Jerry Collins Picnic Pavilion dedication ceremony will be held July 19, 2016 at Wilderness Park at 2240 N. Highland Oaks Drive in Arcadia. There is a memorial plaque to commemorate his life. He was a former Director of Parks and Recreation for City of Arcadia. He started his service with City of Arcadia in 1970 and had a 24 year career. See also Arcadia Weekly, p. 1, 12, July 21, 2016.
Arcadia Library Board of Trustees appoints Mary Beth Hayes as interim Director of Library and Museum Services, following the sudden death of Jackie Faust-Moreno. Mary Beth Hayes has been employed by the City of Arcadia since 1989 and is currently Library Services Manager.
City of Arcadia to update Recreation and Park Master Plan. Seeking resident input. The last update was 2007. See also Arcadia Weekly, p. 4, June 4, 2015.
Karen Gutierrez-McNair named new CEO of Arcadia Chamber of Commerce, effective February 29. She is executive director of Santa Anita Family YMCA in Monrovia. She replaces Chamber CEO Scott Hettrick, who has resigned to move to Nebraska.
Dominic Lazzaretto will be the new Arcadia City Manager, pending City Council's approval next week. He replaces Don Penman and is expected to start on March 26. He has been City Manager of La Palma for 6 years.
Arcadia's new city manager Dominic Lazzaretto is ready for the job. He starts March 26 and replaces Don Penman who retired last November. He comes to Arcadia from a City Manager position in La Palma.
Moises Davila, a 20-year-old resident of Arcadia, and a part-time employee of the Arcadia Recreation and Community Services Department, was arrested for lewd acts with a child under 14. The suspicious physical contact allegedly happened between him and a female juvenile who was attending Afterschool Recreation Program at Longley Way Elementary School in Arcadia.
City clerks often earn six figure salaries. Pasadena has the highest paid clerk in the San Gabriel Valley with an annual salary of $143,006, and 10 cities have clerks that make more than $100,000. The City Clerk is responsible for all city records and for orchestrating city elections. Arcadia's city manager Don Penman said the role of city clerk as chief record keeper is essential and the pay is justified because of the level of responsibility the position demands. Arcadia's city clerk is paid $90,870 per year.
With about a dozen Southern California cities, including Arcadia, potentially seeking new city managers this fall, some local officials are worried demand could drive up the salaries. Arcadia City Councilman Roger Chandler, whose city manager Don Penman is retiring in October, after 3 years as top administrator, said the opportunity to work for certain cities will outweigh the competitive market. He said this will not create a bidding war for city managers. Penman's annual salary is $214,032 plus $4000 in deferred compensation. He receives $14,076/year in medical benefits, 4 weeks vacation, 2 weeks management leave, and use of a car and BlackBerry.
The salaries of city managers in the area have come under scrutiny following the city of Bell's scandal involving overpaid city officials. Bell's now-ousted city manager Robert Rizzo was earning close to $800,000. Arcadia city manager Don Penman's salary of $214,032 is shown in a chart along with other nearby city managers.