by Julie Underwood
Daly City assistant city manager
Every time I think of California, 2Pac’s song, California Love, starts playing in my head. It has always been on my places to live list, offering many beautiful and exciting sites such as Yosemite, Disneyland, wine country, and Hollywood. California is the most populous state, 38 million people, and the third largest by area. And consequently, it has the largest economy, even outpacing countries such as Brazil.
I’ve now been in California for over a year and working in Daly City for about nine months. Previously I worked in the state of Washington and Maryland. Before moving here, I heard all kinds of interesting things about California. This article talks about some of those “myths” and some of the “marvels” or unique characteristics of the Golden State. My disclaimer – these are my personal observations and generalizations – I will not be offended if you take them with a grain of salt.
It’s interesting how certain opinions, or “myths,” get started and then perpetuated. The one that I’ve heard most often is that it’s hard to transition to California local government if you’re from out of state. While it’s true that California has produced some outstanding public servants, it has imported a lot of them too!
I believe that most local governments have a preference for candidates who live within their own state. In fact, I seem to recall when the Shoreline, WA City Council conducted a national search for a new city manager, they ended up narrowing the list of candidates down to those living within the state. It’s natural for a community to believe their issues and challenges are unique to them. I’ve found that the laws, the organizational challenges, and budget and financial issues are generally common among local governments. There is parochialism, no matter what state you live in.
I have had such a great experience transitioning to California. When I reached out to local area colleagues, even those that I personally didn’t know, they offered their time to meet for coffee or lunch. I even had an assistant city manager, who worked for a nearby community, invite me to happy hour so that she could introduce me to other colleagues. Likewise, I had a great one-on-one meeting with ICMA’s Senior Advisor and knew that I could call on him if needed. Overall, I felt there was a strong community of managers and assistants who were welcoming, encouraging, and very supportive.
You can read the full article at ELGL.org