WeHo City Hall Proposes Restructuring of Administrative Positions

The City of West Hollywood is proposing a restructuring of part of its senior management according to a message to city employees sent by City Manager Paul Arevalo.

The restructuring, outlined in the 2013-2014 fiscal year budget that will be presented next week to the City Council, includes creating a position of assistant director in the Community Development Department to oversee current and historic preservation and the Long Range and Mobility divisions. Arevalo proposes creating a manager of strategic initiatives to focus on the city’s capital projects and long-range initiatives. That person would report to the assistant city manager. The budget proposes several more minor additions and changes, including adding a parking analyst in the Public Works Department, a human resources analyst in the Administrative Services Department and a special events technician, recreation coordinator and a part-time senior lifeguard in the Human Services and Rent Stabilization Department. The Public Safety Manager title will be changed to Public Safety Director to reflect the importance of the position.

With the additions, the city is proposing deleting the Human Resources manager position and two recreation leader positions for a net increase of 3.5 positions citywide.

Separate from the budget process, with the retirement last month of Helen Goss, one of the city’s longest-tenured employees and Director of Public Information and Prosecution Services, the city is restructuring the Public Information Office. The director’s position will become a manager-level position and Prosecution Services, formerly part of the Public Information Office, will move to the Legal Services Division. Both will report to the assistant city manager. The city also plans a study of its efforts on civic engagement and its existing social media, film and cable television activities

Arevalo also announced that LuNita Bock of the Human Resources Division has been named the new director of Human Resources and Administrative Services. In that role, Arevalo’s memo said, she will, in addition to overseeing Administrative Services, “continue to lead the work of the Human Resources Division. Her knowledge of organizational development, succession planning, labor relations and leadership around recent changes in pension reform and the Healthcare Act will continue to be instrumental to the organization. She will also be more involved with organizational development and innovations coordination.”