YORBA LINDA

Brea and Yorba Linda have hired the same search firm to help find a new city manager. The Yorba Linda City Council, in a special meeting Friday, voted unanimously to hire Sacramento-based DMG Maximus to look for a city manager to replace Arthur C. Simonian, who is now on paid administrative leave. The city of Brea hired the same firm in March to find a replacement for former City Manager Frank Benest, who has moved to Palo Alto. Yorba Linda council members interviewed three search firms and made a quick decision to pick DMG Maximus because of the firm’s extensive experience in recruiting for Orange County cities. Council member Henry W. Wedaa asked representatives of three such firms how they would get good candidates to come into a city that has a “dysfunctional council” and what incentives the city would need to provide to attract them. DMG Vice President Norman Roberts said he would be involved in the search process by meeting individually with council members, helping his staff scrutinize applications and using his firm’s national presence to find good candidates. He said the entire process could take about three months.