Public Safety Group Leadership Announcement

from Helen Robbins-Meyer, Chief Administrative Officer

After a stellar County career spanning more than 30 years, most recently leading our Public Safety Group, Ron Lane has announced his retirement, effective at the end of this year.

ron lane

Ron is admired and respected by everyone who’s had the fortune of working with him. He’s shown excellence in everything he’s done – and he’s done a lot. He started with the County in Planning and Land Use, then switched to public safety, working in municipal courts, Child Support and Emergency Services, where he expertly managed response operations during the 2007 firestorms.

In 2011, he became Deputy Chief Administrative Officer and General Manager for PSG. He’s continuously raised the bar for the departments and guided them through challenging organizational changes and program implementations: the successful completion of realignment, the opening of the Community Transition Center, Las Colinas reconstruction, the Living Safely strategy, County Fire expansion, the Trauma Response Unit at juvenile hall, Drug Medi-Cal. That’s just to name a few.     

It’s a tremendous legacy, and we are all safer thanks to Ron’s effective leadership.

We’ll miss him, but I am thrilled to announce Holly Porter will take the reins at PSG.

holly porter

As director of the Office of Emergency Services, Holly has shown leadership when it matters most: during times of disaster. She’s led the Emergency Operations Center during multiple incidents, including the 2014 wildfires and the Lilac Fire in 2017. She’s overseen the introduction and expansion of various tools to help residents prepare for and stay safe during emergencies. During her tenure, OES met standards for the Emergency Accreditation Program, which recognized the County for best practices in planning, training and public awareness campaigns.

Prior to taking over at OES, Holly held several communications positions within the County, guiding our response in numerous high-profile events.

Holly has consistently provided strategic vision and promoted innovation, and I look forward to her taking our public safety departments to new heights.

Please join me in congratulating Holly in her new assignment and wishing Ron the best in a well-deserved retirement. Over the next three months, they’ll serve together in PSG, and we’ll conduct a nationwide search for our next director at OES.