L.A. Parks Department Chief Resigns to Head Bay Area Zoo

Manuel Mollinedo has resigned as general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks to take a job as executive director and president of the San Francisco Zoo, officials said Monday.

The move represents a return to zoo management for Mollinedo, who was director of the Los Angeles Zoo from 1995 to 2002.

Rick Jones, chairman of the San Francisco Zoological Society, said Mollinedo is an “inspirational, energetic leader who demonstrated impressive management skills while he ran the Los Angeles Zoo.”

Jones also praised Mollinedo for his fundraising skills and said he is “comfortable dealing in a complex political environment.”

Mollinedo, who could not be reached for comment Monday, starts his new job Feb. 1.

In Los Angeles, he oversaw significant improvements to the Los Angeles Zoo, taking it from a cramped, disease-ridden facility that nearly lost its accreditation to an expanded facility lauded in the industry.

“We are in the process of finding a suitable replacement,” said Sahar Moridani, a spokeswoman for Mayor James K. Hahn.

While in Los Angeles, Mollinedo oversaw construction of a $5-million chimpanzee exhibit, a $6-million orangutan exhibit, and a $13-million Veterinary Health and Research Center. He also broke ground on a $37-million education center and oversaw preliminary designs for pachyderm, gorilla and rainforest exhibits.