District 7 photo
By Miranda Myers
District 7 public information officer
At the heart of downtown Los Angeles, in the plaza of the Caltrans District 7 office, stands a striking stainless-steel memorial. It is equal parts quiet, enduring and deeply intentional.
For Dave White, a SSMI Public Affairs Manager and the brother of a fallen worker, this monument is not just metal and form; it’s a promise kept.
“I didn’t want a plaque,” White said. “I wanted something better. Something that showed we really cared about our lost. Something that families could touch, see and feel.”
White has spent more than two decades in public service, and over that time he's carried the weight of a tragedy that changed everything. Years ago, White was working as a structural steel painter on the Vincent Thomas Bridge when his brother, Paul White, who had recently transferred to District 12, was killed on the job.
It was a unique and deeply painful situation, and left White and his family navigating the confusing terrain of grief, honor and remembrance.
As with many families of the fallen, White attended the official Caltrans Workers Memorial ceremony in Sacramento. It was meant to provide a sense of closure and offer recognition, but for him, it fell painfully short.
“My brother is not represented by a cone,” White said, referencing the symbolic orange cones placed at the ceremony each year. “I found the plaque in the lobby of Caltrans Headquarters uninspiring. You can barely find it, and, honestly, why would anyone want to?”
Dave said he felt a responsibility to honor the memory of his brother by doing what he could: memorializing the fallen workers in his own district.
“I want to make sure their sacrifices were seen and remembered,” he said.
Where others might have moved on, White began to re-imagine what remembrance could look like. Not in concept, but in craft.
“We do some cutting-edge stuff in District 7,” White said. “The rest of the state should take notice.”
The idea for a more meaningful memorial didn’t arrive all at once.
“It came slowly, organically, shaped by what I experienced,” White recalled. It started with sketches and a simple conviction: the fallen deserved better.
“I started looking at the big lit, glass Caltrans sign near the walkway. Then I focused on the monolith in the plaza," he said. "I knew our memorial needed presence. ... It needed permanence.”
While White is quick to note he's “not artistic,” he does think geometrically, and his practical design sense helped guide the project. Inspired by the neon light installation meant to evoke the blur of traffic at night, he found a way to echo that motif in the memorial design, with the help of Andrew Pham from Caltrans’ Graphics Department.
The challenge was not just artistic, it was logistical. He needed allies who believed in the vision.
Years passed. Then, about four years ago during another Workers Memorial event, White found a champion: Godson Okereke, District 7's deputy district director of Maintenance.
“Finally,” White said, “I found someone who not only cared but pushed the idea forward, even without fully understanding the design.”
White turned to longtime friend Erik Koplien of Can Lines Engineering. “I knew what could be done because Erik had built custom parts for me before,” he said. “I sent him a rough sketch. I mean, literally drawn at my desk, and asked for a ballpark cost.”
It wasn’t cheap. A project like this could easily reach $25,000–$30,000. Years of savings from past memorial events, only totaled about $3,000 in available funds.
District 7 photo
White was ready to seek donations for the monument, preparing a list of potential donors who might be sympathetic to the cause. But Koplien didn’t flinch. “He said, ‘We’ll do it. No cost.’ Just like that,” White recalled.
Can Lines donated everything: design work, materials, laser cutting, welding, labor; the works. “They provided the sheet of stainless steel, the spacers, the studs, the glue," White said. "It was unbelievable.”
The $3,000 saved over the years was re-routed to feed attendees at the 2025 unveiling. The monument itself? A gift from a friend.
When the monument was finally completed, it wasn’t just a structure, it was a message. Mounted on the largest monolith in the plaza, the names of the fallen are etched in stainless steel, positioned to catch sunlight during the day and reflect subtle light at night.
“The names are spaced at different intervals,” White said, “so the reflection changes throughout the day. It’s always shifting, always present. And it’s accessible 24/7.”
White hopes families and coworkers will come, take photos, sit with the names, remember. Unlike the plaque in Sacramento, tucked away in a lobby, this memorial stands open to the sky.
“Those 32 names up there, I want it to be known that they mattered," he said. "I want their families to know we feel the pain.”
With retirement on the horizon, White is conscious that much of this story, from the memorial’s creation to the hard-earned lessons of honoring the fallen, could fade with time. He’s made an effort to archive records, document processes and ensure that if new names must be added, the memory won’t be forgotten.
The work he’s done is more than a professional achievement. It’s a deeply personal act of love, not just for his brother, but for every worker who never made it home.
Now, thanks to White and those who supported his vision, there is a place in Los Angeles where those moments, and the people behind them, are remembered with the dignity and honor they deserve.
The District 7 Worker’s Memorial and Monument Dedication took place on May 8 with attendance from District 7 Director Gloria Roberts and past district directors, including Caltrans Director Tony Tavares, Douglas Failing, Michael Miles, Tony Harris, Brent Felker and John Bulinski. Many District 7 staff and the families of fallen workers were also present for the monument dedication.
“It is my honor to dedicate the District 7 Workers Memorial as a permanent monument to our fallen workers,” Roberts said. “The 32 employees and their families are cherished members of the Caltrans family.”
Christine Thome, widow of fallen worker Juan Thome, has attended many past Worker’s Memorial events, including the annual event in Sacramento, and was heartened to see the unveiling of the monument this year.
“This event is so awesome. I want to say thank you to Dave White for putting this wonderful memorial together,” Thome said. “I am so moved to be here