Following interviews of five candidates Tuesday afternoon, the Board of Supervisors emerged from closed session to announce the hiring of Scott De Leon as the new Public Works director.
The department's previous head, Brent Siemer, resigned in January, and since then the department has been led on an interim basis by Gerald Shaul, the retired director who preceded Siemer.
County Administrative Officer Kelly Cox said the recruitment process has been going on for a few months.
“We recruited extensively,” he said.
All of the candidates who were interviewed came from within California, Cox said.
Cox said De Leon was the board's unanimous choice.
De Leon officially takes over as Public Works director on Monday, May 16, Cox said.
The new job will be a lateral transfer and De Leon said he won't receive a pay raise.
When De Leon was hired last year the board voted to put him at the third step of the Water Resources director pay ladder, which Lake County Human Resources said is $8,085.64 per month, the same as the Public Works director.
Tuesday, the day De Leon was interviewed, marked the one-year anniversary of when he began work as Water Resources director, De Leon said.
His hiring is anticipated to bring with it changes to the structures of the two departments, which the Board of Supervisors voted to separate about a year and a half ago.
Cox said that on May 24 the Board of Supervisors will consider merging Public Works and Water Resources once again.
“If we can free up more money to put into actual projects on the lake, I think that's an incentive to do it,” said Cox.
De Leon said he had proposed to the board during his interview that the two departments be rejoined.
“I think there's a big opportunity for the two departments to work together for an increased efficiency in addressing lake issues,” he said.
De Leon pointed to working with the Road Division on debris removal and maintenance projects.
Another example: “I think we can use the engineering and inspection division to assist with some of the projects that we have on the lake,” he said.
Rejoining the two departments would save the county money – for one, it would no longer have to pay for a Water Resources director, De Leon said.
“In light of the budget situation that we have in the state and what we're going to face at the county, I think putting the two departments under one director is certainly a benefit,” he said.
De Leon said the staff of the two departments will make it possible to absorb the Water Resources director position.
In addition, he said they've hired a new water resources coordinator who is coming from Arizona with 17 years of experience.
“I think with the combination of the talents of the folks at Public Works and the talents we have in Water Resources that we'll be able to maintain the same level of attention to the lake that we're seeing now and hopefully, actually, increase it,” De Leon said.
He'll be assisted by Lars Ewing, Public Works' assistant director, who previously had worked with De Leon at his engineering firm and has since worked with Shaul. De Leon said Ewing has a good handle on Public Works' issues.
“I'm very excited to be working together with him again,” De Leon said.
Cox said last year the board appointed a group to look at algae abatement and weeds, and they then brought a number of funding proposals back to the board.
While Cox was able to find some funding for those lake health efforts, he said, “There's still additional funding needed and this might provide the opportunity to provide that funding.”
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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