He was Mayor five times, Past President/Regional Council Member of Southern California Association of Governments, Past President/Delegate of the California Association of Governments and the National Association of Regional Councils of Government, which he served as President for two terms. Melton also served on the Pacific-Asian Congress of Municipalities as a Director.During his career Melton was a Ventura County Transportation Commissioner, VRSD Director, Ventura County Service Authority for Freeway Emergencies Director, Ventura County Flood Control Zone Advisory Committee and Ventura County Association of Governments Executive Committee Member among others.Closer to home Melton served as a Santa Paula Union High School Trustee, Blanchard Community Library Trustee, President of the Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce, Santa Paula Housing Authority Commissioner, Assistant Scoutmaster/Troop Committee Chairman, Little League Coach, Rotary Club of Santa Paula and Costa Mesa (he was president of the latter) and the Masonic Lodge No. 19 of Olathe, Kansas.He was the recipient of a joint California Legislature Resolution recognizing his public service at the local, county and regional levels of government.Melton admitted that once his open door policy had finally met its match: “I had a guy once call me up at 3 a.m. who had been drinking a bit,” Melton said in a 1997 interview. “He said he was having some sort of problem at City Hall…I listened to him, wrote it all down, got his phone number and said I’d call him back.”Melton got in touch with City Hall and several days later he had the answer for the disgruntled constituent.“I set my alarm clock for 3 a.m., got up and called this guy back with the information,” said Melton. “I could tell I woke him up and all but he never said a word other than ‘Thank you.’ ”Melton and his wife of 53 years, Lucille, raised their family in Santa Paula and were active in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. John was a Lay Eucharist Minister and Head Lay Reader.Aside from Lucille, John is also survived by his sons, David Melton of Portland, Oregon and Thomas (wife Alicia) of Fillmore; a brother and sister, numerous grandchildren and a great-grandchild.Services for Melton will be held Saturday, Oct. 9 at 2 p.m. at St. George’s Anglican Church, 6300 Telephone Road, Ventura.The family has requested that memorial donations be made to St. George’s Anglican Church or Santa Clara Valley Hospice, 133 N. Mill St., Santa Paula, CA 93060.
John Melton: Longtime SP Councilman, Mayor dies at 74
October 06, 2004
Santa Paula News
|
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula TimesJohn Melton, longtime Santa Paula City Councilman and Mayor for numerous terms, was always a firm believer in servicing his constituents and community on levels that even reached nationwide.But even Melton, whose political career was earmarked by his personalized service to citizens, admitted once that his devotion had its limits.Melton died September 27, 2004 at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Los Angeles after a long illness. He was 74.Born Dec. 15, 1929 in Bonita, Kansas, Melton attended the University of Kansas, Orange Coast and Ventura colleges. He served in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War from 1951-1952.Melton worked for Southern California Edison for 37 years, retiring in 1990 as the Ventura County District Manager, a move that gave him even more time to devote to politics.First elected to the City Council in 1974, Melton finally was defeated in 1998.Melton left a legacy of hard work and a devotion to the community that he served for decades, said former Councilman Don Johnson who served with Melton during his last council term.“I enjoyed my time working with John on the council; he was a true Santa Paulan and cared deeply for the community right up to his death,” Johnson noted.“John was a pretty astute politician, very clever,” said former Councilman Carl Barringer who served with Melton on the council for 8 1/2 years, until 1990.Melton was a man of strong likes and dislikes who stuck by his beliefs.“John was also very determined that Santa Paula shouldn’t grow…and he was a very good speaker,” noted Barringer.Melton’s personable qualities, interest in others and great speaking skills helped him forge an unusually high-profile career for a councilman from a small town such as Santa Paula.
