San Benito County Supervisors on Tuesday appointed Ray Espinosa to the interim county administrative position.
Espinosa was the information technology manager for the county. He will retain the same salary in his new position, plus a stipend that will amount to a $10,000 raise. Espinosa will retain his rights to his previous position if removed from the CAO job.
Supervisors made the decision to appoint Espinosa in a closed session at the beginning of Tuesday’s meeting, after which they came out to make the announcement before the public. Espinosa immediately began the duties of interim CAO at the meeting.
“I want to thank the board for giving me the opportunity to serve as interim CAO,” Espinosa said, during the department head comment period of the meeting. “I know we are living in troublesome times and there are a lot of items that need to be addressed. I will be here at this office if anyone needs me.”
The salary range for the information technology manager as last reported by the county to the state controller’s office was $86,400.
Espinosa replaces former County Administrative Officer Rich Inman who announced his resignation in a closed session meeting on Oct. 11.
During the meeting, while supervisors discussed agenda items for an upcoming board retreat, they talked of having a consultant gather input from county department heads on criteria they would like used to recruit a new CAO. The supervisors were set to discuss recruitment for a permanent county administrative officer in closed session at the same meeting.
