With the recent announcement of City Manager Bob Russi’s intent to retire in August, the La Verne City Council met during its closed session on June 20 for consideration of an Interim City Manager. During its regular meeting on July 18, Council unanimously approved a contract for Jesse Duff to serve as La Verne’s Interim City Manager, effective August 1.
“We are pleased to welcome Jesse Duff to La Verne while we continue our efforts to search for a permanent City Manager,” said Mayor Tim Hepburn. “With his extensive experience and leadership with our partner agency, Tri-City, I have full confidence that his local government expertise and regional knowledge will ensure daily operations continue to run smoothly.”
Duff has over 40 years of executive local government experience in Southern California and served as the Director of Parks and Recreation, Assistant City Manager, Deputy City Manager and City Manager for the City of Duarte until his retirement in 2004. Following his retirement, he has held Interim City Manager positions at the City of Claremont and City of Irwindale, and served as Interim Community Development Director for the City of Rosemead.
In 2007, Duff joined Tri-City Mental Health, the mental health authority for the cities of Pomona, Claremont and La Verne, as its Executive Director. He notably led the organization out of bankruptcy and implemented a Medi-Cal provider contract with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. He also established many Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) programs and developed a stakeholder process to ensure community involvement in identifying mental health programs needed to reach underserved populations.
Duff’s contract is effective August 1, 2022 and will end no later than June 30, 2023. Details regarding a formal recruitment for a permanent City Manager will be announced at a later date.