warren Henry Bonta of West Sacramento, California, after living a life of 79 years, passed away on July 3, 2022. He will be remembered for his keen intellect, thirst for learning, and commitments to social justice and public health. Warren was born on November 28, 1942 in Moorpark, California to Robert S. and Mary Elizabeth Bonta. After graduating as valedictorian of Moorpark High School, Warren attended Ventura Community College and then transferred to UC Berkeley where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics. He was the first in his family to attend a four-year college.

The late 60’s and early 70’s represented a transformational time in Warren’s life. During this time, he started a family and grew and flexed his social justice muscle. After graduating from UC Berkeley, he attended the Pacific School of Religion (PSR) and received a Bachelor of Divinity degree. At PSR, he met Cynthia Arnaldo with whom he married in 1967 and raised three children, Lisa Lagaya, Robert Andres, and Jonathan Marcelo. Also during this time, Warren was active in the Civil Rights Movement and United Farmworkers Movement. He spent time in the South, marching in Selma, Alabama, demonstrating at churches, and fighting for the rights of Black Americans. In January 2022, Warren was featured in a news story recounting his experiences during the Civil Rights Movement and his encounters with Martin Luther King, Jr. (His lifelong commitment to public health was evident in the news clip as he wore his mask and requested that the news reporter joing him in solidarity with the most vulnerable.) From 1968 to 1971, Warren and Cynthia worked and lived as missionaries in the Philippines, serving vulnerable communities. While there, Lisa and, two years later, Rob joined them.

In 1971, Warren became part of the National Farm Work Ministry, participating in the United Farm Worker (UFW)’s lettuce boycott in Los Angeles, and later moved to the UFW headquarters of La Paz in the Tehachapi mountains near Bakersfield, California. His third child, Marcelo, was born at this time. At Cesar Chavez’s request, Warren led the National Farm Workers Health Group, which included clinics in three California locations. Warren helped establish new clinics in the Fresno area and the Coachella Valley, and a health presence among the orange workers in Central Florida. In 1975, Warren moved to Sacramento and spent 33 years working at the California Department of Health Services where he established health clinics throughout California for vulnerable communities, including refugee and rural communities, and promoted public health efforts to address asthma.

As a father, Warren was very committed to his children’s education. He introduced his kids to new experiences and surrounded them with opportunities to learn. He had bookshelves full of encyclopedias, the classics, and a ratty dictionary. If they disagreed with him on a fact, he would tell them to “look it up” and was always right. Warren was also excellent at teaching his children how to be good losers as he always convincingly beat them at Trivial Pursuit, even when they teamed up on him. When his children were teenagers, Warren chaired the school district’s Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) committee to support a district-wide program.

Warren coached each of his three children early in their soccer careers. He can boast that he was the early influence of a two-time high school sectional champ, a U.S. junior national team player, and a professional player. What Warren loved most was attending his children’s sporting events. It seemed he never missed a game, always taking time off work or waking up at 5 am on the weekend to drive them hours to games.

Warren’s thirst for learning and commitment to social justice continued in his retirement years. He was deeply involved in The Renaissance Society, a lifelong learning program, where he debated, discussed, and took action to address pressing societal challenges. Warren sat on several committees and led seminars on the diversity of the Sacramento area. He also supported Sacramento State students by raising funds for scholarships and the food pantry, and through mentoring. Warren was a community member of the Sacramento State Diversity Council with whom he worked on strategies to counter white nationalism on campus. With Friendship Force, Warren was a board officer, global journey coordinator, and a participant in international journeys to Kenya, the Russian Far East, Mongolia, the Brazilian Amazon (Manaus and Belem), Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar. He would often share detailed stories about the friends he made and the sites, history, geography, and wildlife of the culture and places in which he was immersed. Warren collected modern first edition books, many written by authors of color and about racial justice, equity, and inclusion issues, and artwork with resonant themes. Prior to the 2020 election, Warren commissioned a 10 piece collection entitled Gaming The Vote: A Contemporary Fine Art Exhibition by Milton 510 Bowens, Collection Made Possible by The Warren H. Bonta Family Trust, a commentary on the impacts of voter suppression and the importance of securing voting rights, particularly for African Americans.

Warren is survived by his ex-wife Cynthia, and three children Lisa, Rob, and Marcelo and their partners Aron, Mia, and Micia, his partner Terris McMahan Grimes, sister Mary Ann Haney, and seven grandchildren– Reina, Iliana, Andres, Kyra, Sage, Malaya, and Jaxon.

Memorial Service and Celebration of Life following will be held on August 6, 2022 at 11:00 AM at the First United Methodist Church at 2100 J Street in Sacramento, CA. The family invites all who cared for Warren and his legacy to join.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations in the memory of Warren H. Bonta to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a favorite charity of Warren that fights for one of his passions–voter rights. 

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