Trackdown ManagementTrackdown Management’s City Manager Newsletter: Volume No. 17: Issue No. 13

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

Consuelo “Connie” Cardenas went from finance director to become the administrative Services Director and city treasurer for the City of Calistoga, while another Connie Cardenas serves as the administrative services director for the City of Jurupa Valley. After working for the County of Riverside for 11 years and as a fiscal analyst for the Western Riverside Council of Governments, she joined the Jurupa Valley city staff as an accountant. Connie was appointed deputy administrative services director and then administrative services director in 2018. She earned an AS from Riverside City College, and a BS and an MPA from California State University, San Bernardino.

Volunteer Fire Chief Ryan Smith is the new city manager for the City of Taft. Ryan is the first full-time city manager since City Manager William Linn left the position in October 2023. Ryan is the fourth person to serve as city manager since early 2023. Ryan served as an electronics technician for the United States Coast Guard. He earned a Fire Science degree from Del Mar College and a BASc in Fire Services Administration from Columbia Southern University.

Henry M. Tingle served as the city manager for Citrus Heights from October 1999 until his retirement in September 2016. Henry began his career in April 1977, when he became a plant operator for the East Bay Municipal Utility District. In 1982, Henry took the wastewater superintendent position for the City of Richmond. After working a couple of years for San Francisco (1988-1990), he became the Assistant Director of Public Works in April 1990. In January 1995 he was appointed the Richmond deputy city manager. In September 1998, Henry began his Citrus Heights tenure as the general services director. In 2013, Henry received a 35-year ICMA Service Award.

Santa Ana Acting City Manager Alvaro Nuñez since March 2024, is the new Santa Ana city manager. He became the code enforcement manager in January 2017. In August 2021, Alvaro became Santa Ana assistant director of Planning & Building Agency. He joined the Santa Ana city staff in 1993. He is a past President of the Santa Ana Management Association (SAMA). Alvaro earned a BA from the University of California, Irvine. He is in a Master’s program at California State University, Long Beach.

Carlsbad City Manager Scott Chadwick served with U. S. Army Intelligence for 8 years starting in 1989. He worked as a business representative for AFSCME beginning in September 1997 where he represented union members while dealing with city management officials. In 2004, Scott became a labor relations officer for the City of San Diego, and he worked his way up in the organization. He was named San Diego’s chief operating officer in October 2013. Scott joined the Carlsbad city staff in February 2018 as chief operations officer and he was appointed city manager in August 2018. He earned a BA from Purdue University.

Shorts:

  • Rancho Palos Verdes City Manager Ara Mihranian and the city staff have been dealing with a landslide movement that is moving 88 times faster than in October 2022 and has expanded to 680 acres.
  • Dana Ayers was the director of Community Development Department for the City of Clayton from September 2021 to June 2024 when she was hired by a consulting firm.
  • Carlsbad City Manager Scott Chadwick is dealing with a new local ordinance that is the first in San Diego County to expressly prohibit smoking and vaping of cannabis and nicotine products inside all local multifamily residential buildings.
  • Stockton City Manager Harry Black was rewarded for his good work with an employment agreement renewal and an 8% yearly salary increase.
  • Courtney Padgett, the assistant city manager for the City of Burbank, worked as a revenue specialist supervisor for the State of Florida in 1999-2000.
  • Wade McKinney, retired Indian Wells city manager, who also served as city manager in Atascadero and Shafter, and was a longtime President of the Board of Trustees for the California City Management Foundation (CCMF), is moving to Missouri to be close to family.
  • Former South Gate and Fort Bragg City Manager, and the League of California Cities’ Southern California Director (2000-2003), Gary Milliman is the current city manager of Talent, Oregon since January 2024.
  • Retired Los Gatos Town Manager Greg Larson who served as the interim city manager for the City of Cupertino in 2021, successfully joins the Trustees of the Santa Cruz County Board of Education starting in August 2024.
  • Robert C. Lindsey, retired from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, was hired to serve as the La Puente city manager in October 2018.
  • Maria Teresita Maturan Anson, who goes by “Tess,” is the finance manager for the City of Rosemead and works with Director of Finance Bryan Ortega Chua, who joined the Rosemead city staff after working as the budget manager for the City of Fairfield.
  • Cloverdale City Manager David J. Kelley earned an MBA from Sonoma State University.
  • La Cañada Flintridge City Manager Dr. Daniel Jordan (June 2023-present) previously worked as the city manager for the City of Duarte (March 2020-May 2023).
  • Former City of Clayton Finance Director (July 2023-May 2024) Prapti Aryal, is the new City of Sonoma finance director starting in May 2024.
  • Ryan Smoot, who replaced retired Bellflower City Manager Jeff Stewart in 2023, is a former assistant to the city manager for the City of Villa Park and served as the Lomita city manager starting in 2016.
  • When Lou Shepard was appointed Delano city manager in 1964 his salary was set at $11,000 per year.
  • Sean Grayson, a former City of Rialto Fire Chief, has been the city manager for the City of Nevada City since February 2022.
  • Enrique C. Zaldivar, a former director and general manager of the LA Sanitation and Environment (LASAN) Agency of the City of Los Angeles, was appointed chief executive/city manager for the City of Baldwin Park in June 2021.
  • Nicole Almaguer has served as the Albany city manager since November 2017.
  • Santa Cruz is considering a November ballot measure that would levy a tax on the sale of sweetened beverages to help fund parks and public health actions.
  • Ken Farfsing retired as the Signal Hill city manager in June 2015 and served as the city manager for the City of Carson starting in 2017.
  • Michael Doss, who was appointed Milford, Ohio in 2016 and resigned this month, was charged with trying to solicit sex from someone he believed was 15-years old.
  • Starting in March 2024, Samuel Gonzalez became the twenty-third Chief of Police in the history of the City of La Verne.
  • Gerard Goedhart, a former member of the Signal Hill City Council and former Los Alamitos assistant city manager, is an alumnus of Valley Christian High School in Cerritos.
  • University of La Verne alumnus, Troy Butzlaff, former City Manager for Azusa (2015-2017) and city administrator of Placentia (2008-2015), and former assistant city manager for Indian Wells (1996-2002) and Palm Springs (2002-2008), is the interim city manager for the City of Carey, Idaho.