San Luis Obispo announces new City Manager Friday
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – On Friday, the San Luis Obispo City Council announced that Interim City Manager Whitney McDonald has been selected to fill the same position permanently.
The City Manager position is one of two staff roles directly appointed by the City Council, the other being the City Attorney, and is responsible for hiring City staff, managing the City's budget, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the City, and carrying out the policy directions of the City Council.
McDonald will be responsible for a staff of over 480 employees and a budget of around $225 million detailed the City of San Luis Obispo in a press release about the announcement.
"During our very thorough recruitment process, it became clear that Whitney is the right person to lead and elevate our organization into the future," said San Luis Obispo Mayor Erica A. Stewart. "She brings an impressive breadth of experience serving public sector agencies for the past 17 years and has a depth of knowledge in housing, land use, development, and environmental issues. Her local expertise and action-oriented, problem-solving style will help us address the most important challenges facing our City as well as implement our ambitious Major City Goals."
McDonald served for several months as the Assistant City Manager and took over the City Manager position on an interim basis after the departure of former City Manager Derek Johnson.
The ad hoc committee appointed by the City Council to decide on a new, permanent City Manager, considered 59 qualified applicants from a nationwide pool and provided recommendations during a closed session of the full City Council which ultimately selected McDonald shared the City of San Luis Obispo.
"Whitney distinguished herself in that impressive pool and gained the unanimous support of the Council to serve as the San Luis Obispo’s next City Manager," explained Mayor Stewart. "We are excited to work with Whitney to continue engaging and serving our community well."
McDonald has signed her employment contract with a formal start date to be adopted during the City Council's regular meeting on Aug. 20.
"I am truly honored to serve in this role as San Luis Obispo’s City Manager and look forward to deepening partnerships with community members, businesses, and regional partners," stated McDonald regarding the decision. "We have a lot to do together, and I am eager to continue working with the community, the City Council and City staff to accomplish our strategic goals."
Prior to joining the staff of the City of San Luis Obispo, McDonald served as the Community Development Director and then City Manager for Arroyo Grande.
McDonald received a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
