Costa Mesa names interim police chief
A former Huntington Beach police chief and current dean at Golden West College will lead the Costa Mesa Police Department while it searches for a permanent candidate for its top job, the city announced Tuesday.
Ron Lowenberg spent 13 years leading the Huntington Beach Police Department before retiring in 2002. For the past 12 years he has been dean of the Criminal Justice Training Center at Golden West College in Huntington Beach.
On Wednesday, Lowenberg will take over in Costa Mesa for Capt. Rob Sharpnack, who briefly held the reins as acting chief when Chief Tom Gazsi retired in December after a three-year tenure and took a job with the Port of Los Angeles Police Department.
Costa Mesa will pay the interim chief $100 per hour with no benefits.
Lowenberg said he’ll take a leave of absence from Golden West during his stint in Costa Mesa, which he expects to last about six months.
“We’re fortunate to get one of the most respected law enforcement leaders in California to assist us through this transition period,” said city Chief Executive Tom Hatch.
Lowenberg served in the Marine Corps before entering law enforcement and advancing through the ranks at police departments including Baldwin Park, Tustin and Cypress, where he worked as chief for almost eight years.
Lowenberg also holds a seat on California’s Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, which inspects and certifies police academies statewide.
Recruiting more police officers and civilian personnel will be a “top priority” of Lowenberg’s tenure in Costa Mesa, according to the city’s announcement.
The Police Department has been understaffed in recent years as veterans leave faster than the department can hire new recruits.
“The city has done a great job of coming out of the recession and starting to rebuild the department,” Lowenberg said. “I think one of my responsibilities is to help them continue that.”
Costa Mesa Police Assn. President Rob Dimel said he believes Lowenberg’s decades of leadership will be a boon in refilling the department’s ranks, which is one of the union’s top priorities as well.
“I don’t think this is going to be anything new to him, and that’s the kind of experience we need,” Dimel said.
Mayor Steve Mensinger also praised Lowenberg’s credentials.
“[He] has a very good reputation in the police community, and I think he’ll be a great asset in concert with Capt. Rob Sharpnack in continuing to improve our police department,” Mensinger said.
Some department members blame the shortage of officers on a tense relationship between police and Costa Mesa’s City Council majority, which voted in 2011 to cut department staffing through attrition.
Mensinger and Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer are suing the union that represents rank-and-file department members, alleging union leaders were involved in a plot with two private investigators to harass and intimidate the politicians during the 2012 election season.
The two PIs are facing criminal charges. The Orange County district attorney’s office alleges they illegally tracked Mensinger with a GPS device and called in a false report of driving under the influence against Righeimer.
Prosecutors have said the police association wanted dirt on the councilmen but there’s no evidence union officials knew of any illegal activity beforehand.
Righeimer and the association have butted heads politically since 2010. Righeimer campaigned that year on reducing pension and other public-sector costs, and the union used a website and billboard to publicize tax liens and lawsuits from Righeimer’s past.
Lowenberg said he hopes an outside perspective can help heal some of those divisions. He already has started meeting with department personnel.
“It’s about relationship building,” he said. “What I have found in talking with the folks I have talked to so far is that they’re true professionals. They understand being mission-focused. They’re still delivering quality police service, even with some of these distractions occurring.”