O.C.’s Interim Chief Proves He’s Not Retiring Type

When James D. Ruth announced his retirement as Anaheim city manager after 45 years of government service, he did it with about as much conviction as Michael Jordan saying he’s quitting basketball.

“I’m never going to totally retire,” Ruth pledged in October 2001. “I can tell you that right now.”

But even Ruth couldn’t have predicted that just over a year later, at age 66, he would take on what may be his toughest challenge -- serving as Orange County’s interim chief.

On paper alone it’s a tough job, with the county’s $4-billion budget and 17,741 employees. But on top of that, the county is in the midst of a financial and management crisis.

County supervisors fired County Executive Officer Michael Schumacher less than two weeks ago. The county’s planning director quit in December after his department burned through most of an $8-million emergency loan approved by supervisors in August and cut 20% of the staff to help stem a $500,000-a-month deficit. The registrar of voters retired early after several election-night blunders, and the grand jury is investigating allegations of mismanagement in the Human Resources Department. And, like every other county in California, Orange County is bracing for millions in state budget cuts.

“I love a challenge. And of course, this is an incredible challenge,” Ruth said. “The more I think about it, the more excited I get. Here’s an opportunity to really make an impact.”

Ruth’s contract won’t be finalized until supervisors meet Tuesday. But Ruth has already spent several hours in meetings and is poring over the massive budget at home, like a college student cramming before a final exam.

Vintage Ruth, said those who know him well.

“Jim has a blue-collar, nose-to-the-grindstone quality about himself,” said Tom Daly, the former mayor of Anaheim and now the county clerk-recorder. “He’s not fancy in his words or actions. He just gets the job done.”

That’s what supervisors are looking for after firing Schumacher because of his laid-back style and forcing out his predecessor, Jan Mittermeier, because of her micro-managing ways.

The board hopes to hire a permanent executive officer within six months. But for now, many believe Ruth is a good match to help steady the county.

To understand Ruth, one needs only to know his handshake. He makes unwavering eye contact and, “when he shakes your hand, he’s really shaking your hand. Firm and vigorous,” said Anaheim Finance Director Bill Sweeney. It’s direct, just like Ruth’s management style, Sweeney said.

Daly agreed: “He tells it like it is.”

None of the supervisors knew Ruth when they called him at home in the middle of one of their closed-door meetings to gauge his interest in the job. But they knew his track record. He played a key role in negotiating Anaheim deals to build Arrowhead Pond, sign the Mighty Ducks, overhaul the convention center, expand the Disneyland resort and keep the Angels in Anaheim.

“He came with excellent credentials,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Tom Wilson said. “He has 45 years’ experience in government, and he had worked on very complex issues ... handled them well and brought them to a successful conclusion.”

Ruth saw the city through bleak years in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. He eliminated 200 full-time jobs, 10% of the city’s workforce. More than a fourth were management positions.

During the tense deal to bring the Mighty Ducks to Anaheim, Disney’s negotiating team huddled on one side of City Hall, city leaders on the other. Michael Eisner, Ruth recalled, was spotted in a Ducks cap peeking out of a utility closet.

The hours ticked by. Negotiators were tired and tense. At 12:50 a.m., the two sides remained divided. Ruth and other city leaders walked out, even as Disney negotiators begged, “Let’s do one more formula.”

Ruth gave them an emphatic, “No!” He jotted down three items he doesn’t even remember today and told Eisner and his negotiators, “If you want a deal, this is what we’re going to have to do.”

At 1:30 a.m., Disney agreed. The two sides shook hands, leaving the lawyers to spend the predawn hours drafting the final contract.

Dave Morgan, who replaced Ruth as Anaheim city manager after nine years as his right-hand man, said Ruth is persistent once his eye is on the prize. When he faced multiple-bypass heart surgery in 1996, “he made the decision. He moved ahead.... He sets about getting things done and doesn’t look back,” Morgan said.

Ruth said he doesn’t expect to work miracles. His time, after all, is limited to six months.

“My first goal is to take direction from the board and mobilize the management team,” he said. “There’s a lot of work to be done, but this is a dynamic county. The economy will come back and when it does, Orange County is going to be off and running.”

Until then, he and his wife, Linda, who will retire soon from her job as deputy city clerk of Chino Hills, have put their travel plans on hold while Ruth oversees the county. He’s canceling golf plans and fielding calls from friends telling him he’s crazy.

Ruth’s favorite congratulatory words came from the Rev. Bryan Crow of the Garden Church in Anaheim Hills, who heard the news of his hiring by the county and picked up the phone: “Jim, I just called to say we put you back on the prayer list.”