CEO of Riverside County to Step Down

RIVERSIDE, CA: Riverside County's chief executive officer will step down at the end of August, after a five-year stint as the county's top administrator and three decades as a county government employee, it was announced Wednesday.

Jay Orr, 60, said he intends to spend more time with family -- he's a married father iwth three adult children -- and indulge in hobbies, such as playing the guitar and golf.

"I've had a dream career," the longtime Corona resident said. "I have been a prosecutor, defense attorney, teacher, attended the U.S. Naval Academy and more. How many people get to serve our community in so many different ways?"

There was no immediate word on a possible successor or whether the Board of Supervisors will initiate a recruitment drive to fill the position, as has been done in the past.

"Our board wishes Jay nothing but the best as he enters the next and exciting chapter of his professional career," said board Chairman John Tavaglione, a strong supporter of Orr's appointment as CEO in April 2012.

Orr has been employed by the county since 1987, when he was hired on as a deputy public defender. The following year, he was hired by the District Attorney's Office, working his way up to assistant district attorney by 1999. He was the director of the Department of Code Enforcement prior to moving into the Executive Office as assistant CEO in the late 2000s.

Orr filled a vacancy left by former CEO Bill Luna in September 2011. Luna's seat was temporarily filled by one-time CEO David "Larry" Parrish, who came out of retirement for six months while the board conducted a recruitment effort in which more than 100 applicants sought appointment to the highest unelected job in county government. Orr was chosen over the other candidates in a 4-1 vote.

Under his watch, the county rebuilt its reserve pool after the Great Recession but remains in a structural budget deficit. Orr helped implement a turnaround plan that prevented the county hospital from falling into financial ruin and successfully argued for an outside firm to scrutinize public safety and general government operations to find efficiencies and cost reduction opportunities. The firm, Netherlands-based KPMG, is still at work.

-- By City News Service; Images via County of Riverside