Ken Wagstaff is a 45-year resident of Davis. He was a member of the Davis City Council from June 20, 1998 to April 20, 2002. He served as Mayor Pro Tem from 1998 to 2000 and Mayor from 2000 to 2002. Under his leadership, the council adopted a sweeping new General Plan for the city and successfully placed Measures J and O before the voters. Measure J enacted the City's procedure for voter approval of any new residential expansion outside the current City limits. Measure O inaugurated the City's Open Space Acquisition program. As Mayor, Ken enhanced the annual celebrations of Martin Luther King's and Cesar Chavez' birthdays, assuring that these events will remain a permanent part of the city events calendar.
Ken is a retired state health policymaker and program executive, having served the State of California for 34 years. He was a Department of Finance budget executive from 1966-71, Health Consultant to the State Assembly from 1971-77, Deputy Secretary of the Health and Welfare Agency from 1977-81, Director of the State Department of Mental Health from 1981-83 and Director of the Board of Medical Quality Assurance from 1983-92. He then managed a Branch of the State Medi-Cal program until his retirement in 2000.
Ken is currently on the Board of Citizens Who Care, Yolo County's volunteer service agency for families of the frail elderly. He served as executive director of the organization from 2005-2010.
Ken is on the Board the of the Yolo County ACLU.
Ken has long been active in Davis politics. Before he was elected to the City Council. he worked the referendum to stop the building of a four-lane tunnel through the Richards Underpass, assisted the City Council election campaigns of Tom Tomasi and Julie Partansky, and was member of the coordination committee for No on Measure X, which defeated the Covell Village proposal to construct 2,000 new residential units at Pole Line Road and Covell Blvd.
