Ms. Chaparyan has 15 years of local government experience, most recently serving as assistant city manager of San Gabriel. The only agenda item will be a public employment matter concerning embattled City Manager Stephanie DeWolfe, the South Pasadena reported. The statement said that effective immediately Fire Chief Paul Riddle will assume the role of Acting City Manager., At the direction of the South Pasadena City Council, Acting City Manager Fire Chief Riddle will continue to lead the remaining COVID-19 response and begin taking the action necessary to safely move our community forward.. Chaparyan has 15 years of experience in municipal government and a masters degree in public administration from USC. He brings vitality, experience and a fresh perspective to Hermosa Beach at a time when the city is making decisions and plans that will chart the citys future.. He is a self-identified technophile, data nerd and wannabe drone pilot. During a roughly three-year period, she went through five finance directors and replaced more than six department heads, the newspaper reported. While working in the City Attorneys Office from 1989-2012, Mr. Rodriguez served as the lawyer for the Rose Bowl Operating Company and several City departments, eventually becoming the Citys chief assistant city attorney. Many. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Please provide your name, phone number or email address. The City of South Pasadena is a general law city incorporated on March 2, 1888. Breaking News Tips: (626) 737-8486 Extension 7 Beyond the budget in any municipality, its helpful to keep an eye on the Demand Register, published as part of the City CouncilAgenda which actually shows where the $$$$s are going. South Pasadena, CA 91030, Phone:(626) 403-7210 1414 Mission Street Zillow has 9796 homes for sale. South Pasadenas City Council originally planned to hire Jordan, but backed down from the decision during a special meeting April 20 in light of some community opposition. RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds offer another way to get Pasadena Now content. Others sent emails and called city council members about their concerns with the hiring. Council members expect to vote on an employment agreement with Armine Chaparyan, the current assistant city manager in San Gabriel, at their May 5 meeting, according to an announcement from the city. The South Pasadena City Council will host a candidate forum on Wednesday, April 28, 2021 from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm to introduce City Manager candidate Armin Chaparyan. Please enable JavaScript in your browser for a better user experience. Sean served as the South Pasadena City Manager from 1996 to 2004 before heading to Irvine. The City Manager serves as the Chief Administrative Officer, ensuring that the policies of the Mayor and City Council are executed effectively and efficiently. Paul Riddle has been serving as the Acting City Manager. Fax press release to : (888) 650-9712, James Macpherson, Co-Publisher | jamesm@pasadenanowmagazine.com South Pasadena Public Library and The Music Center to Host Korean Classical Music and Dance Company Performance. Following a national search, the City of Hermosa Beach announced today that South Pasadena City Manager Sergio Gonzalez will be Hermosa Beachs new city manager. Before joining the City of Pasadena in 2022, Miguel Mrquez served as the Chief Operating Officer of the County of Santa Clara, responsible for all operations of the county, the largest in Northern California. 2, David Cross | newsdesk@pasadenanowmagazine.com (626)737-8486 Ext. Get all the latest Pasadena news, more than 10 fresh stories daily, 7 days a week at 7 a.m. Municipal politics, Bureaucracy and Corruption, No Way! 2, David Cross | newsdesk@pasadenanowmagazine.com Gonzalez will also be responsible for implementing and enforcing city policies and ordinances, and he will help the city complete and implement PLAN Hermosa, an update of Hermosas general plan and adoption of a local coastal program. We look forward to working with Armin to advance infrastructure projects and services that improve the quality of life of every South Pasadenan. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Bob Murray & Associates, the Roseville consulting firm the town hired to help identify retiring City Manager Carl Cahill's replacement, is the same firm that helped the South Pasadena City Council select former Los Altos City Manager Chris Jordan for its own vacant city manager post. Email: City Clerk The virtual meeting will be conducted over ZOOM and broadcast live on the South Pasadena City Council meeting webpage. Learn how your comment data is processed. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); ColoradoBoulevard.net - By Coloradoblvd.net and WMF. Back Submit. Your email address will not be published. During her two-year, 10-month tenure, she replaced over a half dozen department heads and went through five finance directors, the newspaper reported. She joined San Gabriel as its community development director in 2014. Copyright 2023. 8 For Advertising, Call (626) 737-8486 Ext. Pasadena Now | Terms of - Service | Privacy Policy | CA Notice of Collection. Raised in Ohio, Jason began his career at a suburban daily near Cleveland before moving to California in 2013. The council was set to offer Jordan a four-year, $225,000 contract at its April 21 meeting before the decision was made not to move forward with his hiring. If you are also interested in hearing from the candidate on specific topic areas, you can send an email to cmoffice@southpasadenaca.gov. Retired Irvine City Manager Sean Joyce, 57, has been appointed Interim City Manager in South Pasadena to replace City Manager Stephanie DeWolfe, who has purportedly retired following her dismissal. The publication will remain free to readers and will not erect paywalls. Phone:(626) 403-7230 Jordan had left West Linn by the time the 2017 wrongful arrest occurred and Timeus retired that same year amid allegations of drunken driving. The City Council wishes her the best in the next chapter of her life, said South Pasadena Mayor Bob Joe. Share & Bookmark, Press Enter to show all options, press Tab go to next option, Technology, Grants Management and Special Projects, Request a Public Accommodation for a City Event or Program, Fourth of July / Festival of Balloons Committee, Mobility and Transportation Infrastructure Commission, Natural Resources & Environmental Commission, Ad Hoc City Leased Recreational Facilities Committee, Community Improvement and Code Enforcement, Natural Resources and Environmental Agendas and Minutes, Planning Commission Agendas & Minutes (New), Public Safety Commission Agendas & Minutes, Public Works Commission Agendas & Minutes, 1414 Mission Street, South Pasadena, CA 91030. A full-service city, South Pasadena . Specific areas of responsibility include oversight of eight operating departments, public information and community engagement, legislative affairs, economic development, following up on citizen concerns, providing recommendations to promote organizational efficiency and overseeing the development and presentation of the annual budget. She will start her new position with South Pasadena on Monday, May 31, 2021. 100 N Garfield Ave. ,Room S228 But especially controversial was DeWolfes handling of what she had described as inappropriate accounting practices by the citys Finance Department. The City Council has an ambitious agenda for addressing making South Pasadena even more special than it already is. 8, Eddie Rivera | erivera@pasadenanowmagazine.com Mayor Diana Mahmud said: Appointment of a City Manager is the most important decision the City Council will make. Domenica Megerdichian, 1414 Mission Street, South Pasadena, CA 91030 | P:(626) 403-7200 | Contact Us. City Manager's Office; Management Services; Community Services; Finance; Fire; Library; Community Development Department; Police ; Public Works; City Council Meetings. Additional questions may be asked at the end of the forum, if time permits, according to the citys announcement. Pasadena (/ p s d i n / PAS--DEE-n) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, 11 miles (18 km) northeast of downtown Los Angeles.It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Email:CM Office For Advertising, Call (626) 737-8486 Ext. View listing photos, review sales history, and use our detailed real estate filters to find the perfect place. DeWolfe was criticized by former South PasadenaFinance Director Josh Betta, who released a reportsaying the citys proposed 2020-21 budget figures were blatantly false. The South Pasadena reports that finance professionals Stephen and Sheila Rossi said they had identified millions of dollars in discrepanciesbetween the proposed budget Aceves got approved by the citys finance commission and the one she submitted for approval by the City Council. Breaking News Tips: (626) 737-8486 Extension 7 The city announced the resignation only a half hour after its closed special meeting and said that Fire Chief Paul Riddle would assume the role of Acting City Manager. Retired Santa Monica City Manager John Jalili has been serving as interim city manager since October. (626)737-8486 Ext. Following candidate screening, and two rounds of City Council interviews, and a well-received April 28 virtual community forum with the final candidate, the City Council has unanimously appointed Armine Chaparyan to the Citys top administrative post. We strive to inform, educate, and work together to make a better world for all of us, locally and globally. West Linn made national headlines in 2020 when the city agreed to pay $600,000 to settle a wrongful arrest lawsuit filed by a Black man arrested in 2017 by West Linn police as part of a scheme to discredit him and prevent him from suing his employer, the owner of a local tow company, for racial discrimination. It is governed by the City Council/City Manager form of government. South Pasadena to introduce city manager, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), South Pasadena to introduce city manager candidate to public, Baby girl Winter of Lake Arrowhead is born amid raging blizzard, Theres a dire need for male teachers of color. The City Council narrowed the finalists to five, then two, before initially deciding to offer the job to Jordan, according to a staff report. The Human Resources Office is a Division of the Management Services Department, dedicated to responsible human resource management by: recruiting qualified individuals for a productive workplace; providing a safe work environment; maintaining equitable compensation systems; and committing to personal and professional development of the employees Its very interesting. Subscribe to our feeds to get the latest headlines, summaries and links back to full articles formatted for your favorite feed reader and updated throughout the day. Pasadena Now strives to provide factual, unbiased reporting. Our opinion section is open to all. Tamara Binns has over 15 years of government service, including local and federal, with a background in Bio-Medical Engineering. While the City of South Pasadena is not a direct Social Service provider, City staff has established a Social Services Task Force to bring together the These formative experiences inspired Mrquezs commitment to public service. The City of South Pasadena is a General Law City, incorporated March 2, 1888, operating under the Council-Manager form of govern-ment. We strive to inform, educate, and work together to make a better world for all of us, locally and globally. Jordan, who served a total of 15 years as city manager in two West Coast cities with populations similar to South Pasadena, will report to work May 10. Real Estate: Hot Properties & Latest Listings, NEW! According to the South Pasadenan, the newspaper that covers South Pasadena, DeWolfes resignation took effect the day before the 4 p.m closed session meeting that the Pasadena City Council had arranged for this past Sunday. Special Projects . (626) 744-4333 We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Mrquez has also worked for two private law firms (Cooley Godward LLP and Remcho, Johansen & Purcell), and as a management consultant at KPMG Peat Marwick, where he was part of a national financial and organizational consulting practice. Contact Form, Hours of Operation: The City Council will not consider approval of an employment agreement with Mr. Jordan and will now direct its attention toward the other candidate., The press release does not identify the second candidate. In a statement, Mayor Diana Mahmud said the appointment of a city manager is the most important decision the City Council will make. The city received more than 50 applications for the position and ultimately narrowed the list to two: Christopher Jordan, a former Los Altos city manager, and Chaparyan. DeWolfe had drawn her own controversies over her management of the city, according to the. He serves on his alma maters Board of Trustees and is a member of the Municipal Management Association of Southern California and the International City/County Management Association. Huh? (626) 737-8486 Ext. DeWolfe hired a consultant to reorganize the Finance Department and hired a new finance director, Karen Aceves. It added amenities, including a new dog park, and improved its fire safety rating, resulting in lower insurance rates for residents and businesses. DeWolfe served the City as its City Manager from November 6, 2017 until last Friday, the statement said. . E-mail press release to : editor@pasadenanow.com (City of Pasadena/Submitted) H istory was made beneath the spires of city hall on July 11. She had been on staff at the City of Pasadena since 1990 in various roles including Acting Assistant City Manager, where she worked with the City Manager on policy issues and management of the City Council. With benefit of the insights of four community focus groups of 31 South Pasadena community leaders, each describing the ideal qualities they wish to see in the next city manager, the City Council retained executive recruiter Gary Phillips, of Bob Murray & Associates to undertake a national recruitment to gather qualified candidates to fill the citys vacant city manager position. Jordan, the former Los Altos city manager, confirmed April 21 he was out of the running in an email response to the Town Crier. Please enable JavaScript in your browser for a better user experience. But by then, the city was already falling behind not only in cleaning up the financial morass, but in the preparation of the citys annual audit and Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.. Click for Directory. (626)737-8486 Ext. He is a self-identified technophile, data nerd and wannabe drone pilot. The Mayor is selected from the City Council members and serves a one-year term. In his new role, Gonzalez will be responsible for the day-to-day administration of Hermosa Beachs city government, which includes the oversight of 145 fulltime employees and an annual budget of approximately $37.7 million. South Pasadena, having rescinded its initial job offer to a prospective city manager after community pushback, will host a virtual public forum April 28 to introduce the City Councils new pick for the position. Domenica Megerdichian has worked for four Los Angeles-area municipalities. Which Bands Will March in the 2024 Rose Parade? 04. Before being named Community Development Director for West Hollywood, DeWolfe had served as deputy director of the Planning & Community Development Department for the City of Pasadena. Our News Desk department consists of a collective of news gatherers in order to keep the community informed and safe. South Pasadena, CA 91030 We know that Armine is very familiar with our city and looks forward to putting her energy and talent to good use in South Pasadena. The council planned to appoint Christopher Jordan, the former city manager of Los Altos, to a four-year, $225,000 annual contract at its regular meeting Wednesday, April 21. Gonzalez replaces former City Manager Tom Bakaly, who resigned in August 2016 to become the Beach Cities Health Districts chief executive officer. We are excited to welcome Armin as our new City Manager. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district.. Its population was 138,699 at the 2020 census, making it the 44th largest city in California and . A press release from the City of South Pasadena that was released on Sunday said that DeWolfe had submitted her resignation from the position, which she assumed on Nov. 6, 2017. The city has not released the employment agreement with Chaparyan. Hours of Operation: He and his wife, Cathy, have twin daughters, Olivia and Sofia, age nine. In that position, she managed the citys Planning Division, where she oversaw zoning, design and historic preservation, and community planning. It received several honors, including recognition for being an energy-wise, environmentally sensitive and walkable city. In Pasadena, Altadena, Sierra Madre, South Pasadena, San Marino, San Gabriel and Alhambra. 4, Faith Fernandez, Chief Administrative Officer | ffernandez@pasadenanowmagazine.com Interim South Pasadena City Manager Sean Joyce, one of the most highly regarded city managers in the State, wasn't fooled. South Pasadena farmers market is open Thursdays, 4, Local High Schools Ranking According to U.S. News Report. Your email address will not be published. The City is soliciting bids for city attorney services! Sergios strong reputation became known to us during our search, and we expect he will enjoy even more success in Hermosa Beach, said Hermosa Beach Mayor Justin Massey. DeWolfe had drawn her own controversies over her management of the city, according to the South Pasadenan. We know that Armin is very familiar with our city and looks forward to putting her energy and talent to good use in South Pasadena. Jordan had controversial tenures in Los Altos and West Linn, Ore., prior to applying for the South Pasadena position. She also previously worked for the Cities of Glendale and West Hollywood in the City Clerk Elections and in City Council support roles while pursuing her graduate degrees. 7, Candice Merrill, Co-Publisher | editor@pasadenanowmagazine.com Your email address will not be published. South Pasadenas previous city manager, Stephanie DeWolfe, retired from the city in September. The South Pasadena community is invited to meet Ms. Chaparyan during the virtual forum as she presents her experience and interest in serving in the Citys top administrative post. In a statement,. Principal Management Analyst. A South Pasadena city councilwoman apologized Saturday, Aug.15, for making fake email accounts to attack her critics and then announced she will step down Aug. 18. The City Council has an ambitious agenda for making South Pasadena even more special than it already is. The City Council consists of five members elected to four-year staggered terms of office. But the announcement of Jordans impending hire triggered immediate backlash from residents who questioned the candidates sudden resignations from his last two cities and the transparency of the selection process. Pasadena Now has been published daily since April, 2004 and is among the very oldest continuously operated community news websites in the U.S. Pasadena Now strives to publish a full spectrum of news and information articles in service to the entire community. After returning to the City of Pasadena, Mr. Rodriguez handled special assignments with the City Attorneys Office and as a special assistant to the city manager prior to his appointment as assistant city manager in 2016. Subscribe to our feeds to get the latest headlines, summaries and links back to full articles formatted for your favorite feed reader and updated throughout the day. Following a national search, the City of Hermosa Beach announced today that South Pasadena City Manager Sergio Gonzalez will be Hermosa Beach's new city manager. Your email address will not be published. M - F 8:00 am - 5:00 pm. (626)737-8486 Ext. Your email address will not be published. (626)737-8486 Ext. She was only in WEHO for five years of her 20+ year career. (626)737-8486 Ext. Mr. Rodriguez received his bachelors degree as a College Scholar of the College of Arts and Sciences from Cornell University and his law degree from the University of California, Berkeley. 801, Andr Coleman, Managing Editor | andrec@pasadenanowmagazine.com Your email address will not be published. Following candidate screening, and two rounds of City Council interviews, and a well-received April 28 virtual community forum with the final candidate, the City Council has unanimously appointed Armin Chaparyanto the Citys top administrative post. "Sergio's strong reputation. Pasadena Now has been published daily since April, 2004 and is among the very oldest continuously operated community news websites in the U.S. Pasadena Now strives to publish a full spectrum of news and information articles in service to the entire community. Share & Bookmark, Press Enter to show all options, press Tab go to next option, Request a Public Accommodation for a City Event or Program, Fourth of July / Festival of Balloons Committee, Mobility and Transportation Infrastructure Commission, Natural Resources & Environmental Commission, Ad Hoc City Leased Recreational Facilities Committee, Community Improvement and Code Enforcement, Natural Resources and Environmental Agendas and Minutes, Planning Commission Agendas & Minutes (New), Public Safety Commission Agendas & Minutes, Public Works Commission Agendas & Minutes, 1414 Mission Street, South Pasadena, CA 91030. I look forward to tackling these new challenges, and I am very excited to have the opportunity to work with the Hermosa Beach City Council, city staff and community, said Gonzalez. The proposal drew flak from some residents who felt the councils deliberations should have been done publicly to address Jordans sudden resignations from city manager roles in Los Altos and in West Linn, Oregon. City of South Pasadena. She grew up in the area and graduated from John Muir High School in Pasadena. Prior to this role, she served as the Economic Development Manager at the City of San Gabriel, where she helped stabilize and grow the local economy during the COVID-19 pandemic. In November 2020, Jordan and Los Altos entered into a settlement agreement wherein he agreed to step down and waive his right to sue in exchange for $183,821, or nine months of severance, three months more than required by his contract, according to the agreement. (626)737-8486 Ext. Ms. Chaparyan, a graduate of John Muir High School in Pasadena, holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from U.C.L.A and a Masters of Public Administration from U.S.C. Her starting annual salary is $215,000. She has led the City in navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, and has brought the organization to new heights during her time in South Pasadena. Armin Chaparyan, Deputy City Manager During a closed session late Tuesday, the City Council voted unanimously not to move forward with the hire in light of expressed community opposition and concerns., The City Council is pleased that Mr. Jordan was one of two candidates that it considered capable of serving in the top administrative spot, a city press release stated. Chaparyan has 15 years of experience in municipal government and holds a B.A. M-Th 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM, 1414 Mission Street, South Pasadena, CA 91030 | P:(626) 403-7200 | Contact Us.