The following listing of items/events/facts/issues was originally distributed in a March, 2010 Special Issue of the City Manager Newsletter by Trackdown. The newsletter is authored by former City Manager Jack A. Simpson. You may see the entire newsletter and all back issues without cost here.

Palo Alto City Manager James Keene has selected California State University, Long Beach alumnus Pamela Antil to fill the city’s Assistant City Manager position, which has been vacant for about two years when Emily Harrison took a post with the Santa Clara County administration in May, 2008.

Jim’s nationwide recruitment found Pamela serving as Assistant City Manager in Novi, Michigan. Prior to that assignment Pamela worked in the Rancho Palos Verdes city manager’s office and in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She has an MPA from CSULB and a BS from Central Michigan University.

Berkeley Deputy City Manager Lisa Caronna retired this month.

Irwindale has failed to reach an agreement with a second City Manager selection, and Interim City Manager Sol Benudiz will continue in office. Former City Manager Robert Griego retired last year.

El Monte City Manager Rene Bobadilla is not renewing employment agreements with Assistant City Manager Dante Hall and Deputy City Manager Veronica Dolleschel. Veronica was with the city 3-years and Dante 9-years.

Federal prison warden Scott A. Holencik, 45, has been indicted on two felony counts of lying to investigators. He was the Warden at the medium-security facility “Federal Correctional Institution Victorville 1” located in Adelanto. The former Warden is accused of posting confidential information on a web site: www.prisonofficer.org
Retired City Manager Joe Tanner is pursuing legal remedies to a seemingly arbitrary pension reduction by the CalPERS staff. Joe served as City Manager in the Cities of Galt, Emeryville, Pleasant Hill, Pacifica and Vallejo.
Former Rosemead City Manager and MMASC Past President Oliver Chi has taken an interim assignment as South El Monte Community Services Director while Assistant City Manager Jennifer Vasquez is on maternity leave.

Hayward City Manager Greg Jones plans to campaign for a seat on the Hayward School District Board of Education. He has requested the Attorney General’s Office to provide an opinion as to whether serving in both positions (City Manager and School Board) will be a conflict of interest. Greg says he does not believe there would be a conflict in his case.

Thomas Michael “Mike” Eggers, a former executive with the Southern California Edison Co. and a member of the first Dana Point City Council, passed away February 16 at the age of 61. Mike was born in Longview, Washington.

Monterey Park City Manager June Yotsuya has been asked to step down; Interim Police Chief Jim Smith is the Acting City Manager.

Long Beach City Manager Pat West recently endured an hour and a half closed session annual evaluation. The politically powerful Long Beach Police Department POA encouraged Council Members to dismiss the City Manager. POA President Steve James is troubled because Pat went outside Long Beach to appoint highly qualified Los Angeles Deputy Chief Jim McDonnell to be Chief of Police, replacing Anthony Batts, who left Long Beach to become Chief in Oakland.

Fullerton City Manager Chris Meyer has announced the appointment of Julia Norris James to the Fullerton Administrative Services Director post. Julia has been the South Gate Finance Director for the past five-years.
With long-time Santa Cruz City Manager Dick Wilson retiring in June, the recruitment process has started. Martin Bernal, 44, Assistant City Manager for the past 13-years is interested in replacing his boss.

Needles City Manager William Way has been addressing the issue of keeping the City’s only grocery store from closing its doors during the current economic downturn. Bashas’ Markets are in Chapter 11 bankruptcy and expects to close ten of its 120 stores according to a February 28 news article. Only two Bashas’ stores are outside of Arizona, the Needles store and one in Crown Point, New Mexico.

Barstow Mayor Joseph Dennis Gomez, Jr. was charged February 22 with sexual battery following a report by a police officer’s wife claiming the Mayor assaulted her during a December 18 holiday party. Barstow City Manager Richard Rowe described the case as personal and declined to comment.

Taft City Manager Bob Gorson held a news conference to defend his service as City Manager and dubbed a member of the Council a “rogue councilman,” for harassing city employees to the point that medical treatment was required.

Fremont, where Fred Diaz is City Manager, expects affordable housing project construction to begin on a 68-unit unit complex in the Irvington District and a 98-unit project on the former site of the Golden Peacock Banquet Hall. Both projects are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2011.

Retired Lacey and Des Moines, Washington City Manager Robert K. Williams lives in Cathedral City.

Pam Newcomb, Janees Williams & Dan Massiello of Kinsell, Newcomb & De Dios and Daniel W. Kim of Fulbright & Jaworski hosted a wonderful dinner in Pasadena March 11th adjunct to the CRA Annual Conference. Among attendees were Independent Cities Executive Director Debbie Smith, WRD’s Tom Martin, George Turk of Millennium Housing, finance consultant Alan Miller, former City Manager Wesley Wolf of Wolf & Company, and Trackdown’s Jack A. Simpson.

Indio Assistant City Manager Tara Adams will be Indio’s Interim City Manager starting April 1st.

Gustine City Manager Margaret Silveira, 53, is the new Lakeport City Manager. She will be Lakeport’s third City Manager and first woman City Manager. Randy Johnsen and Jerry Gillham are previous Lakeport City Managers. Prior to becoming Gustine City Manager Margaret was the Director of Housing and Economic Development in Riverbank. She has a BA from Chapman University in Orange.

Orland City Manager Paul Poczobut said that he got the idea for a “Town Hall meeting” from when he lived in Vermont, where town hall meetings are held regularly. Orland will hold a Town Hall meeting on March 22. Paul says that when he was City Administrator in Greensburg, Kansas, similar community meetings were conducted about twice a year.

Santa Monica City Manager Rod Gould has announced the appointment of Manhattan Beach Fire Chief Scott Ferguson, 48, as the new Santa Monica Fire Chief. The new Chief succeeds retiring Chief Jim Hone.

Oakland City Administrator Dan Lindheim announced that the city has stopped issuing parking citations to vehicles parked facing the wrong direction or on sidewalks throughout the city except for the Montclair and Broadway Terrace areas where streets are exceptionally narrow. A policy has now been adopted that applies city wide.
Kosmont Companies Founder, and a former City Manager, Larry Kosmont points out that we missed Brookings, Oregon City Manager Gary Milliman and Eugene, Oregon City Manager John Ruiz in our Oregon listing, both are from the California City Manager family.

Riverside City Manager Bradley Hudson confirmed that Police Chief Russ Leach, 61, stepped down and retired for medical reasons soon after he was involved in a single car accident in his city vehicle. He served as Chief for the past 10-years.

Camarillo Director of Finance Ronnie Campbell, the President-elect of CSMFO, worked in Lakewood for 10-years as the Assistant Finance Director prior to taking his current assignment. Ronnie was raised in San Jose, lives in Moorpark and worked for the San Diego Housing Authority before being appointed to the Lakewood post.

Dennis W. McDuffie is the City Manager in Diboll, Texas. After serving in the US Air Force for about a dozen years, he pursued a local government career that saw him work as City Manager in Delano, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, and San Juan Bautista.

Hughson City Manager Joe Donabed, whose employment agreement expires in May, will help recruit his replacement.

Richard D. Thomas, 79, retired Santa Barbara City Administrator (1977-1993) passed away on Sunday, March 7, 2010 in Billings, Montana. Washington State Park Wallace Falls features a 265-foot waterfall.