Trackdown Management’s City Manager newsletter: Volume No. 14, Issue No. 5

Trackdown ManagementFor over 13 years, Jack Simpson’s Trackdown Management has published the City Manager Newsletter. Jack is a retired city manager and former Willdan executive. His newsletter content weaves together the personal side of the profession in California and helps keep the city manager community, especially retired city managers, connected with each other.

City Manager Rene Mendez of the City of Gonzales is working to build a microgrid so that his city does not have to rely on PG&E. There are extreme local concerns about the potential rolling blackouts that shut the city down. Gonzales is an agriculture industry city, and relies heavily on electricity to keep the engines running at the big packing plants in the city. Power was lost during rolling blackouts over the past two years. “Businesses needed to shut down immediately and there was a lot of economic loss,” said Rene.

Santa Rosa City Manager Sean McGlynn, 54, is the new City Manager in the San Diego County City of Escondido. His last day in Santa Rosa will be May 29. Prior to his tenure in Santa Rosa, Sean was the Deputy City Manager in El Paso, Texas. Last year Sean was named City Manager of the Year by the California City Management Foundation (CCMF). Sean’s Santa Rosa predecessor was City Manager Kathy Millison. Sean will be taking the Escondido position behind the retirement of City Manager Jeffrey Epp.

Coachella City Manager William “Bill” B. Pattison, Jr. had planned to retire last December 30 after 10-years with the City. Bill joined the city staff in August 2010 as the Finance Director and was appointed City Manager in January 2017. Though wishing to retire in December, Bill has remained on the job until a new City Manager is located. Bill earned a BBA and MBA from California State University, San Bernardino. He was a CPA when he joined the Coachella city staff. Bill is the fifth City Manager in the Coachella Valley to retire during the pandemic joining City Managers in Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs and Indio.

Sacramento City Manager Howard Chan has had protesters demonstrating outside his home claiming the protest was about the City Manager “failing to hold Police accountable.” About 20 demonstrators gathered at a park and marched to the City Manager’s home with a heavy police presence in the area. An organizing flyer showed Howard’s photo with his home written in dripping red letters.

Coronado City Manager Blair King has accepted the position of City Manager for the City of Bainbridge Island, Washington. Prior to his Coronado service, Blair worked as City Manager in Soledad (1991-1994), Imperial Beach (1994-1996), Half Moon Bay (1997-2001) and Lodi (2005-2010). He also held executive positions in Eureka, Coallinga and Milpitas. In 2020 Blair received a rare 40-year ICMA Service Award. Blair earned a BA and an MPA from California State University, Fresno.

Angela S. Crespi is the new Deputy City Manager for the City of Hermosa Beach. Angela was previously the Administrative Manager fo the Newport Beach Fire Department (2014-2019), and Finance and Administrative Manager for the Public Works Department in Newport Beach. Hermosa Beach City Manager Suja Lowenthal said that the Deputy City Manager position was approved in June, 2019. Angela earned a BA and an MPA from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.

Greg Carpenter is the Paso Robles Interim City Manager, effective April 19. Greg retired as the City Manager in El Segundo in 2019. Current Paso Robles City Manager Tom Frutchey’s last day will be April 16, and then retirement. Prior to El Segundo, Greg worked for the City of Long Beach, and served as the Long Beach City Manager from 2002 until 2008. He earned an MPA from California State University, Long Beach.

El Cerrito City Manager Karen Pinkos responded to a State Audit report that concludes the City is in grave financial health. According to Mercury News writer Shomik Mukherjee, the City of El Cerrito ranks as the sixth of the most fiscally troubled cities. Karen issued a 16-page response to the audit, and pushes back on the idea that the City deserves a fiscal “high-risk” designation. Karen is a highly regarded City Manager. She is a past President of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), and she serves on the Board of the California City Management Foundation (CCMF).

A three-member California appellate court ruled that the South Pasadena dismissal of the former President of its Fire Fighters’ union was an illegal act of retaliation, and he must be reinstated. The City must pay more than four years of back pay plus 7 percent interest to the dismissed firefighter, Fire Engineer Owen Cliff Snider. In a February ruling by Associate Justice Helen I. Bendix the decision of the California Public Employment Relation Board (PERB) was upheld finding the timing of the dismissal of the firefighter, who had worked for the City for 12-years, amounted to retaliation.

Pacifica has been hit with a class-action lawsuit brought by the ACLU Foundation of Northern California, Disability Rights Advocates and the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County. The suit contends that the ban against “overiszed vehicles” parking unduly penalizes those living on the streets simply for being unable to afford housing in the pricey coastal city. City Manager Kevin Woodhouse explains that the focus is on health and safety. “The simple truth is that most streets in Pacifica are too narrow to allow parking of oversized vehicles without creating safety hazards for pedestrians and bicycle riders,” said Kevin.

Shannon Yauchzee will retire as CEO of the City of Baldwin Park, the birthplace of the famous In-N-Out Burger, when his replacement is named. Shannon formally retired last December 31 and is serving on an Interim basis while the recruitment for a new CEO proceeds. He worked as the CEO/City Manager for nearly 7-years. Prior to Baldwin Park, Shannon served as the Director of Public Works for the City of West Covina from 1996 until 2014. Previous to that he worked as a Building Official with Willdan Engineering out of their City of Industry office (1989- 1996).

Ralph Andersen & Associates have retained the City of Los Altos to conduct a nationwide search for a City Manager. City Manager Chris Jordan resigned effective December 5, 2020. He had served as the Los Altos City Manager from April 2016. The $38 million Los Altos Community Center was built on Chris Jordon’s watch. Assistant City Manager Jon Maginot served as the Acting City Manager for a time prior to the appointment of retired veteran City Manager Brad Kilger as the Interim City Manager.

Retired legendary LASD undercover Deputy and later the Public Safety Director for Bellflower, Glenn “Hutch” Hutchinson, who also served on the Artesia City Council, had a Happy 91st Birthday on the 24th of March.

Marcie Frost is the ninth (9th) CalPERS Chief Executive Officer, and previously spent 30-years working for the State of Washington.

Dr. Bill Mathis, an industrial and clinical psychologist who serves both public and private sector clients, is a former Mental Health Director at the Napa State Hospital.

Former Simi Valley City Manager Eric Levitt is the City Manager in the City of Alameda.

Mike Futrell is the City of South San Francisco City Manager, and Sharon Ranals is the Assistant City Manager and Chief Sustainability Officer.

Eric Figueroa, City Manager in the City of Martinez, and former Assistant City Manager in San Ramon, earned an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.

La Palma City Manager Conal McNamara served as a Policy Deputy to former Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich.