Calaveras County CAO Alt resigns

Albert G. Alt, the top administrative executive for Calaveras County since April 2019, has resigned effective June 2, and Christa Von Latta, the deputy county administrative officer, is expected to be tapped to serve as Alt’s interim replacement.

Alt’s resignation was announced Tuesday following a closed session of the county’s elected Board of Supervisors.

“I think it just wasn’t for him any more,” Merita Callaway, the county’s District 3 supervisor, said Wednesday in a phone interview. “We did a lot of Zoom meetings in 2020. He was here two years.”

Callaway and the rest of the Board of Supervisors accepted Alt’s resignation unanimously on Tuesday, Ben Stopper, the county’s District 5 supervisor, said Wednesday in a phone interview.

“Mr. Alt and the board agreed he will use existing leave until his resignation date,” Stopper said. “I wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

The board directed the county’s human resources director to bring a resolution at its next meeting Tuesday to appoint Von Latta as interim county administrative officer, Stopper said. Von Latta has been in her current position, deputy county administrative officer, for more than four years, Stopper said.

Alt could not be reached on Wednesday for comment. One county phone number that used to be assigned to him has been disconnected. Another county phone number assigned to Alt, and his predecessor, former county CAO Tim Lutz, still had Alt’s recorded greeting on it.

Von Latta also could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.

Alt was the third county administrative officer for Calaveras since January 2019. He replaced Manuel Lopez, the interim county administrative officer who filled in after Lutz resigned in late 2018 and worked his last day for the county in January 2019.

Lutz was hired in early 2017. He returned to work for his former employer, Tulare County, upon leaving Calaveras.

Alt’s starting pay when he was hired in April 2018 was $89.63 an hour, and his starting salary was $186,430 annually, slightly higher than Lutz. When Alt’s hiring was announced by county staff, they listed his experience managing general fund budgets up to $400 million and capital improvement budgets up to $600 million. They also highlighted his previous roles as a vice chancellor and a chief financial officer, as well as his opportunities to lead strategic financial planning, budget development, and debt issuance to support strategic objectives.

Alt, a former vice president of college and administrative services at Modesto Junior College, was a finalist for the president’s job at that school when he and another candidate were turned down by Yosemite Community College District administrators in April 2018, the Modesto Bee reported last year.

Jim Sahlman, president of the Yosemite Faculty Association, told the Modesto Bee a search committee recommended Alt and the other finalist, and many faculty members thought Alt was the best choice for the job.

“He was fully vetted for his current position before he was hired (at MJC) four years ago, and backgrounds are checked by the consultants who help with these searches,” Sahlman was quoted by the Modesto Bee. “He has done exceptional work here.”

Alt’s previous work experience has included jobs as chief financial officer of Sweetwater Union High School District in Southern California, vice chancellor of administrative services and human resources director for Yuba Community College District, and director of personnel and security at Feather River College.

The San Diego-union Tribune reported in February 2013 that Alt’s hiring by Sweetwater Union High School District as chief financial officer drew criticism from some people in the community.

In his work at Yuba Community College District, Alt was also criticized for collecting additional pay for a doctoral degree from an unaccredited institution. That criticism was taken by many in the administration as uniondriven, because Alt was a management labor negotiator.

Alt has since earned a doctorate in education leadership from Drexel University and a master’s in business administration, according to Calaveras County human resources staff.

When Alt was hired by Calaveras, county staff emphasized that one of the most important traits he was bringing to Calaveras County was a strong commitment to the county’s rural community character.

In October 2019, Alt was hospitalized for injuries described as serious after he was allegedly assaulted late on a Saturday night at a bar in Valley Springs, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Alt was the victim of a serious violent battery and had to be taken to an out-of-county hospital for emergency medical attention due to his injuries, according to Sgt. Greg Stark, spokesman for the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office.

The altercation was reported about 11 p.m. Oct. 12, 2019, at The Range bar in the 100 block of Quail Oaks Road.

Investigators were dispatched to process the scene and spent the following day conducting interviews, collecting physical evidence, and reviewing surveillance video, officials said.

Benjamin David Robitaille, 38, of Valley Springs, was arrested by Sheriff’s detectives as he was leaving his residence about 7 p.m. the next day. Robitaille was booked into the Calaveras County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm, assault by means likely to cause great bodily injury and battery with serious injury. He was released from jail at about 12:30 a.m. Oct. 14, 2019, after posting $110,000 bail.

The case was eventually referred to the California Attorney General in November 2019. It was unclear Wednesday how the case was resolved.