Mali LaGoe-Scotts Vally City Manager re-Citizens Academy 2026 interviewed 2026-02-13 on KZSC's 'Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club'

City manager for 4 years, having moved to the area for the job; previously, Nevada County government (Grass Valley, Nevada City & Truckeet): from the forest & snow to Scotts Valley; bachelor's degree in political science, with a masters in public administration; there are various paths into city government, hers was analyst, but there's also finance & police; the Scotts Valley Citizens Academy does not have a hard requirement to be a Scotts Valley resident, but they'll prioritiae that, as well as people who want to get involved in local government; they have a mix of ages - and they provide dinner; it'll be in person, in the city council chambers, but with tours most weeks, including the police department (& not for being bad), wastewater treatment, & Scott House - it'll be a deep dive into how the city works; Scotts Valley just launched an ADU guide, with many affordable housing projects in progress - it'll be a 25% increase in units in 8 years!, including the Town Center project; Q: What is "affordable"? A: state sets, but there are needs at all ends of the spectrum (last year, a teacher did not qualify because of a 401(k) plan!!! Heartbreaking; ....need *diversity* of housing, not all single family detached homes; deadline to apply for Citizens Academy, with 20 applicants so far; no part of income taxes stay local!; Scotts Valley has 65 employees, with 28 of them police, who are 24/7; the annual budget is $20M (+ $10M for capital projects); citizens academy is government 101. An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan" & "DJ Spark Plug", airing Friday mornings on KZSC Santa Cruz, California.