DANA POINT : Water District Hires an Interim Manager

Donald E. Mischka, the former assistant general manager of the Rosamond Community Services District in Kern County, was hired this week as interim general manager of the Capistrano Beach County Water District.

Mischka, 37, takes over for the ousted Dennis A. Erdman, who was fired March 16. Mischka will start work April 1 and will be living in the district by April 15.

Mischka was hired for a three-month period and will be eligible for the permanent job after an evaluation, said district Director Jim Hayton. His salary will be the equivalent of $50,000 annually, plus a benefit package that includes health, dental and vision insurance and the use of a district car.

Hayton said Mischka was recommended to him and Director Bonnie Streeter by Bud Hill, the general manager of the Rosamond district, at a recent water conference. He said the directors had been considering seeking a new manager and wanted to avoid an expensive hiring process.

“Instead of having to go through an executive headhunter and spend the time and money it would take to select a permanent general manager, we decided to go through the interim process,” Hayton said.

The Rosamond Community Services District is an independent special district that provides water, sewer and lighting service for the unincorporated town of Rosamond, near Lancaster.

Erdman, who had served as general manager of the district since July, was ousted in a 3-2 vote at the board of directors’ last meeting. The directors said he was being replaced because of financial problems and because voters wanted change. Erdman said that he was fired for being a member of a local political organization and for recommending major changes in a small district whose infrastructure is in desperate need of repair.

The Capistrano Beach County Water District provides water to about 21,000 customers in southern Dana Point, Dana Point Harbor and a small area of northern San Clemente.