Trackdown ManagementTrackdown Management’s City Manager Newsletter: Volume No. 17: Issue No. 12

For over 15 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

Seal Beach City Manager Jill Ingram is resigning by October 31, 2024, and she intends to eventually retire. Jill served as the city clerk for the City of Cypress from May 2000 until June 2006 when she joined the staff of the Orange County Fire Authority as clerk of the authority. Jim became the assistant to the city manager in Seal Beach in October 2008. She was elevated to assistant city manager and in July 2011 she became the Seal Beach city manager. Jill earned a BS and an MPA from California State University, Long Beach. She has served as an adjunct professor at CSULB since August 2013.

San Dimas City Manager Chris Constantin has been hired by the Town of Los Gatos to replace outgoing Town Manager Laurel Prevetti. Chris will start his new job in November. He has served as the San Dimas city manager since January 2021. Chris continues to serve as a volunteer reserve police lieutenant for the City of Hayward. Chris worked as a senior auditor for the City of San Jose from 2001 until 2010 when he became an assistant city auditor. In April 2013, Chris became the assistant city manager for the City of Chico. He earned a BS from San Jose State University and an MPA from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University.

Dublin City Manager Linda Smith D’Ambrosio announced her plans to retire in October. Linda has worked for Dublin for the past 15-plus years, and she has served as the city manager for nearly five years starting her city manager tenure in December 2019. Linda began her career with the City of Dublin in 2009 as Assistant to the City Manager focused on economic development and public information. In 2013, she was named assistant city manager by former city manager Chris Foss and became Dublin’s fourth city manager following Chris’ retirement in 2019.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said that he will withhold State funds from cities and counties that fail to clean up homeless camps in State public rights of way. He issued an executive order urging local governments to remove homeless camps and requiring that all tents be cleared from all State property.

Folsom City Manager Elaine Andersen confirms that she will retire at the end of 2024. Elaine has worked for Folsom for more than 15 years, including three years as assistant city manager and two years as deputy city manager. Elaine worked for the City of Sacramento prior to joining the Folsom city staff. She earned a BA from the University of California, Berkeley.

Lynwood Director of Public Works Julian Lee is the new interim city manager for the City of Lynwood. From 2012 to 2014, Julian worked as a principal engineer for the Castaic Lake Water Agency. He took the utilities & projects manager position in the City of Norwalk in July 2014. A little more than five years later, went to South Pasadena as the deputy director of Public Works in July 2019. Julian was appointed director of Public Works for the City of Lawndale in January 2021, and in August 2022 he became director of Public Works in Lynwood. He earned a BS in environmental engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA from the University of Southern California (USC) Marshall School of Business.

The late former Chula Vista City Manager, John Goss, 75, passed away on January 10, 2014. After a sudden illness. John served as the Chula Vista city manager from 1983 to 1998. John began his public service career as an Administrative Intern for the City of Phoenix, Arizona in 1962-1964. He took an assistant administrative analyst post with the City of San Diego in April 1963. In July1964, John was hired to serve as the assistant to the city manager in Fremont. He became the assistant city manager for the City of Alameda in December 1967. In December 1973, John was selected to serve as the Alameda city manager. In January 1980, John took the director of general services position for the City of Oakland. He left Oakland in January 1983 to start his city manager tenure in Chula Vista. He received his BA from California State University, Fresno and an MPA from the University of Southern California (USC). He taught at the graduate level at San Diego State University for 11 years. John was the recipient of the ICMA Mark E. Keane Award of Excellence. John was an accomplished musician and enjoyed playing in a band.

Tehachapi City Manager Greg Garrett is a newly elected member of the Kern Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors. Greg has served as the Tehachapi city manager since 2009. He was the assistant city manager from 2004 to 2009. Greg was honored by the Kern Council of Governments with the Darrel Hildebrand Distinguished Leadership Award.

Santa Cruz City Manager Matt Huffaker announced that the City of Santa Cruz has hired Santa Clara Acting Assistant City Manager Michelle Templeton to serve as the Santa Cruz assistant city manager. Michelle earned a BA in environmental studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She worked as a program manager for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in 2002-2005. She also worked for the City of Watsonville prior to joining the Santa Clara city staff in 2020.

Palm Springs City Manager Scott Stiles is dealing with the Universal Basic Income (UBI) program that previously was operated by a non-profit organization. The project that city funds helped to launch and fund in 2022 failed to operate as originally promised by Queer Works Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jacob Rostovsky. Questions of inappropriate spending surfaced last year. Jacob’s spending actions are currently the subject to city and county law enforcement investigations, including an investigation being conducted by the Riverside County District Attorney.

Former Seaside City Manager Craig Malin (2015-2021) was appointed interim city manager, replacing Chief of Police Nick Borges after City Manager Jaime M. Fontes was placed on paid leave after taking the city manager position in July 2022. The action apparently was taken following a performance evaluation. Jaime previously worked as city manager for Nogales, Arizona, as well as Santa Paula and Greenfield. Craig left Seaside in 2021 to take a position in Wisconsin.

Jonathan K. Nicks is the new assistant city manager for the City of Indio. Starting in April 2004, Jonathan went to work as a case manager for a private sector company . In July 2007 he was hired as a division manager for the City of Placentia, and he was promoted to deputy director of community services in July 2011. Jon left Placentia in September 2015 for the deputy director position for the County of Orange. In January 2018, he was appointed community services director for the City of Menifee. Jon will start as the Indio Assistant City Manager on September 9, 2024. He earned a BA from California State University, Fullerton and an MPA from California State University, Long Beach.

Shorts

  • Karen Herrera, who previously worked for the City of Duarte for more than 23 years, is an independent consultant and a senior client relations associate for California Consulting.
  • New Hidden Hills City Manager Claire Whitley, formerly the assistant city manager for Ormond Beach, Florida, started her new position July 22 and announced her resignation three days later on July 24.
  • Former Chula Vista Deputy City Manager Eric Crockett, after more than 20 years with the city, left his position in May 2024 and file a lawsuit against the city that tried to link his employment agreement provided severance to a waiver of future legal claims, calling the city’s demands illegal and unethical.
  • Julia Homaechevarria, a former law clerk at the Superior Court in Anchorage, Alaska, who earned her JD from the University of California, Davis, has joined the Pasadena office of Colantuono, Highsmith & Whatley.
  • Consultant Sharon Landers, a graduate of Union University, Albany Law School, served as the city manager for the City of Carson from 2019 to 2022, and she was the assistant city manager for the City of Irvine from 2006 to 2019.
  • Retired Monterey Park city manager Ron Bow (2017-2023) served in the United States Air Force for more than 24 years (February 1981-February 2005).
  • Tara Hein-Phillips is the executive director of continuing education representing the USC Distinguished Leaders Program.
  • Former Norco and Rosemead city manager Jeff Allred currently serves as a member of the Planning Commission for the City of La Verne.
  • Retired Covina and Colton City Manager Daryl Parrish was recently found on the Timberline Trail on the slopes around Mt. Hood, Oregon, an active stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc.
  • California Attorney General Rob Bonta supports the Koi Nation of Northern California’s lawsuit against the City of Clearlake regarding the processing of plans to build a 75-room hotel.
  • Trina Miller, executive assistant to the city manager in Whittier, say of Tom Mauk, “I’m his biggest fan and worked for him in the late 80’s!
  • When John B. Wentz left Beverly Hills, Lyman Cozad followed him into the position.
  • Former Beverly Hills Senior Management Analyst (2015-2017), Kevin Kearney, who earned a Doctor of policy, planning and development from the University of Southern California (USC), has served as the city manager for the City of Bradbury since May 2017.
  • Since retiring as the city manager for the City of Indio in June 2021, Mark Scott has served in interim city manager assignments in Lincoln, Downey, Ojai and Live Oak.
  • James Vega, Port Hueneme city manager, served as the city manager for the City of Ojai from April 2019 until July 2023.
  • Former Parlier city manager Antonio Gastelum was found guilty with regards to a multi-million-dollar fraud scheme.
  • TNT Fireworks Vice President John Kelly earned a BBA from California State University, Long Beach.
  • Alyssa White, Emma Totaro, Julia Gale and Laurel Yocum have joined Team Tripepi Smith as junior business analysts