Rancho Santa Fe
A veteran firefighter from the City of Orange has been named fire chief in Rancho Santa Fe, succeeding the controversial Peter Fox.
Arden Pedersen, 48, a battalion chief in Orange, will become the new chief Aug. 1 and will be paid $55,200 a year. Fox will remain with the Fire Department in a management role.
The Rancho Santa Fe department has 31 full-time employees, 4 stations, 14 volunteers and responsibility for 48 square miles.
For several years, Fox was also chief of the Solana Beach Fire Department but that agreement was severed by Solana Beach after the San Diego County Grand Jury criticized Fox for mismanagement. Pedersen will not assume the Solana Beach job.
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