CARMEL – The Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District Board and the general manager of the park district have come to agreement on terms of the leader’s employment contract for another year.
Dr. Rafael Payan’s general manager employment agreement has now had two amendments. It was originally executed August, 2018, then amended in April, 2023, and again recently with a term beginning April 6, 2024.
Payan said “it’s fabulous” to have an amended agreement in hand for another year. “We have a lot of work to do on quite a few projects” and have the momentum to get things accomplished.
The agreement is good for a year unless it is extended during that time or terminated before its expiration. Payan will continue to be employed as the general manager of the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District.
Payan is responsible for the overall district budget and financial management, fiscal and operational policy implementation, community relations, real and capital acquisitions, grant programs, resource management, staff supervision and training, and general Board support.
The park district currently provides a gross annual salary of $221,857 to the general manager.
Payan said there was no increase in compensation and none was requested as he was only seeking an extension of the contract.
“When we get a cost of living increase, it is agency-wide and based off of the San Francisco (consumer price index),” said Payan. “Since I’ve been here, I have never asked for a raise in compensation.”
In the last year, Payan has experienced some health issues that have resulted in three medical leaves of absence of varying duration, the longest of which was nearly four months.
In July, the Park District Board of Directors temporarily appointed former Monterey County Administrative Officer Lew Bauman to perform the duties of the general manager when Payan was on a medical leave.
Payan said his desire was to return to work sooner but when the time came, he was glad to get back to work and thankful that Bauman stepped in.
Part of the employment agreement between the district and Payan includes medical benefits that remain unchanged, though it says that “the District’s contribution to the Anthem Blue Cross Care monthly premium is subject to change at any time, per Board approval, but shall reflect the same adjustment provided to all full-time District employees.”
Now that the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District and its general manager have an agreement in hand, Payan said his top priority is a project that has been ongoing for seven years, and that is the restoration of the Rancho Cañada Golf Course to a natural space.
The Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District acquired the 185-acre Rancho Cañada Golf Course property from the Trust for Public Land in April 2018, adding it as a unit of Palo Corona Regional Park, and opening it for public use.
The Rancho Cañada Floodplain Restoration Project, unanimously approved by the District Board in April 2023, seeks to restore 40 acres of riparian habitat along a 1-mile stretch of the Carmel River, lowering acres of surrounding land to be inundated by the river each year, restoring resilient aquatic and riparian habitat for rare, threatened, and endangered species such as South-Central California Coast steelhead and California red-legged frog and migratory bird species. Excavated soils will be placed onsite in upland areas to support other park uses and overlook viewing opportunities, smother invasive grasses, and act as sound and visual barriers to help buffer uses within the park such as dogs and wildlife, according to Park District documents.
Payan said that in addition to the work at Palo Corona’s Rancho Cañada unit, there several other projects, including the protection of the Western Snowy Plover at the Marina Dunes Preserve, and the development of a Fuel Mitigation and Fire Management Plan for Garland Ranch Regional Park.
Payan said he is grateful to the Board for the opportunity to continue working for the District and is especially appreciative of the public and park district staff for their support.
