O.C. Pro Off to Wine Country

Orange County, Calif., is losing a financial expert just a month after the Board of Supervisors boldly told the state it plans to keep $73.5 million in local property taxes typically earmarked for schools to make up for what it saw as the state’s illegal taking of $49.5 million in vehicle license fees.

Auditor-controller David Sundstrom notified county supervisors Dec. 19 of his resignation effective Jan. 31, saying he has accepted a position in Sonoma County, Northern  California’s wine country, as its top official overseeing county finances.

“There is probably never a good time to leave a position,” Sundstrom said in a letter to Bill Campbell, chairman of the county’s board of supervisors. “However, I am proud to be part of a team that built a sustainable financial infrastructure that will put Orange County in good financial stead for years.”

The county is within two years of paying off the debt from its 1994 bankruptcy, eight years ahead of schedule, Sundstrom said in an interview.

“We were able to refinance, once our credit rating was restored,” Sundstrom said. “We have a double-A minus rating just like Sonoma County.”

Sundstrom was hired as Orange County’s first director of internal audits to increase financial oversight after the 1994 bankruptcy, and was later elected auditor-controller in 1998.

The move offered the opportunity for Sundstrom, who attended Sonoma State University, to live closer to his relatives, who all live in Northern California, he said.

“I was just thinking of getting home, having a new set of challenges and recharging,” Sundstrom explained. “If I had stayed down here, my next move would have been retirement. This move enabled me to stretch out my work life more.”

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California
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