New Police and Fire Dept. Promotions; Trolley Ridership Up

Laguna Beach City Manager John Pietig's weekly update:

Police Captains – The Police Department is announcing the promotion of Lieutenants Jason Kravetz and Daren Lenyi to Captains effective August 6, 2012.  Lieutenants Kravetz and Lenyi have been with the Police Department for close to twenty-five years each and have extensive experience in all aspects of the department’s operations.

Lieutenant Kravetz is well known in the community as the long standing press spokesperson.  He has been gaining experience with overseeing the Investigation Division and Communications/Records sections of the department for the past three years.  Lieutenant Kravetz holds a Bachelor of Science in Business and Management, and Masters in Public Administration from California State University Long Beach.  He is currently enrolled in the California Peace Officer Standards and Training Command College program.

Lieutenant Lenyi is best known for his involvement with the Citizens Academy and most recently the Community Emergency Response Team.  He has been building experience overseeing the department’s Patrol Division for three years.  Captain Lenyi holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Management and a Masters in Human Resource Management from National University.  He is also a graduate of the FBI’s National Academy.

These two individuals are now being promoted to the rank of Captain and the City looks forward to their continued leadership for the department.

Fire Department Promotions - Effective September 3, 2012, Engineer/Paramedic Thomas Padden will be promoted to Captain to fill a current vacancy.  Engineer Padden began his employment with the City in 2006, is a state certified Fire Officer and is currently working toward completion of his Bachelor’s Degree.  Effective the same date, Firefighter/Paramedic Ian da Costa will be promoted to Engineer/Paramedic to fill the vacancy that Engineer Padden’s promotion will create.  Firefighter da Costa began his employment with the City in 2006, is a state certified Fire Officer and has completed the state requirements for apparatus driver/operator.  Firefighter da Costa’s promotion will create a vacancy and a new hire firefighter will be announced at a future date.

Senior Water Quality Analyst - The Water Quality Department is happy to announce the arrival of our new Senior Water Quality Analyst, Tracy Ingebrigtsen.  Tracy comes to us from northern California having worked for Stanford University for 15 years.  In her most recent position she managed the stormwater, domestic water, and wastewater compliance programs for the university.  Tracy has a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Davis in Environmental Policy Analysis with an emphasis on water quality.  She brings a lot of good experience, positive energy, and enthusiasm for the position.  Her first day will be Monday, August 6.  Ms. Ingebrigtsen is filling the vacant position created when Will Holoman moved out of state.

Festival Transit Ridership - Through the fifth week of the Festival Season, trolley ridership has reached 271,000, which is up slightly from the 262,000 last season for the same time period.  Overall, we expect final ridership numbers to be close to last year’s total of 580,000.

2012 Olympics-Watch History Being Made! - The first week has been a great success and very exciting! Join us to view Olympic events at the Susi Q.  What could be more fun than watching your favorite events with friends?  Cheer for your favorite athlete, keep track of the medals won and watch our local athletes like Annika Dries, center forward on the U.S. Women’s Water Polo team, compete for the Gold.  Events will be televised in the multi-purpose room on Mondays from 9 a.m. – 12 noon; Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. and Fridays from 10 a.m. – 12 noon (schedule is subject to change).