Pedro hired As Calaveras Interim CAO

Photo by: BJ Hansen

San Andreas, CA — A longtime leader in Tuolumne County will be filling a leadership role in neighboring Calaveras County.

Following the recent resignation of CAO Christa Von Latta, the county supervisors voted this morning to hire Craig Pedro as Interim CAO. He spent 12 years as Tuolumne County Administrator before retiring in late 2018. Prior to that, he was the Assistant CAO for nine years. His career in public service spanned 38 years.

Pedro said he is very humbled by the Calaveras Board of Supervisors extending their trust in him. He said that he will be commuting from Tuolumne County and noted that he received permission from his five grandchildren to come out of retirement and accept the interim position.

Pedro added, “I wouldn’t do this for just anybody, but I’ve known and worked with Calaveras County (with outside agencies) professionally for 34 years and have known every CAO that has been here. I have a lot of friends and family who have been in and out of this community as well. We are going to partner up, and while my time will be brief, I hope it will be meaningful.”

Board Chair Amanda Folendorf stated, “Thank you for coming out of retirement. We are very excited to have you here.”

Supervisor Merita Callaway added, “It is really an honor to have Craig as our interim CAO. I have had an opportunity to work with him over the years and he is very respected among other CAOs in the state.”

Pedro will also help with the process of finding a new CAO.

The agreement approved by the board will pay Pedro the same hourly rate as the outgoing CAO, Von Latta, which is about $95 an hour. The contract is for up to 960 hours, which equates to about six months.