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.

February’s Volume 1 can be read here.

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Lemoore City Manager Andi Welsh is on Administrative Leave. Chief of Police Darrell Smith is the Acting City Manager. Andi was hired as City Manager in June, 2015 to replace City Manager Jeff Laws, who retired. Andi previously served as the Assistant to the Town Manager in Gilbert, Arizona.

In October, 1990 then-Seal Beach City Manager Robert Nelson submitted his resignation while admitting that he did not have another job lined up or any other position to go to. He explained that at that point in time the job in Seal Beach did not meet his personal needs. He said that he would improve his opportunity to find a position that met his needs if he devoted his time to the search. Bob was 51-years old at the time, and had served as the Seal Beach City Manager for about 4-years. He previously served as the City Manager in Del Mar (1979-1986). Employers sometimes forget that as they judge the performance of employees, employees are judging them too!

Former Menifee City Manager Rob Johnson has been appointed City Manager in the City of San Jacinto replacing the retiring City Manager Tim Hults, 54. Tim has worked for San Jacinto for the past 25-years; serving as City Manager for the past 6-years. Rob worked as a Principal Analyst for Corona starting in 2005, and was promoted to Business Manager in 2007. He joined the Menifee city staff in 2009; was appointed Interim City Manager in 2012; and took the City Manager position in 2014.

Andrew Powers has been elevated to City Manager of Thousand Oaks. He was appointed Interim City Manager when his boss City Manager Scott Mitnick was dismissed last July. Drew has been with Thousand Oaks for about 10-years starting as the Public Information Officer and rising to Assistant City Manager. He previously worked as a Marketing and Public Affairs Specialist for the City of Ventura.

In our last newsletter issue we missed a very worthy City Manager who we should have, at least, mentioned. This is ourgreatest fear in pulling this material together expeditiously. Russell A. Carlsen served as the City Manager in Big Bear Lake from 1995 to 2001. Russ currently lives and works as a consultant in Bellingham, Washington. Over the years, Russ has served as the Interim City Manager in Fontana, Hidden Hills, San Juan Bautista, Avenal, Soledad, and Coalinga.

Del Rey Oaks City Manager Dan Dawson, 55, has resigned from his job but will continue to work for the city until mid-2017. Dan has served as the Del Rey Oaks City Manager since 2009.

In August, 2001 Wayne E. Thompson died of a stroke at his Sonoma County home in Kenwood at the age of 85. He was appointed City Manager of Richmond, Contra Costa’s largest city at the age of 27 in 1944 to become the youngest City Manager in the nation at the time. In 1955 Wayne was hired for the top post in the City of Oakland where he served for the next 10- years. He was an early advocate for the creation of BART, approved by the voters in 1962.

Jeffry Gardner was appointed City Manager in the City of Plymouth, California on January 1, 2011. He has worked for the city for the past 23-years. Jeff earned a BA jin natural resources planning from Humboldt State University. He is also a licensed Certified Public Accountant.

Richards Watson & Gershon attorney Roxanne Margarita Diaz completed her undergraduate studies earning a BA at California State University, Fullerton and she earned her J.D. at the University of California, Hastings College of Law. She was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1995. Roxanne is the City Attorney for the Cities of Hidden Hills, Indio and Norwalk. She has previously served as City Attorney in Manhattan Beach. While in law school Roxanne served on the staff of the Hastings Women’s Law Journal. She also served as an “extern” to the Honorable Thomas E. Carlson, Chief Justice of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California.

University of Phoenix Adjunct Faculty Instructor Ronald Stock has also been serving as the City Administrator in the City of Weed since March, 2012. Ron previously worked as a City Attorney in Steamboat Springs, Colorado (1989- 1995); and City Manager in Craig, Colorado (1995- 1997). He was also the County Administrator in Wabasha County, Minnesota (1998-2001), and he was the City Manager in Leesburg, Florida (2001- 2007). In 2007 to 2011 Ron was the City Administrator in Lamar, Colorado.

Former Blue Lake City Manager John Berchtold, who left the state to be near family, has been retained by the City of Jackson to help recruit a new City Manager to replace retiring City Manager Mike Daly. Susan Peters is serving as the Interim City Manager. John retired from Blue Lake at the beginning of 2016. He took the City Manager post in Blue Lake in July, 2010. Before coming to California John served in cities in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Illinois. John earned a MA from Central Michigan University.

Fresno native John Moreno is the City Manager  in the City of Paramount. John earned a BA from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and an MPA from the University of Southern California (USC). John replaced retired City Manager Linda Benedetti-Leal in October, 2015. John moved up from the Assistant City Manager position. He has worked for the city since 1993. John appointed Kevin Chun to replace himself as Paramount Assistant City Manager. Kevin had been working as the ACM in the City of La Cañada Flintridge. He previously worked in increasingly responsible management positions in Irvine, Culver City and Bellflower.

Tehachapi City Manager Greg Garrett received a presentation from the Rotary Club of Tehachapi acknowledging his presentation of the City’s Annual Report for 2016.

Tulare Interim City Manager Paul Melikian has resigned to become the Assistant City Manager in Reedley. Tulare Public Works Director Joe Carlini has been appointed the new Interim City Manager.

Fountain Valley City Manager Bob Hall resigned to become the Manager of the Rancho Santa Fe Association in San Diego County.

San Bernardino City Manager Mark Scott is a candidate for the Reno, Nevada City Manager post.