Trackdown Management’s city Manager newsletter: Volume No.14, Issue No. 7
For 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.
Shohreh Dupuis has been selected to be the next City Manager in the City of Laguna Beach. She is currently the Assistant City Manager and will succeed City Manager John Pietig who retires in June. Shohreh came to Laguna Beach in April 2016 after serving as a Deputy Public Works Director in the City of Irvine (2008-2016) and Transit Manager in Anaheim (2006-2008). She began her public service career as a Transportation Authority Manager for the County of Orange (1990-2005). She earned a BS in applied mathematics from the University of California, Irvine. Lincoln City Manager
Jennifer Hanson is the new General Manager for the Nevada Irrigation District (NID). She was selected from a large field of qualified candidates. She has been the Lincoln City Manager since April 2019. She joined the Lincoln city staff in May 2014 as the Maintenance Services Manager, and in April 2015 she was promoted to Public Services Director. Jennifer previously worked for a civil engineering firm on stormwater and transportation projects. She began her public service career working for the California Department of Transportation in 1999. Jennifer earned a BS in geology from the University of the Pacific. After more than 11-years in Yreka, City Manager.
Steven W. Baker (63) will retire at the end of June. Steve was appointed Yreka City Manager in February 2010. Prior to that, he served as the City Manager in Suisun City between June 1988 and December 2004. Steve earned a BA in political science from the University of California, Davis. Upland City Manager Rosemary Hoerning, after being placed on administrative leave for less than a month, resigned her position. She was promoted to City Manager from the Director of Public Works position in February 2020. She went to work as the Director of Public Works in August 2011. She previously works for the City of Redlands. Since 2011 eight City Manager and Interim City Managers have served in Upland, including Robb Quincey, Stephen Dunn, Martin Lomeli, Rod Butler, Martin Thouvenell, Bill Manis, Jeannette Vagnozzi and Rosemary. Former Assistant City Manager Stephen Parker has been appointed Acting City Manager.
South Pasadena, after rescinding its initial job offer to a prospective City Manager, hosted a public forum on April 28 to introduce new City Manager appointment Armine Chaparyan. Armine previously served as the Assistant City Manager in the City of San Gabriel. She joined the San Gabriel city staff as its Community Development Director in 2014. Before that, she served as the Redevelopment Manager in Santa Clarita and as a Senior Project Manager in the City of Ontario. Armine grew up in the area and graduated from John Muir High School in Pasadena. She earned an MPA from the University of Southern California (USC).
Fullerton City Manager Ken Domer has lost the support of a majority of the City Council (3-2). Mayor Bruce Whitaker and two new Council Members Nick Dunlap and Fred Jung voted to appointed former Orange County Human Resources Officer Steve Danley as Acting City Manager. Ken began his public service career working for the State of California in the California Environmental Protection Agency and the Office of Governor Pete Wilson (1991-1995). He then worked in various positions for the County of Orange (1996-2005). Ken served as the City Manager in Villa Park from May 2005 to December 2008. He then worked as the Assistant City Administrator in the City of Placentia (2008-2013), when he was hired as the Assistant City Manager in Huntington Beach (2013- 2017). Ken was appointed Fullerton City Manager in July 2017. He earned a BA and MPA from the University of Southern California (USC). Ken received a 20-year ICMA Service Award in 2020.
Malibu City Manager Reva Feldman has stepped down. Reva joined the Malibu city staff in 2005 as Assistant City Manager and Administrative Services Director. She was appointed to replace veteran City Manager Jim Thorsen in May 2016 following his retirement. Her employment agreement was set to expire in May 2022. She is a past President of the City Managers Department of the League of California Cities (2019-2020), and she was awarded the 2019 City Manager of the Year Award by the California City Management Foundation (CCMF).
With City Manager Bryan Montgomery leaving to become the Indio City Manager, Josh McMurray has been appointed Interim City Manager in the City of Oakley. Josh has been serving as the Oakley Community Development Director. Bryan has served as Oakley City Manager since 2005. He previously was the City Manager in Mesquite, Nevada. Josh has been with Oakley since 2008, originally as Planning Manager.
Desert Hot Springs City Manager Charles Maynard announced his resignation in November 2020. Deputy City Manager Luke Rainey has been confirmed as the new Desert Hot Springs City Manager. Luke first joined the Desert Hot Springs city staff as the Information Technology Manager in 2007. Luke became the Deputy City Manager in May 2017. He had previously worked for the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa as an Information Technology Analyst. Luke earned a BA from San Francisco State University and an MPA from California State University, San Bernardino. Los Altos Hills City Manager Carl Cahill (57) announced his retirement. He came to the Town of Los Altos Hills in October 1999 as the Planning Director. Carl was appointed City Manager in February 2006. Before joining the Los Altos Hills city staff, Carl served as the City Planner in Pittsburg, California. He earned a BA from Montclair State University and an MPA from California State University, East Bay. Los Altos Hills City Council Member Linda Swan and her husband John Swan have conducted a campaign to have Carl fired. In 2019 Carl received a 20-year ICMA Service Award.
With the planned retirement of City Manager Martin Bernal, the City of Santa Cruz has launched a nationwide search for their next City Manager. Community input is sought for a successful search. Executive recruiters of Teri Black & Company have been retained to help the city conduct the search for their next City Manager. It is anticipated that the new City Manager will be appointed in August 2021.
Interim City Manager Fran Robustelli has been appointed City Manager in the City of San Leandro. She has served as Interim City Manager since December, taking over then for former City Manager Jeff Kay, who left to become the City Manager in Healdsburg. Other finalists include Sean Charpentier, who worked in Palo Alto, and Terrence Moore, who worked in College Park, Georgia. It is anticipated that Fran will be confirmed as City Manager next month.
Former Los Altos City Manager Christopher Jordan was offered the City Manager position in the City of South Pasadena, but the city rescinded the job offer “in light of expressed community opposition and concern.” Chris previously left the City Manager positions in Los Altos and in West Linn, Oregon with contract severance settlement agreements. Former South Pasadena City Manager Stephanie DeWolfe retired from the city in September. Retired Irvine City Manager Sean Joyce, a former South Pasadena City Manager, has been serving as Interim City Manager, though his agreement expired March 31, 2021. The new leading candidate for the South Pasadena City Manager position is Arminé Chaparyan, the Assistant City Manager and Community Development Director for the City of San Gabriel. She previously worked for the Cities of Ontario and Santa Clarita. She earned a BA from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and an MPA from the University of Southern California (USC).
Los Banos City Manager Alex C. Terrazas was terminated at the end of March 2021. He had served as the Los Banos City Manager since June 2016. Previous to that he was the Assistant to the Town Manager in Truckee. Alex earned a BA and MA from California State University, Sacramento. Alex was awarded the 2018-2019 California City Management Foundation (CCMF) scholarship to the February 2019 Harvard Kennedy School’s “Leadership Decision Making: Optimizing Organizational Performance” program. Alex served on the Technical Review Board of the Merced County Association of Governments (MCAG). Los Banos Chief of Police Gary Brizzee was appointed to serve as Interim City Manager during the time a new City Manager is recruited and hired. No reason was given for the termination.
Jennifer Macarthy is the new Deputy City Manager in the City of Chico. Jennifer previously served as the Deputy County Administrative Officer in Butte County. She also worked for Butte County from 2004 to 2016 as the Deputy Administrative Officer for Community and Economic Development. Jennifer earned a BA in economics from Santa Clara University.
Oakley City Manager Bryan H. Montgomery will be the new City Manager in the City of Indio. Bryan became the Oakley City Manager in December 2005 after he served as the City Manager in Mesquite, Nevada (1998-2005). Bryan began his public service career as an Intern in Provo, Utah. He then worked as Assistant City Manager in Alamogordo, New Mexico (1994-1997), and as City Administrator in Rupert, Idaho (1997-1998). Bryan taught courses at Los Medanos College in Pittsburg, and at San Francisco State University. He earned a BA and MPA from Brigham Young University. In 2018 Bryan received a 25-year ICMA Service Award and he was honored with the ICMA Award for Community Equity and Inclusion.
Retired Arroyo Grande Chief of Police Beau Pryor passed away on April 21, 2021, at the age of 50. No cause of death has been reported. He retired in 2020. City Manager Whitney McDonald said that the City Council and staff send their “deepest condolences to the Pryor family.” Chief Pryor served on the Arroyo Grande police force for 26-years. During that time, he was the Department’s first full-time motorcycle traffic officer, a Special Response Team member and field training officer. He was selected to serve as Chief of Police in 2017.
*Former Malibu City Clerk Heather Glaser started as the Mountain View City Clerk on April 19, 2021.
*South Gate Administrative Services Director Jackie Acosta was recently thrilled at a Los Angeles Dodger game when Dodger third baseman Justin Turner tossed her a ball.
*Retired veteran City Manager Harry Peacock has changed his email address to: hrpeacock41@gmail.com
*San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott was named 2020 Public Lawyer of the Year for the California Lawyers Association.
*Former League of California Cities staffer and Willdan marketing executive Cheryl Weaver Lopez currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona.
*Gustine City Manager Douglas Dunford is a former Gustine (2011-2017), Livingston (2020-2011) and Escalon (2002-2010) Chief of Police, and Doug was a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy from 1978 to 1989.
*Retired Santa Monica Chief Operating Officer and Assistant City Manager Katie E. Lichtig previously served as City Manager in Malibu (2001-2006) and San Luis Obispo (2010-2017).
*Lake Forest Deputy City Manager Brett Channing served as the President of MMASC in 2012-2013.