Local News in Brief : Westlake Village Picks Its New City Manager

The Westlake Village City Council on Wednesday agreed on a replacement for its city manager, who is resigning next month to start a property-management firm.

The council unanimously voted to hire Larry W. Bagley, the city manager of Marina, a Northern California city on Monterey Bay. Bagley will replace James E. Emmons, who has served as the city’s chief administrator since Westlake Village was incorporated in 1982.

“We had roughly 70 applicants for the job from the state and out of state,” Mayor Berniece E. Bennett said. “But Larry came across very positive, and we felt he was the right man.”

Bagley, 42, has worked in city administration for 13 years, the last seven as city manager of Marina. He received both undergraduate and graduate degrees from Brigham Young University in Utah. Bagley is married and has six children.

Emmons, 32, who holds a degree in government from Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, was the state’s youngest city manager when he was hired by the city of La Habra at age 23. He said he began working in city government when he was 18 and continued while attending college.

“So far, I’ve had success running a government agency, and now I want to try my hand as a businessman,” Emmons said.

Bagley will be paid an annual salary of $60,000 to manage the city of 11,300 residents, city officials said. He is scheduled to begin Aug. 1.