Cerritos Fires Its City Manager After 18 Years

Gaylord F. Knapp, the man who used aggressive development techniques to transform Cerritos from dairy farms into one of Southern California’s most tax-rich communities, has been fired as city manager by the City Council after 18 years.

Knapp’s firing came during a closed-door session of the council late Wednesday night but was not announced until Thursday morning, when Assistant City Manager Art Galucci told city employees. Galucci has been named interim city manager. Knapp was not at work Thursday.

There were indications late last summer that Knapp was on his way out. Council members told him they were not happy with what some called an iron-fisted management style, and were no longer as interested in his narrow pro-development views. Political leaders in the city, which is largely built up now, have become more and more preoccupied in recent years with such issues as senior citizen services and the need for low-cost housing.