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When Dave Levis came to work for the City of Oakdale in 1985, the city’s population was just over 7,000 people and the community was a typical slow growth, sleepy valley town.
Twenty-four years later, the city’s population is approaching 20,000 and has, in some ways, become another bedroom community for the San Francisco Bay Area.
Levis officially retired from the city June 30, although he has been using saved up vacation time the past few weeks.
Levis has been involved in the building trades his entire career, as both a city official and a private contractor. In fact, he plans to stay busy in retirement with his business, DL Levis Custom Home Designs, where he draws up building plans for customers.
Levis served as a building inspector in Stanislaus County and the City of Manteca prior to coming to Oakdale in 1985, where he took the same position. A year later, he was appointed as the city’s chief building officer, a post he held until his retirement.
Levis recalls the opening of residential developments such as Burchell Hill and Bridle Ridge as the busiest times during his career.
“We went from issuing about 100 to 120 building permits a year to over 400 a year,” he said.
He anticipates such growth has come to a stop for the time being, however.
“This is the worst I’ve ever seen it,” Levis said.
Although Levis recalls other stretches of bad economies in the past, including the recessions of the late 1990s and early 1980s, he said he has not seen property values as impacted as they are today.
“No one could get a loan, or wanted one, really,” he noted of the early 1980s when mortgage rates climbed into double figures. “Now, the value of property has gone way down.”
Levis said he expects the economy to eventually rebound.
“The city will boom again, we just don’t know when,” he said.
In 1987 Levis computerized the building department, putting plans into a digital format. He considers this one of his main achievements during his career in Oakdale.
“It’s really a wonderful way to research old plans,” he said, noting the hours employees are able to save when they don’t have to manually hunt through plans that are in a storage building.
“It was all triplicates and carbon paper then; what a concept,” he said with a laugh.
Levis said he enjoyed working with a variety of city councils over the years, as different council members brought forth different philosophies as it relates to growth.
“They were all really good councils, in my opinion,” he said.
Levis also considers the relationships he built over the years with city staff and community members as the most rewarding aspect of his job.
“I really enjoyed my coworkers and meeting the people on the other side of the counter,” said Levis, who has been a resident of Oakdale since 1986.
It was these relationships, according to Oakdale City Manager Steve Hallam, where Levis really shined.
“He had a comfortable way of welcoming citizen builders,” Hallam said. Many residents see the permit process as daunting, Hallam noted, and said Levis was at his best explaining the process to homeowners and others.
“He gave a lot to the citizens of Oakdale,” said Hallam, who prior to his appointment as city manager was Oakdale’s community development director.
One aspect of his ‘retirement’ has Levis excited. His home design business, which he launched a number of years ago, will finally be able to consult with property owners in Oakdale.
“I couldn’t review my own plans,” Levis noted with a chuckle.
Now that there is no longer a conflict Levis said he is looking forward to working with Oakdale residents and property owners helping them to design everything from new homes to additions to business properties.
Although now, Levis will join those on the other side of the counter.

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