County manager John Maltbie to retire

The county manager and the county counsel are the only two officials who report directly to the board. The other notable county officials — sheriff, district attorney, coroner, tax collector-treasurer and assessor-county clerk-recorder — are elected.

For Mr. Maltbie, it will be his second retirement from the same position. He managed San Mateo County from 1989 to 2008, when he stepped down the first time.

His successor at that time, David Boesch, came to the county from Menlo Park, where he was the city manager. Mr. Boesch left the county job after three years, citing philosophical differences with the board. The supervisors tapped Mr. Maltbie as interim manager in November 2011, then hired him permanently in December 2012.

Among the county's notable developments during Mr. Maltbie's second round on the job:

• Voters approved Measure A in 2012, establishing a half-cent countywide general-purpose sales tax, then extended the tax by 20 years in 2016. The county uses the $85 million in annual revenues for "essential county services," including public safety, youth and education, and older adults and veterans, but a priority has been expanding the availability of housing affordable to low- and middle-income people.

• The Parks Department is once again active after deactivation during the Great Recession.

• The county now has an Office of Sustainability to oversee environmental matters.

"It was an honor to be asked back and I'm grateful the Board felt I still had something to contribute," Mr. Maltbie said in the statement. "I will always hold dear my time with the County and the men and women who make it so special."

"I'm confident that the County and its residents are in good hands and that the Board will select a successor who will continue building on its investments in our services, our community and our residents," he added.