The Santa Clara City Council appointed Jovan D. Grogan as City Manager earlier this month. He has managed San Bruno since 2018 and worked for the cities of Berkeley and Concord before that.
Grogan has many years of experience in local government. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Studies and a Master of Regional Planning from Cornell University.
Grogan’s appointment comes one year after the firing of former administrator Deanna Santana. Her tenure saw numerous controversies, from high-profile scuffles with the 49ers, Levi’s Stadium, and The Rolling Stones, to questions over her large salary.
There are concerns over Grogan’s salary as well. His contract calls for $405,506 a year. That’s slightly less than what Santana was making, but it's high by regional standards and comes amid a projected budget deficit of $27 million.
Councilmember Anthony Becker, who voted against the appointment, called Grogan’s salary “unsustainable.” Mayor Lisa Gillmor and Councilmember Kathy Watanabe were absent from the vote.
Vice Mayor Kevin Park is just happy to have found an experienced administrator to guide the city after a year of searching.
“It’s clear the city council is split in many ways,” he told San José Spotlight. “We need a city manager that is able to look at all the challenges in the city, and not focus on the ones that happen to lead the narrative. We need someone who’s able to mitigate the differences on the council, instead of creating wider divides.”
The final vote for Grogan was 4-1. He’ll start his new job on May 1st.
Image Credit: City of San Bruno