Trackdown ManagementTrackdown Management’s City Manager Newsletter: Volume No. 15: Issue No. 1

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.

Picking Up the Pieces

South San Francisco Assistant City Manager Sharon Ranals is the new interim city manager for the city. City Manager Mike Futrell left for the city manager position in the City of Riverside. Sharon joined the city staff in 1980, and she served as the South San Francisco Parks and Recreation director before being promoted. Sharon earned a BA in sociology from Reed College and an MPA from San Francisco State University.

Lindsey Baker is the new assistant city manager in the City of South Lake Tahoe. Lindsey joined the City in June 2021 as the assistant to the city manager. She previously served in Denton, Texas, and she began her public service career as the teen court coordinator for the City of Southlake, Texas. Lindsey earned a BA and MPA from the University of Oklahoma.

Los Angeles County, with its 10 million population, is the largest county in the United States. The elected Board of Supervisors includes Hilda L. Solis, Holly J. Mitchell, Lindsey P. Horvath, Janice Hahn and Kathryn Barger. Created by the State Legislature in 1852, the Board has executive, legislative and quasi-judicial roles. The county includes 88 separate municipal governments alphabetically from Agoura Hills to Whittier. Nathan Hamburger is the Agoura Hills city manager and Ramiro Adeva is the assistant city manager. Brian Saeki is the Whittier city manager and Shannon DeLong is the assistant city manager.

Stacy Souza, the Los Banos Community and Economic Development director, is the new interim city manager. Stacy joined the Los Banos city staff in July 2005 as an assistant planner. She became community and economic development director in February 2017. Stacy earned a BA from Fresno Pacific University.

McDermont X, a community and recreation center in the City of Lindsay, is operated by a private firm called McDermont Ventures. The city is selling the facility to the firm to free up the city from budget obligations. A revenue bond in 2012 funded the center. City Manager Joe Tanner has assurances from the operator that they will continue to use the facility as a community and recreation center, and not sell it for development. The purchase agreement addresses the possibility.

Micah Runner, Rancho Cordova deputy city manager, is the new Rancho Cordova city manager effective January 1, 2023. Micah is the fourth city manager in Rancho Cordova history. The city was incorporated in 2003. From 2000-2007, Micah was an economic development project manager for the City of Sacramento. In September 2007 he went to work for Rancho Cordova as an economic development manager. He became the economic development director for the City of Stockton starting in August 2013. Micah returned to the City of Rancho Cordova in March 2019 as deputy city manager.

Ventura City Manager Alex D. McIntyre resigned effective December 13, 2022. Assistant City Manager Akbar Alikhan is serving as acting city manager in Ventura. After working in assistant positions in Burbank (1985-1988) and Arcadia (1988-1994), Alex was an executive recruiter (1994-1997) until he was appointed town administrator in Portola Valley (1997-2000). He served as town manager in Tiburon (2000-2006) for six years before taking the chief assistant county administrator position in Marin County (2006-2008). Alex served as the city manager in Lake Oswego, Oregon for about 4-years (2008-2012) and then he was the Menlo Park city manager starting in March 2012. In November 2018 Alex began his tenure as the Ventura city manager. He earned a BA from the University of California, Irvine and an MPA from the University of Southern California (USC).

Brookings, Oregon City Manager Janell Howard pleaded no contest to “theft in the third degree as a violation” in connection with a shoplifting incident in July 2022. Christy Wurster has been serving as city manager in an interim capacity since November. Former South Gate city manager and League of California Cities official Gary Milliman, a former Brookings city manager, has helped out since his retirement. Gary is a senior advisor with the Oregon City/County Management Association and ICMA.

A new assistant city manager has been named in the City of Pleasanton. She is Pamela Ott. Pam has worked for the city for about 19 years. She worked as economic development manager and director, and she has been responsible for the Pleasanton public information activities. Pamela earned a BS in business administration and quantitative management from the University of Florida and an MS in organization development from the University of San Francisco.

Toni Lindgren is the interim city manager in the City of Manteca. She recently delivered a “year in review message” to residents. Toni’s interim city manager employment agreement expires March 31.

Shorts

Scott Campbell is the chief of police for South San Francisco since December 2021 and has worked for the city for 25 years.

Alex Rounaghi, who served as a page for U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, is a policy advisor to Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley, and vice president of the Laguna Beach Democratic Club, is a new member of the Laguna Beach City Council.

At the time of his passing, retired city manager and Willdan official, Frank G. Tripepi had served on the Board of Governors for the Rose Institute of State and Local Government for 15 years (2008- 2022).

Beginning in November 2022 Steve Forster is the community development director for the City of Huntington Park.

Moorpark City Manager Troy Brown, who is past president of ICMA (2021-2022), authored a piece on DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) tools printed in the December 2022 issue of P.M. Public Management magazine published by ICMA.

Retired Rick Teichert, who earned a BS from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, worked as the chief financial officer for the City of Moreno Valley (2010- 2015) and as the Moreno Valley director of finance and city treasurer (1992-1997) and held other positions in the middle including deputy director of the Sacramento Public Library (2006-2010).

Glendale’s new assistant city manager John Takhtalian earned a BS and MPA from California State University, Northridge.

Hermosa Beach Deputy City Manager Angela Crespi likes the John F. Kennedy quote “One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.”

Eric Wier is the city manager for the City of Crescent City, where giant old-growth Redwoods meet the sea.

Retired Whittier City Manager Jeff Collier (2012-2019) served as the acting city manager in the City of Fullerton after the close of City Manager Ken Domer’s tenure.

Former Fullerton City Manager and Laguna Beach Assistant City Manager Ken Domer is the new city manager in the City of La Verne.

Before becoming the Laguna Beach city manager in 2022, Jarad Hildenbrand served as the city manager in Villa Park (2012-2016), La Habra Heights (2016-2019) and Stanton (2019-2022).