Supervisors Reportedly Pick New County CAO

David Baker, chief administrative officer of San Joaquin County, has been chosen to take the reins of government in Ventura County and lead it out of some of the most serious political turmoil in its history, highly placed sources said Tuesday.

Supervisors selected Baker in a 5-0 vote during a closed session Tuesday morning, the sources said.

The supervisors did not make their decision public, but Baker, reached at his home in Lodi, confirmed his selection. But he said it is contingent upon him passing a background check.

An official job offer would take place after the review is successfully completed, he said.

“It’s a very exciting prospect,” Baker said. “It’s a promotional opportunity and it’s a wonderful area to live. I also have strong family ties to Southern California.”

Officials in San Joaquin County, which has a population of 550,000, said Baker is a strong fiscal manager who led the county out of its own financial morass. They also lauded him for exceptional people skills.

In his current post, Baker oversees about 6,500 employees and a budget of $700 million. The county is south of Sacramento; the county seat is Stockton.

In Ventura County, which has a population of about 700,000, Baker would replace Lin Koester, who left two weeks ago after overseeing the county’s $955-million budget and 7,200-person work force for four years.

“David is one of the finest men I’ve ever worked with,” said Robert Cabral, chairman of the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors. “He has a keen sense of doing what’s right for the people he serves. We’ll have a difficult time finding a replacement for him.”

Baker, 50, has a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s in public administration from San Diego State University. After graduation, he worked as an administrative intern for the city of San Diego’s affirmative action division.

From 1973 to 1986, he worked in an administrative capacity for San Bernardino County, the last seven years as its Superior Court administrator and county clerk. For the next five years, he was the chief administrative officer of Tuolumne County.

He joined the San Joaquin County government in 1991 as assistant administrator and was promoted to the top job three years later.

Baker said his current salary of $128,000 would increase to about $150,000 a year.

Besides the advantage of a pay raise, Baker was fed up with a constantly fractured, highly contentious board, Cabral said.

He added that the board sharply differs on economic development and on how to best run the county’s welfare-to-work program.

“The so-called split on our board has taken a toll on David in recent months,” said Cabral, a seven-year board member. “What started out as basic philosophical differences has turned into a situation downright impossible to deal with.”

Baker said he was pleased to learn that the Ventura County vote to hire him was unanimous.

“I’m ecstatic about that,” he said. “That’s a good sign.”

Baker said he was not dissuaded by the county’s current financial woes, sparked by a failed attempt to merge the social services and mental health departments.

“My career has been devoted to problem-solving in county government,” Baker said. “I see that as a challenge.”