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:
Palo Alto
Former Atwater City Manager Kathy Kivley had previously served as Assistant City Manager in Delano. She was Atwater’s first female City Manager. She took over from Interim City Manager Stan Feathers in April, 2011. Stan had been the Assistant City Manager under former City Manager Greg Wellman. Kathy left the Atwater position in September, 2012.
Antioch City Manager Jim Jakel, 57, who has announced that he will retire at the end of the year, first joined the Antioch staff in 1980 as a Junior Planner. He worked in Alameda and later as the Martinez City Manager (1990-1996) before returning to Antioch in 2003. Between his assignments in Martinez and Antioch, Jim served as the Executive Director of the Contra Costa Council, an economic development advocacy group.
Retired City Manager Shawn Nelson will be inducted into the Yucca Valley High School Hall of Fame this year. Shawn, a 1977 YVHS graduate, was also a three-sport athlete at the school. Shawn served as the Park Director for Twentynine Palms Parks and Recreation District for five years. He moved to Temecula, where he served as Director of Community Services before his promotion to Temecula, where he served for 13 years and retired in 2011. He is currently a management consultant in Menifee.
Ryder Todd Smith of Tripepi Smith & Associates has been appointed to the Planning Commission in the City of Tustin where Jeffrey C. Parker is the City Manager and Chuck Robinson is the Deputy City Manager.
Anaheim City Manager Bob Wingenroth will resign effective in June, and he plans to relocate back to Arizona. Bob has been appointed Assistant City Manager/Chief Financial Officer in Surprise, Arizona effective June 24. Bob was appointed to the Anaheim City Manager position in June, 2012. He joined the Anaheim staff in 2010 as the Finance Director. He previously held posts in Phoenix, Arizona and Huntington Beach.
Long Beach, where Patrick West serves as City Manager, will be the site of the 2014 League of California Cities City Managers Department Meeting, February 5 through February 7, 2014.
Sheryl Musicant Stewart of the Lakewood city staff had to have surgery on a broken ankle she sustained while attending a college visit with son Brett Stewart. Sheryl is the wife of Bellflower City Manager Jeff Stewart. Jeff previously served as City Manager in El Segundo and Los Alamitos.
Stockton City Manager Bob Deis has accused Moody’s Investment Service of publishing a biased report after a judge found Stockton eligible for Bankruptcy protection. Addressing Moody’s Senior Vice President Eric Hoffman, Bob says, “I thought Moody’s had a fiduciary responsibility to provide accurate and unbiased information.”
Placentia City Administrator Troy Butzlaff is the Chair of the League of California Cities’ City Managers’ Department’s Subcommittee of Government Transparency and Civic Engagement. Troy is a former Assistant City Manager in Palm Springs and Indian Wells.
Art Gallucci, who began his career with the old Southeast Parks and Recreation District, joined the Cerritos staff in 1971 as a Recreation Superintendent. He later headed up the Human Affairs Department from 1973 to 1981, when he was appointed Assistant City Manager. Art was appointed Cerritos City Manager in 1991. Vince Brar is the Cerritos Senior Assistant City Manager and Kathy Matsumoto holds the position of Assistant City Manager. Art serves on the Knapp Golf Classic Committee.
City Manager Tim Hults has received a 5-year extension to his San Jacinto employment agreement. Tim joined the San Jacinto staff in 1991.
Joe Perez is now the Director of Community Development in the City of Bell. He had worked in Paramount since 1995. Prior to that Joe served as Assistant City Manager in La Puente and in La Habra Heights.
Clear Lake City Manager Joan Phillipe was appointed to the position in April, 2012 after serving as Acting City Administrator. The previous City Administrator Dale Neiman left Clear Lake in November, 2010.
Ken Hiatt is the new Director of Community Development in Woodland working with City Manager Paul Navazio. Ken, who replaces Nick Ponticello who returns to his private business, has been working as the Director of Community Development and Sustainability in Davis.
Former Chief of Police Don Dreiling is currently serving as the Palos Verdes Estates Interim City Manager. He has filled in since former City Manager Judy Smith resigned to relocate to Orange County.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Commander Todd Rogers, a member of the Lakewood City Council, has been appointed as a new Assistant Sheriff. Sheriff Lee Baca has decided to eliminate the position of undersheriff and will have four Assistant Sheriffs who will report directly to him.
Del Mar City Manager Scott W. Huth is the former Coronado Director of Public Services. He earned an MBA from the University of Redlands and a BA from San Diego State University.
California Assembly Majority Leader Toni Atkins is the Assembly Member representing the 78th District which includes the coastal San Diego County communities from Imperial Beach north to Solana Beach, and much of central San Diego too. She is a former San Diego Council Member and served as Acting Mayor in 2005. She graduated from Emory & Henry College with a degree in political science and completed the senior executive program at John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
California Assembly Member Ian Calderon, 57th District, named La Mirada Administrative Analyst Vaniah De Rojas a “Distinguished Woman of the Year.” She was a participant in the City’s Youth in Government program while attending La Mirada High School, and has served as a volunteer to the Habitat for Humanity, a program of the Women’s Transitional Center in Fullerton.
Fresno City Manager Mark Scott is suing opponents of the Fresno Trash- Outsourcing ballot measure as a private citizen, not the City’s chief executive. Mark contends that opponents of the measure have made several false and misleading statements and claims. He wants a judge to force outsourcing opponents to rewrite or remove their ballot measure statements.
Fire Chief Randy Dunn has served as Interim City Manager in Colusa since early March. He had been serving as Acting City Manager since last summer following the dismissal of City Manager Jan McClintock. The Colusa City Council is considering the City Manager position and its duties and responsibilities.
Fontana Chief of Police Rod Jones labels Governor Jerry Brown‘s realignments program a failure. The Plan gives local governments responsibility for nonviolent prisoners. The case of a convicted felon allegedly stabbing a woman to death at a Fontana park-and-ride has exposed flaws in the plan. The felon was shot and killed by a CHP officer, but the woman victim died of stab wounds.
California Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Nora Campos of the 27th District, San Jose, is a former City Council member in San Jose. She is a member of the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. She is a founding member of the San Jose Latino Leadership Alliance. She earned a BA from San Francisco State University.
Sanger Assistant City Manager Steve Carrigan, 50, is the new Los Banos City Manager effective April 22. Prior to joining the Sanger staff Steve served about 8- years as the Economic Development Director in Stockton. Los Banos Police Chief Gary Brizzee has been serving in the dual role as the Acting City Manager.
Eric Levitt, former City Manager in Janesville, Wisconsin, is the new Simi Valley City Manager. He takes over for the retired City Manager Laura Behjan, who succeeded long-time City Manager Mike Sedell, who retired after 17-years on the job. Simi Valley Economic Development Director Brian Gabler has been serving as Interim City Manager since Laura retired.
Former Draper, Utah City Manager Layne P. Long, 57, is the new City Manager in the City of Marina. He takes over for Interim City Manager Doug Yount, who took the helm about a year ago when former City Manager Tony Altfeld was relieved of duty. Layne left Draper in June, 2012.
City Manager Elaine Aguilar has served as the Sierra Madre City Manager since August, 2007. Prior to that she held positions in Glendale, La Puente and Paramount.
A Women Leading Government (WLG) Roundtable Lunch program was held at the Garden Grove Community Meeting Center early March. More than 70-women attended this Orange County area event that included panelists: Jennifer Cervantez, Rancho Santa Margarita City Manager; Cynthia Kurtz, President/CEO of the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership and former Pasadena City Manager; and Irvine Assistant City Manager Sharon Landers.
Ukiah City Manager Jane Chambers has agreed to a new five-year employment agreement that includes a 10-percent reduction in her salary and benefits. Jane has served as the Ukiah City Manager since 2008.