City of La Mesa Hires New Director of Public Works

La Mesa, CA - With a commitment to tackling aging infrastructure, the City of La Mesa has tapped Michael Throne to be the new Director of Public Works. Throne, who started on April 11, has more than three decades of experience in reimagining engineering in the public sector.
 
“We are excited to welcome Michael to La Mesa,” said City Manager Greg Humora. “His knowledge and experience working for past cities in California will be crucial as he directs our Public Works Department, one of the City’s largest and most diverse departments.”
 
A registered civil engineer in the state of California, Throne comes to La Mesa from the City of San Marino, a full-service city in Los Angeles County, where he was the director of parks and public works/city engineer.  He also served as the director of public works for the Cities of Rancho Palos Verdes, American Canyon, and Benicia. Michael has bachelor degrees in civil engineering and architectural engineering, as well as a master’s degree in public administration.
 
“I am honored to have been selected to serve as the new Director of Public Works for La Mesa,” Throne said. “I look forward to working with La Mesa staff and City Council to serve our community.”
 
Throne’s responsibilities in La Mesa will include planning, directing, managing and overseeing the activities and operations of the Public Works Department including engineering, the maintenance of streets, parks and public buildings, fleet maintenance, traffic engineering and safety, wastewater and storm drainage systems maintenance, as well as coordinate assigned activities with other departments and outside agencies.
 
Thorne and his wife have four grown children living in four different states and are expecting to be grandparents of twins in May.
 
The Public Works Department, a combined department with Engineering, Operations and Environmental Services, has a $22.4 million budget and 63 permanent employees, who engineer, construct, and maintain the city's infrastructure in an efficient and effective manner while involving the community.