Mill Valley Police Chief Rick Navarro is leaving the department to become Rohnert Park's director of public safety, the city of Rohnert Park announced Thursday, Aug. 27, according to Local News Matters.

Navarro has led the Mill Valley Police Department since 2021, advising city officials on public safety policy, emergency preparedness, risk management and long-term planning. He brings more than three decades of law enforcement experience to the new role, according to Local News Matters.

Before coming to Mill Valley, Navarro served as a captain with the Marin County Sheriff's Office. He has lived in Rohnert Park for 34 years, making the move a return home.

Mill Valley officials praised Navarro's tenure while acknowledging the loss. City Manager Todd Cusimano said he was "really excited to celebrate him, but ... sad to see him go as well," Patch reported. Mayor Max Perrey, addressing a broader wave of staffing transitions at City Hall, said "we are losing some titans" but that the city had "a powerhouse team ready to take the next seat." Councilmember Urban Carmel thanked Navarro for his guidance, telling him: "I just want to say congratulations on an outstanding career."

The city said it will recruit for Navarro's replacement both internally and externally, with the search expected to continue through the fall. No interim chief has been named. A formal recognition of Navarro's tenure is planned at a future City Council meeting, according to Patch.

The change comes as Mill Valley's wildfire evacuation plan nears completion under work Navarro oversaw. In late July, Navarro told the Mill Valley Briefing the city had finished nearly all elements of its evacuation plan, including live-feed cameras and signage for regular Community Refuge Areas. Only signage for the Super Community Refuge Areas (Super CRAs) at Bayfront Park and Tamalpais High School remained incomplete.

"The Super CRA signage remains a priority to ensure our evacuation plan is fully implemented and operating as intended," Navarro said on July 31.

That evacuation work drew national attention. FEMA and the U.S. Fire Administration selected Mill Valley as one of three communities nationwide for a tabletop exercise to help write evacuation guidance for other towns, according to the Mill Valley Briefing. The city's plan includes reversing a stretch of Hamilton Drive during emergencies to open a third Highway 101 on-ramp, a change modeling found could cut total evacuation time by roughly 40%.

Navarro's exit means the department's next leader will inherit both the final stages of that plan and the broader public safety portfolio he managed for five years.

Residents with questions can reach the Mill Valley Police Department at (415) 389-4100.