Santa Barbara names new assistant city administrator

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The city of Santa Barbara named René Eyerly as the new assistant city administrator on Tuesday, promoting her from that interim position that she has filled since September.

"I'm honored to accept this position and excited to continue the collaborative work we have begun with the community toward innovating existing services and addressing long-standing challenges," Eyerly said.

Eyerly was selected from a nationwide pool of over 40 candidates. In her role, she is tasked with initiatives such as working on various ordinances, working with staff on the city's language access policy, and oversight of neighborhood engagement and improvement.

Eyerly has served in a number of city leadership roles, including as the acting co-director for the Sustainability and Resilience Department, for five years, according to city spokeswoman Shelly Cone.

She also created the Homeless Encampment Response Team and spearheaded the pilot program for safe shelter for people living in fire-prone encampments during her tenure.

Before her time in Santa Barbara, Eyerly served as the manager of San Jose's Sustainability and Regulatory Compliance Division, where she was critical in leading the city's groundbreaking sustainable Green Vision and $1 billion wastewater master plan implementation, Cone said.

She has a master's degree in environmental policy and management from Yale and did her undergraduate work at the University of South Carolina.