With all the comings and goings in California local government, it can be hard to keep track of where your friends are or what’s happening in your neighboring municipalities. But Trackdown Management helps keep the state up-to-date with their newsletter.
PublicCEO presents Jack Simpson’s Picking Up the Pieces:
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Visalia Deputy City Manager Leslie Caviglia has been appointed to the Visalia Assistant City Manager position. Leslie succeeds Mike Olmos, who is the new City Manager.
In July the Central Contra Sanitary District Board of Directors appointed Roger S. Bailey to be the District’s new General Manager. He assumed office in August, succeeding General Manager Curtis S. Swanson. Roger most recently served as the head of the San Diego Public Utilities Department, and prior to that he was the Deputy City Manager and Utilities Director for the City of Glendale, Arizona. MMANC Past President Russ Leavitt is a member of the Central Contra Sanitary District staff.
Marc Bierdzinski is the new Buellton City Manager. He has served in an interim capacity since the resignation of former City Manager John Kunkel. Marc served as the Buellton Planning Director starting in 2005.
Former Bell City Administrator Robert Rizzo, 59, accused of municipal corruption has pleaded no contest to 69 counts of fraud, misappropriation of public funds and other charges. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 12, and is expecting to be sent to prison for 10 to 12 years. Bob’s attorney James Spertus said that his client plans to plead guilty of federal tax charges and resolve a lawsuit filed by the State Attorney General. The attorney anticipates that his client will be allowed to serve any sentence of the tax charges concurrently with the fraud term and could reasonably expect to be released on parole in 5 to 6 years.
Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District General Manager Kenneth Bayless was appointed in November, 2007. Prior to that, Bayless was a Division Chief with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, where he served for more than 33-years. Ken earned a BA from UCLA and an MPA from USC. Ken is a resident of Laguna Niguel where Rod Foster is the City Manager.
Lynne C. Barrett of San Mateo was the first John H. Nail Memorial Award winner in 1979.
Ontario City Manager Chris Hughes, a former Ontario Fire Chief, has announced that he will retire at the end of the year. Chris filled the vacancy when City Manager Greg Devereaux was appointed to the San Bernardino County Chief Executive Officer position. He became City Manager in January, 2010.
Town Manager Joseph A. Calabrigo joined the Danville staff from the private sector in 1985 as the Town’s Planning Director. He was appointed Assistant Town Manager in 1990 and elevated to the Danville Town Manager post in 1993. In 2010 Joe received a 25-year ICMA Service Award.
Dublin Assistant City Manager Chris Foss has been selected to succeed retiring City Manager Joni Pattillo. Chris will be the third City Manager in Dublin since its incorporation in 1982. He began his career in Administrative Intern posts in Lompoc and Garden Grove. Following an Administrative Aide position in Los Angeles County, Chris joined the Burbank staff and worked his way up in that organization. He was appointed Deputy City Manager in Burbank in 1997. Chris moved north to join the Dublin staff in 1999 as the Director of Economic Development. He has served as ACM since 2008. He received a 30-year ICMA Service Award in2011.
Daniel C. Holler is the new Interim Town Manager in Mammoth Lakes. Dan is the former City Manager in Grass Valley, and previous to that he served as the Chief Administrator for Douglas County, Nevada. Dan will fill the void left by the resignation of Town Manager Marianna Marysheva-Martinez. Marianna served Mammoth Lakes for two and a half years as Assistant Town Manager and Town Manager. Dan began his career as an Administrative Assistant in Glendora in 1988. His next assignment was in West Covina and then he moved to join the Douglas County, Nevada staff. Roger is the recipient of a 20-year ICMA Service Award.
Mountain View City Manager Daniel H. Rich has announced the appointment of Alex Andrade to be the Mountain View Economic Development Manager. Alex will fill the position vacated by Ellis Berns, who retired in December. Alex has worked 13 years in economic development, most recently as a consultant. He has had work assignments in the cities of San Jose, Menlo Park and Los Angeles.
Retired Auburn City Manager Rodney Kent Haack, 78, passed away September 19, 2013 unexpectedly at Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital from complications following surgery. Rod was born in Remsen, Iowa on May 18, 1935. He joined the Auburn staff as the Planning Director in June, 1971, added Assistant City Manager to his duties in 1978, and was elevated to City Manager in November, 1983. Rod worked for Inglewood before moving to Auburn. He earned an MPA from Golden Gate University. Following his retirement Rod kept active in Auburn serving on the Auburn Placer Arts Council (APAC) Board, and was working on the theater renovation and improvement project.
City Manager Ian Kaiser submitted his resignation September 13 after a two-month stint as Portola City Manager. Public Works Superintendent Todd Roberts will serve as Interim City Manager until a permanent City Manager is appointed.
Former Albany Assistant City Manager Judy Lieberman (1957-2013) passed away in July at the age of 56 after a battle with cancer. Judy worked for Albany for 14-years beginning as a part-time Community Development Technician in 1998. She was devoted to the Codernices Creek restoration. Her dedication and hard work resulted in a healthier creek environment for fish and other wildlife. She was a Northwestern University graduate. City Manager Beth Pollard underscored Judy’s curiosity about new ideas and the ability to get people to focus on critical issues. In 2006 the National Civic League named Placer County’s City of Lincoln an All-American City.
Jim Estep is the current Lincoln City Manager. He was appointed in 2008 after serving as the Elk Grove Interim City Manager. He served as the Assistant City Manager in Folsom and San Ramon.
Barstow Assistant City Manager Oliver Chi is a past President of Municipal Management Association of Southern California (MMASC). Oliver earned a BA at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and an MPA at the University of Southern California (USC). Oliver had previous work assignments in Arcadia, Claremont and Rosemead. He was appointed Rosemead City Manager at the age of 27 and served there from 2007 to 2009.
Mindy Jacobs, a former Management Analyst with the City of Carlsbad, is currently a realtor at First Team Real Estate in Irvine. Mindy worked with Mike Moreland of Moreland & Associates and then with IntelliBridge Partners, as their Manager of Business Support Services. Mindy began her working career as a Public Works Assistant in the City of La Cañada Flintridge. She is a Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity International and with the Irvine Animal Care Center. Mindy is a CPA, as well as, hold a California Real Estate License. Mindy earned a BA at California State University, Fullerton.
Meghan McKelvey is the Policy Analyst with the League of California Cities that works with the City Managers Department. Meghan earned an MPA from the University of Southern California (USC).
City Manager Steven Jepsen of Yuba City will return to Oceanside as City Manager. Steve is a former Oceanside City Manager. He served 7-years as the City Manager in Yuba City starting in 2007.
Long Beach Assistant Director of Business Services Erik Sund has been appointed to the San Clemente Assistant City Manager position. City Manager Pall Gudgeirsson selected Erik from a pool of 145 applicants. He earned a BA in Social Ecology from the University of California, Irvine. Prior to his work in Long Beach Erik held positions in Irvine and Downey.
Former Cloverdale City Manager Nina Regor has died at the age of 51 due to metastatic uterine cancer, according to the Clark County Medical Examiner in Vancouver, Washington. Nina left Cloverdale at the end of January, 2013 to become the City Administrator in Camas, Washington. She died on Sunday, October 6, at her home. She began her public management career in Gresham, Oregon as a Budget Analyst in 1992, and within 10-years became the Assistant City Manager. She then became Deputy City Manager in Spokane Valley, Washington. Nina was appointed to the Cloverdale City Manager post in 2007. Nina was never married and had no children. She earned a BA from Stetson University in Florida and an MS from the Carnegie Mellon School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Former Bishop City Administrator Rick Pucci retired in 2010 after serving as the Bishop City Administrator for 30-years. James Southworth took over when Rick retired. Today Rick serves as the 3rd District Supervisor on the Inyo County Board of Supervisors.
Fresno City Manager Bruce Rudd announced the appointment of Kevin Meikle, 55, to the City of Fresno Director of Aviation position. Kevin joined the Fresno Airport Department 24-years ago. He has been serving as the Interim Director of Aviation since 2012. Kevin earned a BA in architecture from California Poly Technical University, San Luis Obispo.
Sanger City Manager Brian Haddix is the former Chief Administrative Officer in Tulare County, and CAO of Butte County prior to that. He began his public service career with the California Environmental Protection Agency. He is a graduate of the San Joaquin College of Law.
New Huntington Beach Assistant City Administrator Ken Domer, 43, is a former Villa Park City Manager, and has been serving as the Assistant City Administrator in Placentia.
Temecula City Manager Aaron Adams has organized a gathering of the City Managers from the Southwest Riverside County cities. The informal group known as the Southwest Cities City Managers Group includes the City Managers of Murrieta, Temecula, Menifee, Lake Elsinore and Wildomar. Grant Yates is the Lake Elsinore City Manager; Rob Johnson is in Menifee; Gary Nordquist is in Wildomar; and Rick Dudley is the Murrieta City Manager.
Robert G. Hutchison was appointed Roseville City Manager in November, 1968. Previous to his Roseville appointment he served as the City Manager in Ellensburg, Washington. He served as the Roseville City Manager for 20-years. He passed away in April, 2011 at the age of 85. After starting his career as a Personnel Examiner in Seattle, Washington in October, 1949, Robert worked in Santa Monica, Santa Ana and served as the Assistant City Manager in Ontario before he was selected to be the Ellensburg City Manager. He earned BS degrees in Industrial and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington. He also earned an MPA from California State University, Los Angeles.