Longtime CFA Activist Passes Away

CFA members were saddened to learn of the passing of former CFA Bargaining Team member Randy Solorio.

Solorio was a member of the CFA Bargaining Team from 2019 through 2024, where he represented coaches’ interests in contract negotiations.

“Randy’s contributions were always helpful, and he brought kindness and an enthusiastic energy to our team,” remembered Kevin Wehr, CFA Bargaining Chair and Sacramento State Professor. “I am certain that Randy would agree with me during these difficult times that we might recall the powerful words of legendary labor leader Joe Hill: Don’t Mourn, Organize!”

Solorio served the Sacramento State community for nearly 40 years, as a head coach, assistant coach and lecturer, according to a Sacramento State Athletics post. A former gymnast himself, Solorio was a coach of women’s gymnastics for over 30 years at Sacramento State.

He helped guide the creation and design of the university’s new gymnastics training facility, which the team moved into last summer. Solorio stayed involved at Sacramento State in retirement, including as a member of the University Foundation Board of Directors as a retired coach.

“Randy was deeply respected on the Sacramento campus. Our CFA chapter could always count on him to support our actions and events as an active member in the union,” said Margarita Berta-Ávila, CFA Vice President and Sacramento State Professor. “Personally, I appreciated that he would check in and ask how I was doing. This gesture meant a lot to me because it is so easy to overlook each other’s humanity, and he never did.”