Stephen Hackney Email & Phone Number

Enjoying retirement with 29.3 years in CalPERS.

Responsibilities and accomplishments include:* Help inculcate a Department-wide positive attitude in providing quality Customer Service.* Manage long range planning/current planning projects.* Updated County General Plan (2012).* Currently managing update of the County Zoning Code.* Administered two small water districts - secured grant and managed the upgrade to water filtration system. * Administer state and federal grants - secured grants resulting in construction of both a Day Care facilities for indigent children and construction of medical care facility for a south county community. * Managed the processing of multiple land use entitlements for PG&E 660MgW power plant; negotiated a Development Agreement that has helped keep the County financial picture healthy.* Assist in economic planning: process permits encourage businesses to locate and expand in the county.* Assisted County attorneys in several land use-related lawsuits resulting in favorable decisions: 3rd Appellate decision against State Fish & Game/Wildlife Conservation Board (2006); and federal 9th Circuit Court of Appeal case: Claxton v. Colusa County (2012).* Manage divisions of Planning, Building, Maintenance (of County buildings), and Custodians.* Manage multiple budgets.* Coach and mentor to staff of eleven people.* Revised/updated how the Department manages files, developed organized administrative record keeping; rewrote application forms for both planning (use permits, variances, general plan/zoning amendments).The key role of a Director is to resolve issues and solve problems for citizens and County Board of Supervisors; to be creative and imaginative in providing answers, alternatives, and options that are lawful and appropriate. Learning to cope and manage the daily and ever-present "politics" that is inherent in all aspects of the work . . is the most challenging and rewarding aspect of the job.

I was the County Environmental Review Coordinator: responsible for reviewing all environmental documents from the county's five cities, and all county environmental documents such as EIRs. I wrote the County's "Environmental Review Guidelines." I wrote the County's first (and probably only) "Master Environmental Assessment." I served as the County's CEQA specialist. I served as the County's SMARA (mining) specialist, writing the County's Mining Ordinance. I served as the Project Manager for the County's major development projects requiring EIRs: the Butte Valley General Plan Amendment (a "New Town" development for a proposed 5,000 residences); a major mining project; a large residential development next to Butte Creek Estates. In addition to these duties, I processed Use Permits, Tentative Parcel Maps, and Subdivision Maps. Through my efforts I strove to maintain a high standard in conducting environmental analytical work; protect and promote small businesses; write conditions protecting against leap frog development. I maintained a high ethical standard in carrying out my responsibilities . . . even in the face of political and departmental pressures. As a result, the work, the documents, the project results I left behind me have had a positive lasting effect for the greater community.

I project managed over a dozen development projects through the entitlement process, writing EIRs, MNDs, and other environmental documents; presenting documents to public agencies, to Planning Commissions and Boards of Supervisors, and City Councils. I reviewed engineered development plans, suggesting changes and corrections to the engineers; identified needs for additional and proper calculations for water runoff, sizing of detention/retention ponds, locations of features for golf courses, placement of roads for access/egress. I wrote EIRs, reading technical reports from hydrologists, geologists, biologists, traffic engineers, etc., and translated them into readable chapters in the EIRs. I wrote proposals for proposed projects. Our work covered counties/cities from Plumas County to Placer County, from Tehama County to Yuba County.

Master'S Degree, Geography & Planning

Presented a paper at the American Association of Geographers' annual conference in Toronto: "Perestroika and Its Effects on Nationalism.

Master'S Degree, International Relations And Affairs

Certification In Land Use & Environmental Planning

Bachelor'S Degree, History