Baker Goes Back to His Former Job

Ventura County’s short-lived chief administrative officer was back at his old desk Tuesday morning, just moments after San Joaquin County’s Board of Supervisors voted 4 to 1 to reappoint David L. Baker as top manager.

After the board members cast their votes, applause erupted from the audience welcoming Baker back to the job he left last month to come to Ventura County.

“It feels fine, just fine,” Baker said in a telephone interview from his Stockton office Tuesday. “I’m glad to be back doing good things for San Joaquin County.”

As part of his new contract, Baker worked a deal that would make it very difficult to be fired--changing the vote necessary for removal from a three-fifths to four-fifths majority.

“It gives more stability to the position,” Baker said. “I believe it’s in the best interest of the county to keep that a stable relationship.”

Ventura County officials said they wished Baker well in his reappointment.

“I would imagine he would have a difficult time getting a job,” Supervisor John K. Flynn said. “Doing what he did to Ventura County would not go over well with other counties. So I’m happy he got his job back.”

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“Great,” Supervisor Frank Schillo added. “I’m really pleased about that. I was worried about the guy. He was so honest with us that if they didn’t take him back, he would be out of a job. And a guy like that shouldn’t be out of a job.”

Baker left his job in San Joaquin County last month for a similar position in Ventura County. But after only four days, Baker resigned the post and fired off a scathing six-page assessment of county government that he described as “near financial chaos.” He also complained that the local chief administrative officer was too weak to be effective.

He returned, unemployed, to his home in Lodi.

A few potential employers called him over the past two weeks, Baker said, including one county with a job offer. He declined to name the county.

But he did not seriously consider any offers until San Joaquin County board Chairman Robert Cabral gave him a call last week.

“I made no calls. I made no effort,” Baker said. “Once I heard from the board chairman, I wanted to have the conversation with this board.”

Baker met with the board in closed session Tuesday morning. Several supervisors had questions about what happened in Ventura County, Baker said, adding that he talked to them about his decision to leave for nearly 30 minutes.

“It was logical and predictable they would question, ‘Gee, what happened?’ ” Baker said. “But I gave a fairly comprehensive, good, solid overview of everything.”

By the end of the meeting, four supervisors were eager to make an offer to Baker, who had served as chief administrative officer there for five years.

Supervisor Ed Simas cast the only dissenting vote, arguing that he would prefer to keep the job search open in the name of fairness, although he did encourage Baker to apply.

Simas and his four colleagues did not return phone calls to their offices Tuesday.

Although the new offer came with no increase in his $128,000-a-year salary, Baker was granted a few extra benefits. In addition to the enhanced job security, he will receive an extra 10 days of personal leave to be with family in Southern California. Another seven days will be added in the next three years.

Baker said part of the reason he sought employment with Ventura County was because it brought him closer to relatives.

“The board chairman knew how important my family obligations are,” Baker said.

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Baker said he walked from the supervisors’ meeting into his old office and immediately went to work.

“Yeah, well, it’s like I was unemployed,” Baker said. “I wasn’t doing much. I’m just anxious to catch up on the 30-day gap.”

Baker said he is ready to step out of the media spotlight.

“I felt extraordinarily uncomfortable with all the media attention,” he said. “I think a good day in county government is a day I’m not in the newspapers. I’m just one little person trying to do my job.

“And there are some great people in Ventura County, and I wish them the very best.”