For 25 of those years, Jack Simpson served as City Manager or City Administrator for the cities of Hawaiian Gardens, Paramount and Bellflower. Read his monthly City Manager Newsletter on the Trackdown Management Service Web site.

The following is from his “Picking Up The Pieces” section of the October newsletter:

  • City Manager Donna Metzler of Moab, Utah served as an intern in Costa Mesa and worked in the City Manager’s office in Glendale prior to her appointment in Moab in 1994.

  • Santa Paula Human Resources Director Kathy Campbell reports that executive recruiter Bob Murray & Associates received 75 applications for the City Manager position vacated by Wally Bobkiewicz in July when he took the Evanston, Illinois City Manager post. 

  • Santa Paula Interim City Manager Clifford G. Finley may be considered for the job.

  • Former MWD Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Joe Tait is the Interim City Manager in San Juan Capistrano following the departure of City Manager Dave Adams, 54, who moved to the Yorba Linda City Manager post.

  • Representing the Third California District in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing the southeastern suburbs of Sacramento, is former California Attorney General Daniel E. Lungren, a native of Long Beach.

  • Veteran City Manager Range Rider Tom Peterson is retiring after invaluable service to California’s City Managers during the past dozen years.  Thank you Tom for your attention to helping city managers and best wishes for a long and enjoyable retirement! Recently retired Merced City Manager Jim Marshall is filling in behind Tom.

  • Former Douglas County, Nevada Manager Dan Holler, 47, is the new City Administrator in Grass Valley replacing former City Administrator Gene Haroldsen.  Dan has an MPA from Montana State University. 

  • Former Long Beach City Manager and Los Angeles County CAO Jim Hankla recently celebrated his 70th birthday.  Congratulations Jim!

  • Hercules City Manager Nelson Oliva traveled south to attend the September meeting of the California Contract Cities Association at the Los Angeles County Fire Department offices.

  • Long-time Seal Beach Planning Director Lee Whittenberg, who served in Bellflower for many years, is retiring this month.

  • Belmont City Manager Jack Crist has announced that he will retire “again” this February.

  • Mill Valley City Manager Anne Montgomery has announced her retirement at the end of the year.

  • East Palo Alto City Manager Alvin James has confirmed that he will retire this month after nearly six years in his current post.

  • Retired Fairfield City Manager Kevin O’Rourke has been appointed Interim City Manager in Stockton.

  • San Fernando City Administrator Jose Pulido is the new City Manager in Temple City following Charlie Martin.

  • Parks and Recreation Director Cathy Burroughs has served as Interim City Manager since Charlie left. Jose has a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from UCLA and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley.

  • Palo Alto City Manager James Keene is addressing a “tree removal” issue.

  • Pasadena Chief of Police Bernard Melekian, who has headed the department for 13-years, is retiring and will be taking a U.S. Department of Justice post.

  • San Gabriel City Manager P. Michael Paules is leaving after 31-years in public service, more than half of which he served in San Gabriel.  He plans to do some teaching, mentoring and consulting.

  • Deputy City Manager Steve Preston will be Interim City Manager.

  • Vacaville City Manager Laura Kuhn announced that effective October 1 Maureen Carson is the Community Development Director in Vacaville replacing Scott Sexton.  Maureen began her career in Anaheim as a Planning Intern before moving to Norwalk as a Planning Technician. She became an Assistant Planner in Vacaville in 1983.

  • Pico Rivera City Manager Chuck Fuentes is married to the former Linda Unruh, the daughter of former State Treasurer and Assembly Speaker Jess Unruh.

  • Taft City Manager Bob Gorson came to the city from Anaheim in 2006 where he was the Planning Director.  He has been dealing with an aledged harassing member of the City Council, and Attorney Michael Jenkins was appointed to independently investigate some of the issues.

  • Coronado City Manager Mark Ochenduszko, 54, who proved the “you can come home,” has announced that he will retire on his birthday in February.  Mark previously was the Coronado Administrative Services Director and also the Human Resources Director before leaving the city in 1991 to become Assistant City Manager in Temecula.  He later served as City Manager in Campbell and Cypress before returning to Coronado in 1999.

  • Hanford City Manager Gary Misenhimer, 61, has announced he will retire May 1, 2010.

    Read more from Jack Simpson in his monthly City Manager Newsletter on the Trackdown Management Service Web site.

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