City of Goleta Selects New Assistant City Manager

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GOLETA, CA, April 3, 2024 – The City of Goleta is pleased to share that long-time staff member and Goleta local, Jaime Valdez, has been selected as the new Assistant City Manager. He was chosen following an extensive search that included applicants from across the country. Mr. Valdez currently serves as the Director of Neighborhood Services and will begin his new position on Monday, April 8, 2024.

City Manager Robert Nisbet said, “I am thrilled that Jaime proved his abilities against a very strong candidate pool and has happily and enthusiastically accepted this position. His knowledge of City operations, skillset and interpersonal communication make him the right person for this job.”

“I pride myself on developing and nurturing important relationships to improve collaboration in the workplace and in my personal life,” said Mr. Valdez. He added, “As a Goleta native raising a family in the Good Land, I genuinely care about Goleta and its future. I look forward to giving my all to this position and the City of Goleta.”

Mr. Valdez, who is bilingual, has worked for the City of Goleta for over 16 years and spent the last three years as Director of Neighborhood Services. He was first hired as a Management Analyst for the City in 2007 and the following year was promoted to Senior Management Analyst. In 2012 he was selected to be the City’s Economic Development Coordinator where he served for six years before being promoted to Senior Project Manager and eventually to Principal Project Manager in the Neighborhood Services Department. He assumed the role of Director of Neighborhood Services in December 2021 after serving as Interim Director for nine months.

Throughout his time at the City, Mr. Valdez has taken on numerous important projects and endeavors, including the acquisition of City Hall, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office public safety contract, and its recent extension, and most recently, the Goleta Train Depot project. 

Jaime attended Kellogg Elementary School, Goleta Valley Junior High School, and is a proud graduate of Dos Pueblos High School. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts from UC Berkeley and work in the Bay Area until attending and graduating from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government with a Master of Public Policy. Following graduate school, he returned to Goleta and has been here since 2006.

Please join the City of Goleta in congratulating Mr. Valdez on his new position.