CityNews publisher, Robb Korinke, sat down with outgoing Irvine City Manager, John Russo, on the eve of his retirement to reminisce on his extensive experiences throughout his career in local government in a new installment of the California City News Podcast.
John has had a lengthy career in as an elected and an administrator expanding for 30 years, recently serving as Irvine City Manager since 2018 and worked for the cities of Riverside from 2015-2018 and Alameda from 2011-2015 as their City Manager. Before that, he served the city of Oakland, first as a Councilmember from 1995-2000 and the as the first elected city attorney for 11 years. John was also the President of the League of California Cities while working for the city of Oakland.
Highlights of the podcast include a behind the scenes look of the opening of the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art, Culture and Industry, and John’s experience working with a cast of characters from Al Davis to Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The podcast is stream-able in its entirety with: