New Director Picked for County Public Safety Group

Ron Lane, who has served as director of San Diego County’s Office of Emergency Services for the last five years, has been appointed as the new general manager/deputy chief administrative officer of the county’s Public Safety Group.

Lane succeeds Ray Fernandez, who is retiring after 12 years with the county, the last three as PSG general manager. 

“Ron Lane has done a standout job leading both our Office of Emergency Services and our region in the area of disaster preparedness and response,” said County Chief Administrative Officer Walt Ekard. “And I am confident that he will do an outstanding job as general manager of our Public Safety Group. At the same time, I want to thank Ray Fernandez for his years of excellent service.”

Lane, 51, has worked for the county for 22 years, spending time with the Department of Planning and Land Use, the North County Municipal Court, PSG, the Department of Child Support Services and the Office of Emergency Services. As OES director, Lane helped lead the county’s response to the 2007 firestorms. Lane is also a colonel in the United States Army Reserve, has been deployed twice to the Persian Gulf and been awarded a Bronze Star for meritorious service.

The Public Safety Group includes two agencies with their own elected leaders, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office.

The group also includes seven county departments: the Citizen’s Law Enforcement Review Board; the Department of Child Support Services; the Medical Examiner’s Office; the Office of Emergency Services; the Probation Department; the Public Defender’s Office and the San Diego County Fire Authority.

—County press release