ENCINITAS — The head of Encinitas Parks and Recreation department abruptly resigned her post last week.
Encinitas City Manager Karen Brust confirmed that Lisa Rudloff, who had served as the parks and recreation director for nearly five years, resigned on March 7. Brust provided no other details, citing personnel confidentiality constraints.
Rudloff, who previously served as the administrator of the Sunrise Recreation and Park District in the Sacramento area, was hired by previous City Manager Gus Vina in November 2011.
Vina resigned from his post in Encinitas in 2015 to take the same position in the Northern California city of Brentwood.
Rudloff is the third member of Vina’s cabinet to resign since his departure. Former planning director Jeff Murphy took the same position in San Diego in September 2015, and former communications director Marlena Medford resigned in May 2015.
As park director in Encinitas, Rudloff was in charge of 24 staff members and was responsible for oversight of the Community and Senior Center; year-round recreational programs and events; 18 parks, six miles of beaches and 44 miles of trails; the Sister City program; pet-related services; and the Parks and Recreation, Senior and Youth commissions.
During her tenure, Rudloff oversaw the design and construction of the new Encinitas Community Park and the Moonlight State Beach Master Plan development projects.
The parks department was also involved with several controversial subjects, including a proposal by Rudloff to draft an ordinance that would ban alcohol at all of the city’s parks, which the council unanimously tabled.
The parks department was also involved in the controversy over the Magdalena Ecke YMCA ball fields in 2014, when it was discovered that a 30-day termination clause was inserted into a lease between the city and YMCA that could have displaced the Encinitas Little League.
Ultimately, a compromise allowed for the Little League to continue using the fields.
