With all the comings and goings 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 Jack Simpson’s Picking Up the Pieces:

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Blue Lake City Manager John Berchtold earned an MA at Central Michigan University and a BBA at Temple University. John began his public management career in 1974 as an Assistant to the Manager in Yeadon, Pennsylvania. He served in a number of Michigan local governments and left the County Administrator post in Montcalm County, Michigan in 2007 to become the City Manager of Lake Butler, Florida. He moved to California in 2010 to become the Blue Lake City Manager.

Morro Bay City Manager Andrea Lueker has reached a severance agreement with the city and has resigned. Administrative Services Director Susan Slayton has been appointed Interim City Manager. Andrea has worked for the City of Morro Bay since 1987, moving up through the organization from a Lifeguard to Director of Parks and Recreation, Assistant City Manager and then City Manager starting in 2007.

Retired Moreno Valley City Manager Henry T. Garcia is the new Interim City Manager in Cudahy. Henry also served 10-years as the Rialto City Manager, and has worked for the cities of Colton, Azusa, San Jacinto, Fontana and Riverside. He earned a BA from the University of California, Riverside and an MA from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Assistant City Manager Robert Walker will serve as Interim City Manager, filling in behind the retirement of Sunnyvale City Manager Gary Luebbers. Gary announced his retirement in August. He stayed with the city beyond his retirement date of October 5, but his final day with the city was December 13. Bob will serve as Interim City Manager until the recruitment process for a new City Manager is complete.

Millbrae City Manager Marcia L. Raines served on the 17-members ICMA awards evaluation panel. Her term on the panel expired at the 99th ICMA Annual Conference. Marcia is a member of the Board of the California City Management Foundation (CCMF).

Municipal Management Association of Southern California (MMASC) President Brett Channing has been appointed Assistant to the City Manager in El Cajon. He says that it was a difficult decision to leave the Brea staff, but he could not pass up a good career opportunity.

Patrick Wiemiller, Fresno‘s Director of Public Utilities and the Department of Public Works, is the new City Administrator of the City of Lompoc in Santa Barbara County. He will begin his tenure in Lompoc on January 6, 2014. Pat is succeeding retiring City Administrator Laurel Barcelona. Lompoc Assistant City Administrator Teresa Gallavan has been appointed Interim City Administrator.

Retired Beverly Hills City Manager Rod Wood has been serving as the Interim City Manager in Cathedral City since former City Manager Andy Hall left the city to take the Imperial Beach City Manager post.

Cathedral City has been working with the Bob Murray & Associates executive search firm to find the next Cathedral City City Manager. Rod served as the Indian Wells Interim City Manager prior to the appointment of current City Manager Wade McKinney.

Council Members in the City of Calistoga in the Napa Valley Wine Country have approved a three-year employment agreement with City Manager Richard Spitler. Richard took the Calistoga City Manager post in December, 2010. He has lived in Calistoga for 26-years. He is a former City Planner and succeeded City Manager Jim McCann, who left Calistoga to become the Mill Valley City Manager.

Canyon Lake’s new Mayor Randy Bonner is looking for a new City Manager. Acting City Manager Deborah Harrington, who took over for Interim City Manager Richard Rowe, must adhere to PERS retirement system rules, like Richard, and leave her current position by March 15. The city explored the notion of withdrawing from PERS in order to keep Deborah’s services, but have discovered the cost too pricey for the Canyon Lake budget. The City Council gives Deborah rave reviews on her performance. Deborah is a retired City Clerk who served in a number of cities including: Bellflower, Solana Beach and Camarillo.

Former San Diego City Manager Jack McGrory has provided a second contribution of $1.2 million to San Diego State University. The money will be split among the Joan And Art Barron Veterans Center; the School of Public Affairs and the Department of Classics and Humanities. Jack earned an MPA from San Diego State University in 1976. He teaches a graduate level course in public administration. He currently serves as the CEO of La Jolla MJ Management Inc. He served as the San Diego City Manager from 1991 to 1997.

Former Newport Beach City Manager Robert L. Wynn died Saturday, November 30, after a short illness caused by a fall several days ago, according to current Newport Beach City Manager Dave Kiff. Bob worked for Newport Beach from 1971 until his retirement in 1991. He died at the age of 83 at Hoag Hospital.

Antioch will replace retiring City Manager Jim Jakel with the current Hercules City Manager Steve Duran, 58. Steve served nine years in Richmond from 2002 to 2011 as the Economic Development and Redevelopment Director. He has served as Hercules City Manager for the past two years.

La Puente has appointed veteran City Manager David Carmany to serve as their new City Manager succeeding City Manager Brett Plumlee, who took a similar position in the City of Los Alamitos in Orange County. Retired La Verne City Manager Marty Lomeli has served as the Interim City Manager for a short time. David is the former City Manager of Agoura Hills, Malibu, Pacifica, Seal Beach and Manhattan Beach. He also served for a time as an executive with PARS.

CCMF Executive Director Rita Geldert, retired Vista City Manager, has been living in the hospital for more than two months and expects about nine months in recovery. On November 27 Rita said that she expected to go home within a week or so. Her husband Dale Geldert continues to be a great support for her.

Albany‘s Recreation and Community Services Director Penelope Leach, 50, has been appointed to replace the retiring Albany City Manager Beth Pollard. Beth retired in August after 12-years as City Manager. She was replaced on an Interim City Manager basis by Patrick O’Keefe, the former City Manager in Emeryville.

William Rawlings is the new Artesia City Manager. He has been serving as the Artesia Interim City Manager since May 6 following previous Interim City Manager Don Powell; following the retirement of City Manager Maria Dadian. Bill is a former City Manager in Menifee and prior to that the Redevelopment Agency Director in Vista, and Orange County real estate operations prior to that. Bill earned a BA from California State University, Fullerton and a Juris Doctorate from Western State University, College of Law.

Hawaiian Gardens, whose City Manager is Ernesto Marquez, was honored by First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” program for the City’s fight against childhood obesity. Only 18 cities were singled out nationwide.

Scott P. Johnson, Oakland Assistant City Administrator, is the new Assistant City Manager in Concord. Scott has worked in Finance Departments in Santa Clara, Milpitas and San Jose. He was the Director of Finance in Milpitas and San Jose. Scott earned a BS in Business/Accounting from California State University, Hayward.

Lawndale Mayor Harold E. Hofmann, 81, passed away of natural causes at home on Saturday, November 16. Harold was first elected to the Lawndale City Council in 1980 and he was elected Mayor in 1990. He was elected to 12 two year terms as Mayor. Harold is a Past President of the California Contract Cities Association. He founded a sewer-contracting company at age 23 after being discharged from the U.S. Army. He never retired from Hofmann & Son or his public service career. He is survived by his wife of about 60-years, Doris Hofmann.

Andrew Murray, former Assistant to the City Administrator in Oakland, is now the Assistant City Manager in Pleasant Hill where June Catalano serves as City Manager.

Alexander J. Henderson is the new Kingsburg City Manager. At the time of his appointment he was the Deputy Village Manager in Bayside, Wisconsin. He succeeds retired City Manager Don Pauley, who left last July after 13-years as the Kingsburg City Manager. Alex has earned both an undergraduate degree and MPA from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. He will report to his new Kingsburg position on January 13, 2014.

Jurupa Valley City Manager Steve Harding is now an Adjunct Professor in the Master of Public Administration Program at California State University, Northridge. Jurupa Valley Assistant City Manager and City Engineer are George Wentz and Roy Stephenson respectively of HR Green.

Police Chief Jeff Laws has been appointed City Manager in Lemoore. He has served with the Lemoore Police Department for the past 16-years, and he has been Chief since 2010. Jeff has been the Acting City Manager in Lemoore since City Manager Jeff Briltz resigned in March.

Yuba City Assistant City Manager Steve Kroeger is serving as the Acting City Manager in Yuba City since City Manager Steve Jepsen has returned to Oceanside as the Oceanside City Manager.

Former Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Chief Paul “Stump” Strohman would be 86-years old if he were still alive. Among his many assignments while with the department, he was the Commander of the Lakewood Sheriff’s Substation on two separate occasions.

Stacy B. McLaughlin is the new Chief Financial Officer for Willdan. She succeeds Kimberly Gant, who served in the post during the past 6-years. Stacy has been promoted from her Compliance Manager position with the company. She earned a Masters in Accounting from the University of Southern California (USC).

Robert Van Nort was 46 years of age when he was appointed to serve as the first Diamond Bar City Manager in 1989.

Paramount City Manager Linda Benedetti-Leal serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Greater Long Beach & Rio Hondo Chapters of the American Red Cross. The group is largely a group of community volunteers and local business folks.

Long Beach Police Administrative Bureau Chief Braden Phillips and Long Beach Fire Chief Mike Duree are also members of the Board, as is John Holmes, the Deputy Executive Director of the Port of Los Angeles. The Board is Chaired by realtor Mollie Beck. Margaret Arbini Madonna is the Chief Executive Officer.