On December 20, the City of La Verne held its annual Employee Holiday Recognition Lunch and Service Awards to celebrate City staff’s hard work and dedication to La Verne.
“Some of the best reasons to live in La Verne are the staff and things they do to to make our community the wonderful place it is,” said Mayor Tim Hepburn. “They help our visions for the City come to life, and their commitment to serving our community is unwavering. I look forward to seeing what we will achieve together in the new year.”
Forty City employees were recognized for reaching milestones in their careers and were presented awards recognizing their accomplishments. Following the service award presentations, Mayor Tim Hepburn recognized some of the City’s longest tenured employees. Sally Olsen, Chad Peterson, Adam Hecht, Stephen Paige and Jim Crook were presented with 25 year service awards for their time at the City of La Verne. Ralph Hernandez with the City’s Public Works Department was recognized for completing 30 years of service.
In addition to the milestone service awards, the winners of the Rudy Ortiz Award, Ruth Hogan Award, Mike Shaw Award and Gary Franklin Award were also announced. These annual awards are presented to employees who have made significant contributions to the City and embody the commitment of those the awards were named after.
Information Systems Specialist Thomas Lozano was awarded the Rudy Ortiz Award for his outstanding devotion to his coworkers and City residents. Ortiz began his career as a police officer with the City of La Verne in 1969 and left a memorable impression on his colleagues with his genuineness and attentiveness.
The Ruth Hogan Award was presented to Administrative Clerk II Natalie Hiatt for her loyalty to the City. Ruth Hogan served as La Verne’s first City Clerk and is remembered for the standard of excellence she set that is still prevalent at City Hall today.
Jennifer Brown with the La Verne Fire Department (LVFD) received the Mike Shaw Award for her excellent work supporting firefighters in the field and keeping La Verne safe. Mike Shaw was a valued member of LVFD who was hired as a firefighter in September 1977. He is remembered for being an excellent firefighter and a great friend.
The Gary Franklin Award was awarded to Maintenance Lead Worker Jose Salas. Gary Franklin started working for the City of La Verne in 1970 and, during his 20 year career with the City, earned a reputation for his reliability and cooperation.
For more information about the City of La Verne’s departments, visit the City’s website.
Contact: JR Ranells, Assistant City Manager
Telephone: (909) 596-8726