City Manager Dave Adams resigns, will move to

By Stephanie Bertholdo
Acorn Staff Writer

Agoura Hills City Manager Dave Adams has resigned. Adams, who’s held the job for 8½ years, accepted another city management post in San Juan Capistrano, according to Agoura Hills Mayor Jeff Reinhardt, who spoke at last week’s city council meeting. Greg Ramirez, assistant city manager, will serve as interim city manager, Reinhardt said.

Adams will be missed by city council members and staff.

"Dave Adams is the kind of human being that the more you’re around him, the more you want to be around him," said City Councilman Denis Weber.

Reinhardt praised Adams for his hard work. "We owe a great deal to Dave," he said, adding that the city council was equally happy to have Ramirez. Reinhardt also mentioned that another long-time city official, Councilwoman Louise Rishoff, will also be stepping down from her position after 16 years of service.

City Councilman Dan Kuperberg noted that the average city manager usually stays in that position for only about 4 ½ years, about half the time that Adams dedicated himself to Agoura Hills. "The confidence we had in Dave," Kuperberg said, "transfers to Greg."

City Councilman Ed Corridori also expressed respect and gratitude for Adams, and said Agoura Hills had an award-winning management team. Adams was part it, said Corridori.

Rishoff, who had received an emotional standing ovation at the beginning of the council meeting as the city said goodbye, also shared kind words for Adams, who was unable to attend the meeting. Adams was a great asset to the council, Rishoff said. It was a privilege to know him, she said. But it’s time for both of them to move on, she said. "Good for him, good for me."

In a subsequent interview, Adams said that he wasn’t seeking another job, but when a recruiter contacted him with an opportunity in a larger city, he said he thought about it and realized he was ready. While San Juan Capistrano is a city with 34,000 residents vs. Agoura Hills with 21,000, Adams will be overseeing a staff of 100 full-time employees vs. 30 in Agoura Hills. The new position is an opportunity, he said.

Adams was a player in many historic city events. He said he’s proud of his work with the city and staff on construction of the new library and city hall two years ago. Adams also felt a sense of accomplishment, he said, working with both Agoura Hills and the city of Calabasas to build a common community center.

The Kanan Road/101 Freeway interchange project posed the biggest challenge to Adams. Getting all the parties lined up, working cooperatively and securing the funding took years to accomplish. "It will be the largest project that the city has done in its history," Adams said.

"I’ve been extremely fortunate to work with a great city council and outstanding staff," Adams said. "We’ve been able to accomplish a lot of great things together."

Adams, 48, earned a bachelor’s of science degree in public administration from California Baptist University in Riverside, and a master’s degree in public administration from California State University Fullerton. His city and county government experience spans 25 years. He previously served as city manager of Atwater in California’s central valley.

Adams and his wife, Kim, who’s a teacher, have three triplet boys, now young men attending college.

Agoura Hills, Adams said, "is just a great place to live and raise a family."

But new challenges, he said, beckon in San Juan Capistrano.