OC Supervisors Select New County CEO As Former CEO Retires

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — Orange County supervisors are poised Tuesday to appoint another interim chief executive officer, with current CEO Michelle Aguirre set to retire on Friday.

The board is expected to select Chief Information Officer KC Roestenberg, whose work with the county dates back to 1982.

The supervisors have gone through a few rounds of recruiting a new permanent CEO without any success, and last year convinced Aguirre to sign on for another year as interim CEO. Roestenberg is expected to take over for Aguirre on Friday with an annual salary of $430,000 with total compensation amounting to $656,968 including benefits.

Former Orange County CEO Frank Kim praised Aguirre and Roestenberg.

"When I left (Aguirre) was the most qualified executive at the county because she's been there 30 plus years and worked so many positions with the county that she had a good understanding of the administration," Kim said. "It's never easy working in that position. It's a big organization with competing interests, and for her to step in and keep the county moving forward I think she's done a very good job."

Kim said he worked with Roestenberg for about 20 years.

"He's a good person, a person anyone would want to work with," Kim said. "He's someone you'd want to spend time solving problems with together, so he's somebody I would have a lot of confidence in firstly as a good person and secondly as somebody dedicated... He's fantastic at working with people, and that's an important trait."

The supervisors are also expected Tuesday to approve a $10.5 billion budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year, which is down from the current year's $10.8 billion spending plan.

The county has tightened up spending with cuts across the board as it negotiates settlements from the October 2024 Airport Fire that was accidentally sparked by the county's public works department. The county has spent about $133 million settling 1,269 claims.

The general fund budget, which offers the most flexibility, is projected at $5.2 billion, down from the current fiscal year's $5.4 billion. The remainder of the budget is generally restricted by law, limiting the county's ability to adjust how those funds are used.

The county does not intend to lay off employees after 314 positions that were vacant have been deleted.

The county expects general purpose revenue of $1.3 billion, $63.6 million more than the current budget. That's mostly due to a $57.6 million increase in property taxes.

Officials expect 4.5% growth in general fund property tax revenue over the current fiscal year.

The one-half cent public safety sales tax revenue is projected to be $439 million, which is a 2.7% increase, or $11.4 million, compared to this fiscal year.

Proposition 172 sales tax revenue allots 80%, or $351.2 million to the Orange County Sheriff's Department, and 20%, or $87.8 million to the District Attorney's Office.

Revenue from the state for "realignment" is projected at $890.6 million and includes $642.3 million for public safety and social services, $237.4 million for health, mental health and social services and $10.9 million for juvenile justice. That revenue is down 5.7%, or $53.9 million over last year.

Overall, the county is expected to spend $253.2 million less compared to this year.