Michael Beck is the City Manager of Pasadena, by way of Riverside, California.  A guy from Riverside can bring in a lot of experience - like how to deal with rowdy NASCAR fans and knowledge of where to get the best Oakland Raiders tattoos.  Dealing old bitty “historic preservationists” rather than dregs of society is a lateral move these days.

With his yearly salary of $336,500 - Beck is most certainly most expensive doormat ever purchased by anyone.