Movers and Shakers

MOVERS&

SHAKERS

The Port San Luis Harbor District Board of Commissioners appointed Suzanne Watkins as their new Harbor Director. Ms. Watkins’ background includes nineteen years of work experience with the County of Ventura including the last sixteen years as the Deputy Director of the Harbor Department, Channel Islands Harbor. Ms. Watkins has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of California at Riverside and a Master of Business Administration from California Lutheran University. She has worked on private/public harbor capital improvement projects and managed the lease sites within Channel Islands Harbor. She led a team in Channel Island Harbor in the financial and administrative operations of the Harbor Department. Watkins began her new position as Harbor Director in February. New Cameron Park Community Services General Manager André Pichly has worked in the parks and recreation field for nearly 32 years. His illustrious career includes 20 years as West Sacramento’s recreation superintendent before he headed to Tracy, where he served as the Parks and Community Services director. But it was Sacramento that Pichly called home even as his other employment stints took him farther away, including Auburn and St. Helena.

Pichly said he is excited to help develop his new staff’s roles within the community and enjoys keeping the enthusiasm up. “I am impressed with the passion they have in their jobs,” he said. “We can play a positive role in helping people feel a sense of normalcy and keep them safe. I like having a positive impact on the people we serve by bringing quality services to the residents.”

The Pichlys have deep roots within the California State University, Sacramento community, Andre having met his wife while attending college there and where Pichly currently teaches in the Recreation, Parks and Tourism Department. His three children — Andy, Alexa and Alyse — also attended Sac State, two of them having followed in their father’s footsteps and work in the same field. The Oxnard Harbor District/Port of Hueneme Board of Harbor Commissioners named its officers for 2022. Commissioner

Mary Anne Rooney

was unanimously voted to serve as president.

“It is truly an honor to serve as Harbor Commissioner President for a third time,” said Commissioner Rooney. “Along with my fellow Commissioners, we will keep our resolve and steadfast commitment to environmental progress, innovation, and our community. We will continue to support our customers and serve as an economic force in the county by creating thousands of jobs and providing over $100 million dollars in tax revenues for our local communities.”

Commissioner Rooney was the first woman elected to the Board of Harbor Commissioners in November 2010 and served her first term as President of the Board in 2014. She is an active member of the community serving on the Boards of Nyeland Promise and the Local Agency Formation Commission; past Suzanne Watkins

President of the Association of Pacific Ports; Economic Development Committee Member for the American Association of Port Authorities; and a Delegate on a Leadership Mission to Taiwan in 2013, past Vice President of the Ventura County Special District Association.

Andre Pichly Mary Anne Rooney Photo Caption: (L-R): Ventura County Special Districts Association General Manager of the Year Brian Pendleton accepts the award from Awards Committee Chairs Elaine Magner, CSDA Board Vice President / Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District Vice Chair, and Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District Director Elaine Freeman.

Director Mark Malloy of Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District was named the Ventura County Special District Association’s Director of the Year for 2021.

On February 1, the Ventura County Special Districts Association held its annual awards meeting to honor the very best of the County’s special districts. Ventura Port District

General Manager Brian Pendleton

earned General Manager of the Year, while Pleasant Valley Recreation

and Park District Director Mark

Malloy was named Director of the Year. Congratulations to these outstanding public servants for their dedication to special districts!

Brian Pendleton, who has been at the helm of the Ventura Port District since 2019, was honored with General Manager of The Year by Ventura County Special Districts Association (VCSDA). VCSDA Board President Bruce E. Dandy states, “All of the members of the Ventura County Special Districts Association

are proud of Pendleton’s numerous achievements on behalf of the Ventura Port District, which is a valuable asset to our community and to Ventura County’s economy, fishing, recreation, and tourism industries. We all join in congratulating Brian for his accomplishments.” During the past year, Pendleton has been instrumental in spearheading four key initiatives that can be attributed to receiving this prestigious achievement. He developed and led the implementation of a forwardthinking COVID-19 Rental Abatement and Deferment Program that went into effect at the beginning of the pandemic, which helped avoid business closures at Ventura Harbor as a result of the pandemic. In 2021, Pendleton and his team developed a Public and Civic Brian Pendleton Engagement Plan ensuring effective public input process and increase in transparency of relations with stakeholders. He also worked with the California Special Districts Association to ensure ports and harbors were included in Governor Gavin Newsom’s $250M American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for Ports and secured a $1M grant from the State Lands Commission to address COVID impacts to the district. The Ventura Port District has also recently received the District Transparency Certificate of Excellence by the Special District Leadership Foundation (SDLF) in recognition of its outstanding efforts to promote transparency and good governance.

“I’m honored to receive this award from the Ventura County Special District’s Association. It is truly a reflection of the leadership of our Port Commissioners and hard work and dedication of our Port District staff, and tenant business partners who continually strive in making Ventura Harbor a first-class working waterfront and seaside destination,” said Pendleton.

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Do you have movers and shakers in your districts to highlight?

Send to CSDA Communications Specialist-Editor Vanessa Gonzales at vanessag@csda.net for consideration in this section.

The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District has been recognized by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) with the special Triple Crown medallion. The medallion is awarded to local governments that have received the GFOA’s Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting, Popular Annual Financial Reporting Award, and the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award in the same year. This marks the sixth consecutive year Midpen has received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award.

“Winning this award is recognition of Midpen’s strong financial operations and reporting,” Chief Financial Officer Stefan Jaskulak said. “It’s a reflection of our ongoing commitment to building public trust and demonstrating accountability through full disclosure of our budgeting and finances.”

Midpen has also received the District Transparency Certificate of Excellence from the Special District Leadership Foundation (SDLF) in recognition of its outstanding efforts to promote transparency and good governance.

“These awards are a reflection of Midpen’s commitment to open government,” General Manager Ana Mária Ruiz said. “Our board of directors and staff are dedicated to transparent operations and providing the public the with opportunities to engage in our decision-making process.” The Costa Mesa Sanitary District (CMSD) has been recognized by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the United States and Canada with the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award. This recognition from the GFOA goes to local governments which prepare a budget document of the highest quality and reflect the guidelines established by both the National Advisory Council on state and local budgeting and GFOA’s best practices on budgeting.

The Distinguished Budget Presentation award represents a significant achievement by CMSD and allowed CMSD to earn GFOA’s prestigious Triple Crown recognition, which recognizes government agencies that have received GFOA’s Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting, along with its Popular Annual Financial Reporting (PAFR) award and the Distinguished Budget Presentation award in the same year. Only a handful of local government agencies nationwide receive this recognition annually and even fewer independent special districts are so honored.

“The Costa Mesa Sanitary District has a long history of commitment to excellence in government finance,” said Board President Bob Ooten. “We believe complete transparency and full disclosure of our finances builds public trust and demonstrates accountability and we hope that CMSD’s recognition inspires all special districts to strive to become Triple Crown winners from GFOA.”

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