Trackdown ManagementTrackdown Management’s City Manager Newsletter: Volume No. 20: 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

Vallejo welcomes City Manager Harry Black, a former Stockton city manager who has been serving Vallejo as interim city manager since May. Harry has been the Vallejo interim city manager since May and is now the official city manager. The new city manager’s employment agreement begins July 29 and expires July 28, 2031. Harry served as Stockton city manager from 2020 to 2025, and he was the Cincinnati, Ohio city manager from 2014 to 2018. He was the chief financial officer in Baltimore from 2012 to 2014.

Retired Irvine city manager Sean Joyce has been re-hired by Irvine as an Acting City Manager for about one year, as the city recruits for a replacement for City Manager Sean Crumbly who retired effective August 14. Sean Crumbly is Irvine’s seventh city manager since July 2025. Since retiring from Irvine in 2018, Sean Joyce has completed several interim city manager assignments, including service in Cypress, South Pasadena, Huntington Beach, San Clemente and Laguna Beach. He is a product of Irvine public schools, coming to the city with his family in 1971. He earned a BA and MPA from California State University, Fullerton.

La Jolla’s secession efforts to break away from the city of San Diego continues. It has exposed San Diego’s burdensome bureaucracy of high-paid middle manager—program managers and program coordinators. Former San Diego City Manager Jack McGrory ( March 1991-August 1997) is the chief negotiator for the Association for the City of La Jolla, is leading the attempt to secede for the San Diego municipal government.

Redding City Manager William Tarbox died unexpectedly at the age of 56 on Sunday, July 19, 2026, after suffering a heart attack. He had only served as city manager for five months prior to his cardiac arrest. The city council selected William to be city manager in December 2025 and he assumed office in February 2026. He moved his family from the Bay Area to take the job. He previously served as the Public Works Director for the City of Concord. He is retired from U. S. military and intelligence service. Michael Webb, the Assistant City Manager and Director of Public Works, is the Interim City Manager for Redding.

Riverside city leaders unanimously named Assistant City Manager Edward Enriquez the interim city manager on July 7, nearly a month after making him the acting city manager following City Manager Mike Futrell’s resignation. The city hopes to appoint an “experienced” interim city manager until a new permanent city manager is appointed and allow Interim manager Edward to return to his full-time duties as Assistant City Manager and Chief Financial Officer/Treasurer.

Starting July 1, 2026, Elaine Forbes began serving as the city manager for the City of Sausalito. Elaine previously worked as the San Francisco Port Director from 2016 through December 2025. Elaine earned an MS in urban planning from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She replaced City Manager Chris Zapata, a former Anaheim city manager who served as the Sausalito city manager from June 2021 until June 2026 when he took an Assistant County Executive position with Marin County. Elaine was on an approved leave of absence following a personal crisis on July 16, 2026. She was arrested on misdemeanor charges at the Sausalito Yacht Harbor after boarding two luxury yachts without permission. A family spokesperson has reported that Elaine suffered a mental breakdown due to a personal crisis.

Calexico City Manager Benjamin Martinez will retire after completing one year of service with the city. He was appointed Calexico city manager in July 2025. It is reported that the city of Calexico has had 18 to 19 different city managers in the past twenty years. Ben previously served as city manager for National City, leaving the post on April 18, 2025. He was elevated to Interim City Manager for National City following the unexpected death of City Manager Armando Vergara in June 2023. The city dropped the “interim” in December 2023. Ben was raised in San Diego.

Lompoc City Manager Dean Albro received a satisfactory review last month. Dean was appointed to the Lompoc city manager position in December 2021. The performance review appeared on the agenda following widespread use of illegal fireworks on July 4, and reports that the local fire fighter’s union wants to reopen negotiations. Dean has lived in Lompoc for about 50 years and is a graduate of Lompoc High School. He joined the city staff as an accounting supervisor in 2012. He previously worked in accounting for the Federal Bureau of Prisons for 21 years.

Auburn City Manager Sean Rabé is the new Assistant CEO for Placer County, and former Saratoga city manager James Lindsay is the Interim City Manager to serve during the recruitment for a replacement. Jim served as Saratoga city manager from July 2014 to July 2024. He most recently was interim city manager for the city of Lodi. He currently serves as a senior advisor for ICMA (International City/County Management Association) and Cal Cities. Jim is an ICMA credentialed manager. He earned a BA in environmental studies from San José State University.

Gustavo J. Romo is the new city manager for the city of Coachella starting June 15, 2026. Gus more recently served as the Deputy City Manager and Interim City Manager for the City of Beaumont with the departure of City Manager Elizabeth Gibbs. Gus earned a BS form California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and an MBA from the University of Redlands.

Pacific Grove City Manager Mattew R. Mogensen will leave his post next month to become the city manager for the city of Marina. He will officially leave Pacific Grove on August 21, 2026. Matt assumed the Pacific Grove city manager position in May 2024. He served as the Marina Assistant City Manager from 2018 to 2024. Matt previously worked for the cities of Fountain Valley, Brea and Montebello. Matt is an ICMA credentialed manager. Matt earned a BA in geography from California State University, Fullerton and an MPA from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

Robert A. Rizzo worked as an intern in October 1978 for the Alameda County Housing Authority, and he took an Administrative Intern position with San Leandro in April 1979. Bob joined the Rancho Cucamonga city staff as an Administrative Aide in September 1980. He left Rancho Cucamonga in May 1988 as Assistant City Manager to become the first City Manager for the city of Hesperia in July 1988 following the city’s incorporation. Bob was hired by the City of Bell in May 1993 and served there nearly 18 years before corruption was discovered. In July 2010 Bob’s base salary alone was $787,637. He resigned his position in July 2010 and in October 2013 he pleaded no contest to 69 felony corruption counts. On April 14, 2014, he was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for conspiracy and federal tax evasion. On April 16, 2014, Bob was sentenced in state court to 12 years in prison for public corruption. He was also ordered to pay the city of Bell $8.8 million in restitution. He served a majority of his time at the Federal Correctional Institution in Lompoc.

Carson, California City Manager David C. Roberts Jr. has been named by Gov Business Review as the 2026 National City Manager of the Year. David is recognized for his hands-on management style. His administrative philosophy focuses on working shoulder-to-shoulder with city staff and community members instead of a traditional, detached approach. Gov Business Review recognizes David’s highly visible, hand-in-the-trenches operational leadership during civic challenges in addition to his plan to rebrand Carson as tech-forward, and a high-connectivity “Gig City”.

A ninemember Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ian Choudri are in charge of the California High-Speed Rail Authority. The California Public Utilities Code establishes the governing board. The Board Chair in Steve Kawa, appointed to the board by Governor Gavin Newsom. The Vice Chair is Anthony Williams and the rest of the Board members are Ernest M. Camacho, Emily Cohen, Jason Elliott, Martha M. Escutia, Henry Perea, Lynn Schenk, and Jeffrey Worthe. Chairman Kawa began his career as an Aide to former San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr. in 1996. He was San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s Chief of Staff from 2004 to 2011. He heads his own firm Steve Kawa Strategic Advising in San Francisco from 2018 to the present. Steve earned a BA from Merrimack College and his Juris Doctorate from Suffolk University Law School.

Chico City Manager Mark Sorensen, who previously served on the Chico City Council and as a City Planning Commissioner, retired after 4-years as city manager. Assistant City Manager Erik Gustafson was the Interim City Manager until the new city manager Gillian Haen starts. Mark served for 10-years as the City Administrator of the city of Biggs (2012-2022). He was the owner and general manager of a private communications firm in Chico from September 1990 to August 2012. Mark is a graduate of Chico High School.

Charles E. McNeely, who served as the Seaside city manager from July 1983 until 1993, began his public service career as an Administrative Intern for the city of San Diego starting in June 1972. Following his San Diego internship, Charles was hired as a Management Assistant in Palo Alto, and he was elevated to Assistant to the City Manager in 1978. After serving 10 years as the Seaside city manager, he took the Assistant General Manager post for the East Bay Municipal Utility District from 1993- May 1996. Charles served as the Reno, Nevada city manager from May 1996 to May 2009, when he was hired to by the San Bernardino city manager, serving in that position until May 2012. He began working as a consultant and in 2023 he was hired as Interim City Manager for San Bernardino.

Indian Wells is the 2026 recipient of the John S. Todd Award presented by the California Contract Cities Association. Dr. Christopher Freeland is the Indian Wells city manager. Together with the cities of Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert, Indian Wells founded the Cove Communities Fire Commission in 1981 to coordinate regional fire protection and medical emergency services. The Cove Communities partnership offers residents of all three cities access to opportunities and facilities that would otherwise be unavailable to each city. Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert for many years to come. Isaiah Hagerman is the Rancho Mirage city manager, and the Palm Desert city manager is Chris Escobedo. The Fairfield Back-to-School event provided over 242 children with needed shoes, socks, haircuts and family groceries.

Shorts:

  • Retired city of Paramount city manager Linda Benedetti-Leal was awarded the 2013 El Gran Matador Award by the California Contract Cities Association.
  • Former Costa Mesa city manager (2011-2018), Tom Hatch is the new Interim City manager for the city of Riverside.
  • Stockton City Attorney Marci Arredondo resigned after less than five months on the job for another employment opportunity.
  • Solon “Doc” Wisham Jr. served as Sacramento assistant city manager from 1981 until 1991, and before that he worked his way up in the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, starting in 1969.
  • Mary Poole, who has worked for the city of Citrus Heights since 1998, is the city’s Operations Manager for the General Services Department.
  • Emily Stadnicki is the new Planning & Development Director for the city of Culver City.
  • Formerly with Placer County for more than 20-years, Gretchen Johnson accepted the position of Finance Director for the city of Auburn in March 2024.
  • Former Santa Fe Springs City Manager Ray Cruz is currently an Associate Director of Government & Community Relation at the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and a Deputy at the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors.
  • Ruth Duncan is the Finance Director and Assistant City Administrator for the city of Oroville, and she serves as a Board Director for the South Feather Water & Power Agency, and she is the Special District Representative for the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) in Butte County.
  • CalPERS Board of Administration member Yvonne Walker, whose Board term runs through January 15, 2028, is a veteran of the United State Marine Corps.
  • Rest in Peace Kendi (2009-2026), an American Staffordshire Terrier, of the Marc Mitchell family of the Mitchell Public Affairs & Advocacy firm.
  • Pacific Grove Deputy City Manager Joyce Halabi, an alumnus of Stanford University, previously worked as the Pacific Grove Deputy Director of Public Works from December 2019 until May 2025.
  • Retired Emeryville city manager Christine Daniel (September 2018 and July 2022), previously worked for Berkeley, Fremont and as Assistant City Administrator for the City of Oakland.
  • Former Claremont city council member Sam Pedroza, is the Assistant City Manager and Public Affairs Manager for the City of Industry.
  • Brandon Swanson has served as Acting City Administrator for Carmel-by-the-Sea since December 2025 following the retirement of City Administrator Chip Rerig.
  • Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee announced that Interim Chief of Police James Beere is Oakland’s new permanent Chief of Police.