Board of Supervisors Also Votes to Combine Assessor with Clerk-Recorder – It has been 20 years that Mike McGowan has served on the Yolo County Board of Supervisors, but he announced on Tuesday that he will be stepping down from his position, following Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.’s appointment of the Yolo County Supervisor to deputy director of strategic planning and policy at the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
According to a release from Governor Brown, “Mike McGowan, 65, of West Sacramento, has been appointed deputy director of strategic planning and policy at the California Department of Motor Vehicles, effective December 4, 2013.”
Mike McGowan was the first Mayor of West Sacramento in 1987, and served on their city council from 1987 to 1992 before being elected to the Yolo County Board of Supervisors in 1993. In 1994, he had an unsuccessful run for the State Senate.
According to the release from the governor’s office, “McGowan was an attorney in private practice from 1977 to 1996. He is chair of the Port of West Sacramento Commission and a member of the Yolo County Transportation District Board of Directors, the Delta Protection Commission and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.”
“He is an officer of the California State Association of Counties executive committee and was president of the board of directors in 2012,” the release continued. “McGowan earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $125,004. McGowan is a Democrat.”
Regarding his time on the Board of Supervisors, he says “I had more fun and more personal gratification than I can imagine anyone could have in their work,” and that he will miss the job “terribly.”
He added, “I have a lot of mixed emotions about leaving, but my last day here will be the board meeting on Dec. 3.”
Once Supervisor McGowan steps down, the governor will have ninety days to appoint his replacement.
A statement from Senator Lois Wolk’s office quoted the senator, “Mike McGowan embodies the tough working class community from which he came. As West Sacramento’s first Mayor he guided the city through it’s initial growing pains and then as their County Supervisor helped bring his community the respect it never enjoyed before.”
She added, “I have been honored to work with Mike for over 20 years and to see him become the highly regarded regional and statewide leader he is today, as well as my partner and fierce advocate for the Delta communities we represented together. I look forward to working with Mike on the many challenges facing the DMV.”
That was not the only big news of the day, as the county supervisors voted by a 3-2 vote, with Supervisors Jim Provenza and Duane Chamberlain dissenting, to combine the offices of county assessor with that of clerk/recorder.
Staff argued, “The functions of the Clerk-Recorder have a great deal in common with the Assessor since both largely focus on property-related services and documents.”
County Clerk/Recorder Freddie Oakley has indicated that she would run for the consolidated office, but Joel Butler remains undecided.
Supervisor Provenza has expressed concerns that the elections division would get lost in a larger department that focuses on property.
As he told the Enterprise on Tuesday, “It’s an example of false efficiency, where we’re combining departments that do two different things.” He added, “I really believe that both the assessor function and voting function are important enough to be left in their separate departments.”
Joel Butler also expressed reservations to the supervisors, stating, “We actually do have services that are quite diverse” and adding, “I’m not sure you’re going to save a lot of money or gain a lot of efficiency.”
As he noted, elections “have nothing to do with what we do.”
Freddie Oakley was a bit more optimistic about the move, telling supervisors that both departments essentially function as “big IT operations.”
“I believe it is well within the ability of my management team to pull it off,” Ms. Oakley told supervisors. “I’m confident we could take on this challenge and be successful.”
—David M. Greenwald reporting
Filling Mike McGowan’s shoes will be a very tall order indeed. He has served both Yolo County and West Sacramento superbly over the years. His sense of humor from the dais, especially when he sat in the Chair’s seat, was always a breath of fresh air, but never with an abandonment of the importance of the office.
it will be interesting to see who the governor decides to appoint. in the long term, guys like cabaldon and oscar villegas may emerge as a candidates to replace mcgowan.
I would be surprised if Cabaldon was interested. I don’t think he is interested in a lateral move. Mayor in West Sacramento is a much higher profile and more permanent position than mayor in Davis is. Don’s move to the County made a whole lot of sense, in part because his skills and experience are so well aligned to the social services emphasis at the County level. Cabaldon is much more focused on economic development, and stepping away from that would be less interesting for him IMHO.
There are lots of good people to choose from that live in that district. Mike Soloman comes to mind. If you don’t know who he is that’s my point.
good point matt. villegas might be a better fit. no idea who mike soloman is. i understand your point.
second sentence addressed to mr. toad, sorry.
Jerry Brown probably bought Records from Soloman’s company. He is a lawyer with deep long Democratic Party roots.
Or how about Four Waters. Democratic central committee member and West Sac resident. So many are called so few are chosen.
Babs Sandeen is a possibility as well
Former West Sac mayor Cindy Tuttle would be a good choice.