Ernesto Rosales, Chair of the Coachella Valley Public Cemetery District Board of Trustees, was elected to the Board of the California Association of Public Cemeteries (CAPC), which helps ensure access to burials and care of plots in hundreds of communities across the state.
CAPC is a statewide organization that promotes the development of public cemetery districts and public cemetery governance through interactive communication and education. CAPC is a key advocate for public cemeteries, monitoring state legislation that impacts special districts and public cemeteries.
“I understand the vital role public cemeteries play in helping families through their most difficult times,” said Rosales, who has worked in the funeral home industry, advanced planning and cemetery operations for more than 20 years. “I look forward to working with CAPC to equip public cemetery districts throughout the state with the resources and support required to continue meeting the needs of more than 250 communities across California.”
CAPC is governed by an 11-member Board of Directors. In addition to his seat on the CAPC Board, which runs through 2025, Rosales has been selected to chair the organization’s Scholarship Committee.
Cemetery districts maintain hundreds of thousands of gravesites and provide burial services, often in small, rural areas where private cemeteries cannot operate profitably. CAPC advocates for legislation that allows them to create additional services and revenue opportunities as a supplement to property taxes.
The Coachella Valley Public Cemetery District, formed on August 8, 1927, is a special district, a governmental unit created by residents to deliver specialized services essential to their health, safety, economy, and well-being. Since its creation, the District has performed more than 22,000 interments and set over 15,000 grave markers, serving a 3,444-square-mile area in Riverside County.
