Costa Mesa assistant city manager to take post in South County

Costa Mesa assistant city manager Steve Hayman is on his way to a new

city.

Rancho Santa Margarita’s City Council approved a contract Friday

making Hayman its city manager, said Neil Blais, a Santa Margarita

councilman.

Blais said Saturday that Hayman emerged as his city’s choice after

a series of interviews with eight candidates who were selected from

an initial pool of more than 75 applicants.

Hayman could not be reached for comment Saturday. His City Hall

answering machine and e-mail address indicated he was on vacation.

Costa Mesa mayor Allan Mansoor said he wished Hayman well.

“It sounds like an exciting step for him, and I wish him the

best,” Mansoor said.

In an e-mail obtained by the Daily Pilot, Hayman wrote to Costa

Mesa officials that his last day with the city will be Sept. 16. He

expects to assume his new duties in Santa Margarita on Sept. 19.

Recently, Hayman’s name has been in the news, since he has

attended private meetings held by a group seeking to establish a

private job center for day laborers in Costa Mesa. The group is led

by Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce president Ed Fawcett. Earlier this

month, City Attorney Kimberly Hall Barlow rejected a job center

opponent’s claim that the city’s interactions with the group violated

the Ralph M. Brown Act, which is the state’s open meetings law.

Hayman began working for Costa Mesa in 1978 as a planning and

zoning assistant. He was named assistant city manager in June of last

year.