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 Jack Simpson and Trackdown Management helps keep the state up-to-date with their newsletter.
PublicCEO presents his Picking Up the Pieces:
Brandywine plans are being reviewed seeking approval from the city to build 51 townhomes across the street from the Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum.
Buellton City Manager John Kunkel has submitted his resignation. John previously served as the City Administrator in Exeter in Tulare County. He joined the Buellton staff in December, 2009.
Retired Burlingame City Manager Jim Nantell is in line to serve as the temporary Director of the newly formed San Mateo County Parks Department. Jim earned an MS in Parks and Recreation Administration from San Francisco State University. The Board of Supervisors may consider the appointment at its May 7 meeting.
General Manager Tom Coleman, 44, of the Orchard Dale Water District in Whittier has been placed on administrative leave. The District serves more than 20,000 people n the unincorporated south Whittier area. Tom’s employment agreement is not due to expire until 2015.
Antonio Perez, 55, of Burbank is the new General Manager for the Central Basin Municipal Water District. He work for the MWD for 22-years and most recently served as the Director of Operations and Business Development for a consultant engineering firm.
Former Orange County Chief Executive Officer Tom Mauk, 69, and his wife received minor injuries when their vehicle slammed into a car parked southbound in the 3rd lane of the 57 Freeway just north of Pathfinder Road on Sunday evening, April 21. The occupants of the parked vehicle, a Toyota Prius, died in the night time accident. Tom is a Life Member of ICMA. He served as City Manager in Norco, Whittier and La Habra prior to his service in Orange County. He is a past President of the City Managers Department of the League of California Cities, and he served on the ICMA Executive Board as a Regional Vice President.
Former Colusa City Manager Jan McClintock, 55, is the new General Managers of the Mountain House Community Services District (MHCSD) in the Tracy area, signing a 5-year employment agreement. Jan takes over from Interim General Manager Richard J. Ramirez, a retired American Canyon City Manager. Rich was hired after a short GM tenure by ML Gordon. The original MHCSD GM was Jim Leonard; hired in 1996 when the District was created. Paul Sensibaugh took the post in 2000 and retired in 2012. Jan earned a BS from Millikin University and an MPA from Golden Gate University.
Inyo County Waste Management Director Scott Eagan reported that the county’s waste diversion is at 26%, and the State is mandating a 29% diversion of waste from landfills. Retired Bishop City Administrator Rick Pucci is a member of the Inyo County Board of Supervisors.
Condolences to Duluth, Georgia City Manager Tim Shearer, who served at the Angels Camp, California City Administrator for some 15-years prior to moving back east. Tim’s wife Paula Nelson Shearer, 44, passed away April 20 following a lengthy battle with cancer. Prior to beginning his local government career, Tim served 28-years in the U.S. Army, and he continues to serve as a Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Hemet has been operating with an Interim City Manager since City Manager Brian Nakamura left in August to become the City Manager in Chico. Assistant City Manager Mark Orme was first appointed Interim City Manager and then veteran City Manager Ron Bradley was appointed Interim City Manager in December. Mark left Hemet in March to join the Chico staff working with Brian as the Assistant City Manager.
Former Danville Assistant Town Manager Marcia Somers is the Los Altos City Manager, appointed in February, 2012. Prior to joining the Danville staff Marcia worked for the City of Sunnyvale for 8-years. She earned a BA from San Francisco State University and an MPA from California State University, Hayward. Former City Manager Doug Schmitz retired in March, 2012. He was hired as City Manager in 2007.
Mark E. Keane was appointed Executive Director of ICMA in1967 and served in that post until 1983. He is credited with founding the ICMA Retirement Corporation. Mark passed away at his home in Sedona, Arizona on April 12, 2013 at the age of 93.
Chief of Police Jeff Laws is also serving as the Lemoore Acting City Manager. Former City Manager Jeff Briltz, who served in the Lemoore post for nearly 9-years has resigned.
Calabasas City Manager Tony Coroalles served in the U.S. Army for 27-years and then went to work as the Assistant General Manager of the Department of Recreation and Parks in the City of Los Angeles before his Calabasas appointment in 2003. Tony took over from City Manager Donald Duckworth when he retired. Tony was born in Havana, Cuba and grew up in San Francisco.
Since retiring as the Santa Fe Springs City Manager, Don Powell has taken some consulting assignments, including conducting a study on whether South El Monte should contract with El Monte for law enforcement services. He recommended against it.
Ridgecrest has announced that Interim City Manager Dennis Speer will be removing the “Interim” from his title. Dennis has served as the Interim City Manager since August, 2012, when former City Manager Kurt Wilson left to become the Deputy City Manager in Stockton. It appears that Dennis will continue to serve in his role as the City’s Director of Public Works, as well as, City Manager as a cost-saving method.
Steve Carrigan, 50, is the new Los Banos City Manager taking over from Interim City Manager Gary Brizzee. Steve is coming from a 16-month tenure as the Assistant City Manager in Sanger. He was the Stockton Director of Economic Development prior to that. Los Banos held a “meet-and-greet” for Steve on April 17.
Margaret Ann Crist, wife of former City Manager Jack Crist, died in her sleep on February 13 at the couple’s home in Modesto. She was 67 years old. Jack served as the City Manager in Belmont and Modesto.
Twentynine Palms City Manager Richard Warne has stepped into retirement and the city is searching for a replacement.
Former Palm Desert Assistant City Manager Homer Croy is the new Interim City Manager.
Retired Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Rocky Fortner passed away on April 8, 2013 peacefully with his son Chase Fortner and wife Candy Fortner holding his hands. A Vietnam Veteran, Rocky was instrumental in organizing the Law Enforcement Motorcycle Association (LEMA). With Rocky’s leadership LEMA hosted a large Toys For Tots ride each holiday season. Candy describes Rocky as “…incredible, brilliant and dynamic…” and he was all of that and will be missed.
Canyon Lake has served notice on CalPERS that it wants to quit the plan. The City is ready to pay a termination fee allowing Canyon Lake to end its relationship with the pension fund. Veteran City Manager Richard Rowe is the Canyon Lake Interim City Manager. CalPERS spokesman Brad Pacheco says that the fund has not yet performed any termination calculations for Canyon Lake.
Jason Gonsalves of Joe. A Gonsalves & Son, representing Jurupa Valley, Wildomar, Menifee and Fontana, reports that the big hurdle for SB 56 is the $19 million price tag. Authored by Senators Richard Roth of Riverside and Bill Emerson of Hemet, the proposed legislation would restored local funding to the three new cities and Fontana, which has assumed a large responsibility through annexation. Jurupa Valley City Manager Stephen Harding says that if the money is not restored and the revenue picture does not change, the city can last as an independent jurisdiction for another three or four years.