California American Legion
Area 6, District 16
Officers 2026-2027

Chris “Big Toe” Rohrberg

Commander

Chris “Big Toe” Rohrberg is a retired Sergeant Major with over 30 years’ service with the U.S. Army and California Army National Guard. He has deployed to Turkey, Kosovo and Iraq; been station at Ft. Jackson, SC; Ft. Gordon, GA, Ft. Bragg, NC, Ft. Campbell, KY and served at multiple locations across California. Currently with the Department of California he is serving as American Legion Riders Commissioner for Area 6, 1st Vice Commander for District 16, Commander, Post 50 and Vice Director/Treasurer, Chapter 50 in Paso Robles. He is also the Chaplain and Veteran Resource Officer for Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2814 in Atascadero.
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Joe Skoda

1st Vice Commander

(biography pending)

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Brian Velasquez

2nd Vice Commander

(biography pending)

Joseph Benton

Joseph Benton

Adjutant

Joseph Benton served 8 years in the Marines and was a Combat Correspondent during Operation Desert Shield and Storm. Having served 5 years as a disbursing clerk, he trained on-the-job and on-the-air at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, hosting a radio show in the noon hour and running the AFRTS on-air television station on weekends. He earn the broadcast journalist MOS and also attended the prestigious Defense Information School (DINFOS) to formalize his training; while attending DINFOS, he carried the Marine Corps colors for the honor guard at the Indianapolis 500.

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Paragon

Finance Officer

(biography pending)

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Leonard LaFebre

Chaplain

(biography pending)

Janice Somers

Judge Advocate

Janice Somers, a proud United States Navy veteran and dedicated advocate for veterans and their families, serves as the 2026–2027 Commander of The American Legion Department of California. With more than two decades of dedicated service to The American Legion, she brings extensive leadership experience, a passion for helping others, and a commitment to strengthening the organization throughout California.

Commander Somers served honorably in the United States Navy from 1968 to 1971 as a Dental Technician. Following her military service, she continued her career in healthcare as an Expanded Duty Dental Assistant in Levittown, Pennsylvania, and Cincinnati, Ohio, from 1971 to 1984.

In 1984, she established her home in San Luis Obispo, California, where she later embarked on a successful 35-year career as a Realtor, serving from 1986 until her retirement in 2021.

A proud member of The American Legion since 2001, Commander Somers has demonstrated her dedication through leadership positions at the Post, District, Area, and Department levels. She served as Commander of American Legion Post 66 in San Luis Obispo from 2012 to 2013 and twice as District 16 Commander, during the 2015–2016 and 2018–2019 membership years, representing San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties.

Her commitment to serving Legionnaires continued as Department Vice Commander for Area 6 during the 2024–2025 membership year, representing Districts 16, 18, 20, and 24. These experiences provided her with a broad understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing American Legion Posts and their members across California.

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Greg Somers

Historian

(biography pending)