WINTERS CITY MANAGER SETTLES IN
Kathleen Salguero Trepa takes on new position amid pandemic
Coming from a city of around 130,000 people to rural Yolo County was not as much of a shock for Kathleen Salguero Trepa as one might expect.
Trepa made the trek from the Bay Area city of Concord to Winters — a town of around 7,800 — to serve as city manager.
“I have never been to Winters before,” Trepa said. “But I was smitten from the time I went over the Putah Creek bridge.”
Of 112 applicants from over 20 states, six candidates were invited to participate in interviews with the city’s leadership team, community panel and the City Council, the city announced last October. Trepa was ultimately selected and started her duties on Nov. 9.
Specifically, her hiring was the result of a recruitment process, conducted by Peckham & McKenney Inc. The Roseville-based firm was tasked with finding applicants to fill the position, which was left vacant after longtime City Manager John Donlevy resigned. Donlevy spent 19 years in the position, leaving big shoes for Trepa to fill.
Despite the major difference in size, Trepa’s three years as an assistant city manager with the city of Concord gives her experience in this arena. She has also served the cities of Goleta, Claremont, San Marcos and San Juan Capistrano, giving Trepa a taste of the different types of cities, both big and small, across California.
Trepa received a Bachelor of Arts in history from Boston University. Her experience covers a range of municipal government services including, but not limited to, finance, IT, HR and economic development.
Only a few months into her position, Trepa has had to navigate learning how to be a successful city manager amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“People comment on how it must be difficult to start a new job in a pandemic,” Trepa said, noting that in this case having a smaller city staff has been an advantage. “We have enough space (at city hall) to spread out for safety purposes.”
Meetings have migrated to Zoom, a video conferencing platform that skyrocketed in popularity during the pandemic.
As a city manager, Trepa hears from community members often. Concerns about the pandemic are chief among their conversations. Small businesses across town have had to deal with constant shifts in state guidelines. Eateries across Winters have struggled to keep their doors open.
One way the city has combated these changes is by installing pergolas, barricades and other outdoor dining areas around Main Street. The city had access to $200,000 in CARES act funding, according to Trepa, which was used for these downtown improvements.
Trepa noted that the weekends in Winters have seen significant foot traffic, which is likely to improve next week as Yolo County will likely move into the less restrictive red tier as coronavirus case rates continue to decline.
In the red tier, restaurants will be allowed to open indoors with 25% maximum capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer. Additionally, retail establishments and shopping centers can increase their capacity from 25% to 50%, and museums can open for indoor operations at 25% capacity.
This is good news for all Yolo County cities, Winters included.
Asked what her relationship with the community has been like, Trepa said “everybody here has been phenomenal.”
She plans to spend time getting to know the community as she continues to settle into the city manager role.