ALFRED ZELINKA and Eric Parra (City of Huntington Beach).

By Jim Tortolano/Orange County Tribune

Alfred Zelinka announced his retirement from the position of City Manager of Huntington Beach, effective at the end of the work day on Wednesday (today).

Chief of Police Eric Parra has been chosen as the new city manager.

Zelinka served as Huntington Beach’s top administrative official since June 27, 2022, a tenure of about 17 months. He replaced Oliver Chi, who held the top job from 2019 to 2021.

Zelinka had an annual salary of $320,000. Before coming to Huntington Beach, he had been the city manager of Riverside.

Counting the brief tenure of Interim City Manager Sean Joyce, Huntington Beach has now had five city managers in five years.

In a press release, Zelinka stated he was retiring for family reasons, namely, “the caregiving of my elderly mother.”

Mayor Tony Strickland, in a statement, praised Zelinka, saying he “worked hard for the City of Huntington Beach and I wish him well in his retirement from public service.”

Zelinka’s retirement is the latest departure from among top city staff. In July, Ursula Luna-Reynosa quit her job as community and economic development director to come to Garden Grove, where she holds the post of economic development director for the city.

The exodus from City Hall has followed a series of controversial policies pursued by a new conservative majority elected to the council in the 2022 municipal election.