Patricia "Pat" Hammers

CATHEDRAL CITY - City officials and valley residents were shocked Sunday by the death of longtime Cathedral City City Clerk Pat Hammers.
City Manager Andy Hall said Hammers, 73, died after 3 a.m. Sunday at her home in Cathedral City, apparently from natural causes.
"It's a sad day for Cathedral City," Hall said. "She will be missed." A memorial Service will be held Friday, July 26, 2013 at 12:00 pm at the Forest Lawn Cathedral City Ramon Chapel. Pat is survived by her daughter, Cynthia Schrader; son-in-law, Michael Solomon; sister, Pearl C. Vargha; brother, Rolfe (Roberta) Wittmann; granddaughter, Erica C. Beumel and grandson, Robert J. Beumel.
Hammers was in the middle of her second four-year term as city clerk, first elected to the position in November 2006.
Soon after her election, Hammers enrolled in courses that led her to become one of the first certified master municipal clerks in the Coachella Valley and possibly the county, Mayor Kathy DeRosa said. It's the highest qualification a city clerk could attain, Councilman Greg Pettis said.
Her death will be felt not only in Cathedral City and the valley, but also up and down the state, DeRosa said, adding that Hammers had mentored "many, many" young clerks.
"She had such incredible conviction and passion. She threw herself, heart and soul, into everything she did," she said.
She last saw Hammers on Thursday. DeRosa said Hammers hadn't been feeling well in recent days and had been to see the doctor. By Thursday, she was looking great, said she had slept well and felt terrific, DeRosa said.
"It just goes to show how precious life is," she said.
When Hammers was first elected, she had been working as an administrative assistant for a local wind power company. Before that she had a 31-year career in the aerospace industry.
Hammers continued taking classes to stay abreast of things, including new legislation city leaders might need to know, he said.
What's ahead
Cathedral City is one of only three in the valley that elects its city clerk. Due to budget cuts, the city has been functioning without a deputy city clerk.
With Hammers' death, the City Council will have to decide whether to appoint someone to fill out the remainder of her term, which ends in 2014, or hold a special election. Pettis estimated an election could cost about $60,000.
DeRosa said Sunday it was too soon to say how the city will proceed. Right now it is all still so raw and such a shock to everybody to try to wrap our heads around what happened," she said.
There is a city employee who can do some of the deputy clerk duties, but not fully assume the role, Pettis said.
"Pat knew where everything is and where everything goes," Mayor Pro Tem Chuck Vasquez said, adding there will be an immediate impact felt on many levels.
The city manager is already working with other cities to see if they can help fill the position on an interim basis while the council figures out its next step, Vasquez said.
Hammers herself filled an interim role for Desert Hot Springs in 2009, when it was between city clerks.
She was on loan from Cathedral City, said Desert Hot Springs Mayor Yvonne Parks.
"I will miss her as a friend, a colleague and, of course, as a very good city clerk," Parks said. "I loved her. She was a favorite of mine."
'A heart of gold'
Hammers was described repeatedly Sunday as having a heart of gold but also as unafraid to speak her mind — to anyone.
She volunteered with a variety of nonprofit organizations, serving on the boards of the Cathedral City Senior Center and the Pinnacle Fund. She was due to become president of the Rotary Club of Cathedral City next June, and she served with the Palm Springs Sunup Rotary and Friends of the Cathedral City Library.
One of the first things she and her sister did when they moved to Cathedral City nearly 20 years ago was join the Chamber of Commerce as community members, DeRosa said.
"She wasn't just a member, but an active member," DeRosa said, adding that just recently Hammers said she could count on one hand the number of monthly chamber mixers she and her sister had missed over the years.
She also served on the city's public arts commission before her election to city clerk.
Hammers was known to attend all city-sponsored events, including concerts and festivals, Pettis said, because as city clerk she felt she should be actively involved.
"Pat was revered and held in high regard by her fellow municipal clerks throughout the valley, the Inland Empire, across the state, and, yes, throughout the country," said Lynn Mallotto, CEO/president of the Cathedral City Chamber of Commerce and former deputy city clerk for Cathedral City, who was personal friends with Hammers for more than 15 years.
Hammers was a member and past president of the City Clerks Association of California and served on the board of the International Institute of Municipal Clerks.
"Pat was a strong proponent of education for new municipal clerks, creating a path of opportunities to learn the ethics, laws and election procedures within the profession; and, continuing education for seasoned professionals," Mallotto said. "I was a recipient of this wonderful gift of education, for which I will be forever grateful. I carry all the tools I learned as a deputy clerk with me today as CEO of the Cathedral City Chamber."
She knew her profession and would stand her ground against anyone, she said.
"If Pat did make a mistake, she was quick to take ownership. It rarely occurred, and often she would discover her error and be apologizing before the other party involved knew an error occurred," Mallotto said.
"I will miss her dearly," she continued. "Pat was a wonderful mentor, a consummate professional and my friend. I will always cherish the relationship I had with her."