9 New Lake Forest City Employees Introduced At Latest City Council Session

LAKE FOREST, CA — The city of Lake Forest introduced nine new city employees at a recent city council session, including a new assistant city clerk and a code enforcement officer.

Deputy City Manager Sean McGovern introduced all new employees in turn during the Sept. 17 council session.

Melanie Balls, Assistant City Clerk, has worked in city clerk offices for over a dozen years, and is a certified municipal clerk, he said. "Prior to working in the city clerk's office, she spent 16 years as a 911 operator. She also enjoys spending time with her two adult children and pets.

Also joining the city is Robert Bauman, a Senior Management Analyst in the city manager's department. Bowman has previously held positions in the cities of La Canada Flintridge, San Marino and Los Angeles County," according to the Deputy City Manager.

Next, Alejandro Gonzalez was welcomed as Lake Forest's new Facilities Maintenance Specialist in the Public Works department. "He brings over 10 years of construction experience, including work on the Purple Line extension in Los Angeles, as part of an underground mining team."

Eric Johnson has joined the city as a Principal Civil Engineer in Public Works. With 18 years of experience in the City of Tustin and 11 years in private-sector engineering in South Orange County, he is a registered civil engineer in California.

Also joining the city is Arian Nieves, a Lake Forest resident on the city's contractor team serving the city's parks and municipal public service areas. He is joining Public Works as a landscape administrator and takes pride in helping maintain the beauty and safety of Lake Forest," McGovern said.

Nathalie Perez is joining the city as a Human Resources Analyst, formerly of the City of Gardena. "She is currently completing a human resources management certificate through UCLA and is bringing her experience and knowledge to the city."

Ravi Shah, a registered civil engineer, is joining the Public Works department as a principal civil engineer, bringing 19 years of experience. He is involved in professional organizations, such as the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Andrew Tran has joined the city's IT department, bringing 13 years of experience as an information technology analyst, including work in a medical school.

Kimberly Velasquez has joined the city as a Code Enforcement Officer, bringing more than a decade of public service experience, according to McGovern.

"She has previously volunteered 300 hours with the Costa Mesa Police Explorer program and has served over 10 years with the Costa Mesa Police Department as a community service specialist," he said. "She now brings her experience in public safety, emergency preparedness, community engagement, health and safety and civic leadership to Lake Forest."