Biography
Inspired by the many people who care deeply about our community and surrounding natural environment, Jan Zabriskie became involved in local nonprofits and community affairs. He served on the Town’s Planning Commission and the General Plan Advisory Committee, provides pro bono legal services to clients of the Sierra Community House, frequently volunteers with the Truckee River Watershed Council, and participates in the Truckee River Watershed Basin Group and Rotary. He joined the Town Council to help make the community stronger, the environment healthier, and to reduce wildfire risks. Jan served as mayor in 2025.
Jan first visited Truckee in the mid-1950s and attended a nearby summer camp for many years afterward. After high school in Southern California, he worked as a seasonal firefighter for the state in the mountains north of Truckee. Following his service in the Peace Corps, he began his professional career as a field botanist for the University of California in the state’s southern deserts. He later returned to Northern California to attend law school and, after a stint with the Nevada Public Service Commission, joined a business law practice in Sacramento. He concluded his legal career as a deputy attorney general with the California Department of Justice, prosecuting fraud against the government and enforcing natural resource laws.
Jan and his wife, Louise, moved from Davis to Truckee in 2011, joining their two grown children who had moved here earlier. They have five grandchildren attending local public schools. With family and friends, Jan enjoys hiking, cross-country skiing, kayaking, gardening, fishing, and birdwatching.