Paul Stein grew up in the Southwest and still considers Albuquerque, New Mexico home. He received a degree in biology from the University of San Francisco, and studied for a graduate degree in Fishery Biology from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. After graduating from NAU he moved his family to Calaveras County and developed Kemoo Trout Farm on the Middle Fork of the Mokelumne River. Kemoo Trout were highly prized and anglers from all over Northern California coveted Paul’s fish. Paul also earned a degree in Financial Planning from the Denver College of Financial Planning, CFP.
Following two decades in the Aquaculture Business, Paul was encouraged to enter politics and was elected to two terms as Supervisor of Calaveras County. He was later elected as the 104th President of the California State Association of Counties, a distinction achieved by only one other Calaveras Supervisor in the 110 year history of CSAC. Paul then became one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s surrogate speakers during the historic California Recall of Governor Grey Davis, and was later appointed as the Chief Deputy Director of the California Department of Fish and Game in the Schwarzenegger Administration. Paul still maintains strong ties to the California political landscape.
Paul served four consecutive Calaveras County Sheriffs as Captain of the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team. He received many commendations for successful rescues during his tenure in SAR, including a medal of valor from Attorney General John Van de Kamp for rescuing a near frozen man on Christmas day in 1985. Paul was also a certified high angle rescue instructor at Joshua Tree National Park and a Swift Water Technician with Rescue Three International. Many of the rescue scenarios Paul introduces in his novel: The Fourth Law comes directly from past rescues successfully accomplished by his SAR team.
Paul had always wanted to be a writer, having authored scores of articles on Search and Rescue, aquatic biology, local and state politics, law enforcement, land development, aquaculture, and personal investment and tax matters. One of Paul’s lifelong goals was to write a novel, and his latest career as an author is a dream come true.
Paul is retired and writes from his ranch along the Mokelumne River in Calaveras County. He is a member of the Calaveras Community Foundation where he administers a self-directed fund to honor the memory of his deceased son, Galen who died in 1990 of muscular dystrophy.
