With all the coming’s and going’s in California local government, it can be hard to keep track of where your friends are or what’s happening in your neighboring municipalities. But Trackdown Management helps keep the state up-to-date with their newsletter.
PublicCEO presents his Picking Up the Pieces:
WestminsterCity Manager Mitch Waller has been placed on paid administrative leave with the options of termination or retirement. Mitch is a former Westminster Police Chief. Assistant City Manager Eddie Manfro has been named Westminster Interim City Manager.
Retired Simi Valley City Manager Mike Sedell plans to work as a part-time city consultant. Assistant City Manager Laura Behjan is filling the City Manager post in Simi Valley. She has indicated that she will retire once the city finds a new City Manager.
Lincoln City Manager Jim Estep is dealing with issues of potential public safety contract services options. Like cities throughout California are looking for ways to economize in the poor economy and since the State has taken considerable local government funding.
Eastvale Interim City Manager Robert Van Nort, 69, will celebrate his two-year anniversary with the newly incorporated city on July 22. Bob is planning to return to his hometown of Gardnerville, Nevada once a City Manager is selected.
West Sacramento’s new City Manager is Caltrans Deputy Director Martin Tuttle. He replaces City Manager Toby Ross, who retired after about 10-years with the City. Toby came to West Sacramento when ICMA Range Rider Joe Goeden retired as the City Manager.
Jennifer Sparacino has retired after a 37-year career in the City of Santa Clara, the last 25-years as City Manager. A former teacher and Community Recreation Center Coordinator, Jennifer was appointed to an Analyst position in 1983 by then-City Manager Don Von Raesfeld, and when he retired in 1987 she was selected to be City Manager. Former Deputy City Manager Ron Garratt is serving as Interim City Manager in Jennifer’s absence.
Brookings, Oregon City Manager Gary Milliman, a former South Gate City Manager, will received the ICMA Mark E. Keane Award for Career Excellence at the October ICMA Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. Those nominating Gary for the award include: Brookings Mayor Larry Anderson; Riverside Mayor Ronald Loveridge; South Gate Mayor Maria Davila; Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard; Del Norte County Board of Supervisors Chair David Finigan; and the Honorable John Kitzhaber, Governor of the State of Oregon.
Former Walnut City Manager and retired South Gate Public Works Director Robert Dickey has been traveling the world since his retirement, including an “Around the World” cruise on the Queen Mary II.
Guadalupe City Administrator Regan Candelario is the new City Manager in Fortuna effective September 1. He will be replacing former City Manager Duane Riggee. Fortuna is in Humboldt County about 18 miles south of Eureka.
Oroville City Administrator G. Harold Duffey is the new Compton City Manager. His last day in Oroville was July 23.
Rio Vista Interim City Manager Roger Wong is voluntarily leaving the position at the end of July. Roger’s services were needed when former City Manager Hector De La Rosa‘s employment agreement expired in April.
Colusa City Manager Jan McClintock has submitted a letter indicating she intends to retire from the Colusa City Manager position effective at the end of December.
Another bankruptcy is being considered in the city ranks: San Bernardino. Acting City Manager Andrea Travis-Miller and Finance Director Jason Simpson have noted that the city has faced declining revenues and escalating employee compensation costs…including retirement benefits…which accounts for some 75% of the San Bernardino city general fund spending.
July 27 is the deadline date for applications for the Assistant City Manager position in Tulare.
Former Director of the Calaveras County Water District Edwin Pattison has been appointed City Manager in Ione to replace Interim City Manager Jeff Butzlaff, who has served since the resignation of former City Manager Kim Kerr. Fire Chief Ken Mackey will add Acting City Manager to his plate until the new City Manager reports August 1. Ione City Clerk Janice Traverso was also appointed Assistant City Manager.
With San Marino City Manager Matt Ballantyne accepting the appointment to the Chino City Manager post, San Marino Chief of Police John Schaefer, 38, has been selected to take the San Marino City Manager job. Prior to joining the San Marino staff, the Chief worked in Seal Beach as the Director of Recreation and as the Emergency Services Coordinator in Cypress.
Imperial Valley Enterprise Zone Manager Diane Cason has resigned her position to accept a post with CalEngergy. Brawley hopes to have the position filled by late-July.
Eureka City Manager David Tyson, who will retire in December, will be the Honoree and Featured Speaker at the Ninth Annual College of the Redwoods Athletics Dinner and Sports Auction on August 9 at the Adorni Center in Eureka. David is a College of the Redwoods alumnus where he competed on the intercollegiate swim team in the 1970s. He was inducted into the CR Alumni Association Hall of Fame in 2008. Last year the event raised $70,000 for the college sports program.
Three California cities have filed for bankruptcy protection: Stockton, Mammoth Lakes and San Bernardino. San Francisco Chronicle Writer Wyatt Buchanan reports that an additional eight California cities have officially notified the municipal bond market that they are facing significant financial hardship, according to Matt Fabian, managing director of Municipal Market Advisors, including: Fairfield, El Monte, Arvin, Grover Beach, Lancaster, Monrovia, Riverbank and Tehachapi.
La Habra Assistant City Manager Jennifer Cervantez, 39, has been appointed to replace retiring Rancho Santa Margarita City Manager Steve Hayman, 59. Jennifer is the 3rd city manager in Rancho Santa Margarita since its incorporation in 2000. She previously worked for Santa Ana and the League of California Cities, previous to her La Habra post.
Retired City Clerk Deborah Harrington (Bellflower, Solana Beach & Camarillo) is filling in behind the resignation of Canyon Lake City Manager Lori Moss. Debbie is the Interim Assistant City Clerk. Lori attended a Western Riverside Council of Governments event on her last day at the Morongo Casino, Resort and Spa where retired Four-Star General and former Secretary of State Colin Powell was the speaker.
Barstow City Manager Curt Mitchell‘s appointment of Anthony Riley to the city’s Public Information Office post has been approved. Anthony was a candidate for the 59th Assembly District in 2010.
City Manager Bob Bell of Redwood City is the former Human Resources Director for the city. He replaced former City Manager Peter Ingram in April, 2011.
NASCAR race car driver Jeff Gordon was born in Vallejo.
Richmond City Engineer Edric Kwan, 37, has resigned his post to accept a similar position in Moraga. Edric has served as the head of the 27-staff member Engineering Department in Richmond since then-City Engineer Rich Davidson retired in 2010. He previously worked in Fremont and Alameda. Bill Lindsay is the Richmond City Manager. Jill Keimach is the Town Manager in Moraga.
Morgan Hill Community Services Director Steve Rymer was among the final three candidates for the City Manager position in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Retired Azusa City Manager Fran Delach has been appointed to serve as the Interim Executive Director of the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments following the arrest of Executive Director Nicholas Conway, 60. Nick was placed on leave by the COG after prosecutors charged him with four felonies in connection with allegedly obtaining grants that benefited a private firm he operates. He owns Arroyo Associates Inc.
Mammoth Lakes is seeking Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection, according the Assistant Town Manager Marianna Marysheva-Martinez. The town is facing a $43 million judgment that is more than twice the town’s annual budget. The California Supreme Court rejected the Town’s final appeal on the judgment.
Long Beach Interim Deputy Chief Mike DuRee, a fourth-generation Long Beach firefighter and an 18-year department veteran, is the new Long Beach Fire Chief. Long Beach City Manager Pat West noted that Mike joined the department in 1994 and has served as a firefighter, paramedic/firefighter, captain, battalion chief and assistant chief. He will replace Deputy Chief Mike Sarjeant, who has served as Interim Fire Chief since Fire Chief Alan Patalano retired in March.
Chico City Manager Dave Burkland appointed David Knoll of the Chico Unified School District to be Chico’s new Human Resources and Risk Management Director.
Mary Soto, CiteZONE.com Vice President of Operations Management is an expert at administering Automated Parking Citation Issuance, Processing and Collection systems and services.
Santa Maria is looking for a Deputy City Manager. Their application closing date is Thursday, August 16, 2012.
Solana Beach City Manager David Ott retired in 2010 and then worked as an Interim before being hired back full time less than a year later. He joined the city in 2003 as Fire Chief and Director of Public Safety, and was appointed City Manager in 2006. He agreed to return to work under the terms of a two-tier pension program, adopted a few months before he retired, but CalPERS officials refuse to allow him to take the reduced retirement benefit. He has though agreed to pay his full share of his retirement benefit.
Murrieta, where Rick Dudley is City Manager, is discussing the benefits of continuing membership in the League of California Cities