Congratulations to the City of Cypress (Calif.) and to Alicia Velasco, who will shortly begin her tenure as Planning Director at the Orange County city of nearly 50,000.
In her new position, Velasco will oversee the planning, enforcement and housing functions, with four full-time staff. In a smaller city, successful managers must be hands-on, holding the vision and direction of the department and communicating across many internal and external partner roles, while also actively working to move specific projects and initiatives forward in accordance with the City’s master plan. We are confident the City has found its perfect candidate in Alicia Velasco.
Most recently, Velasco was with the City of Lomita, as Community and Economic Development Director, where she managed the divisions of Economic Development, Planning, Code Enforcement, Building and Safety, and Housing. She had earned that position from her previous role of Principal City Planner and, prior to that, Associate City Planner.
In the local newspaper, the Orange County Breeze, City Manager Peter Grant said, “Alicia’s 17 years of public and private sector experience have prepared her well to join the Cypress team. Her peers describe her as someone with the ‘figure it out’ gene and who understands the complex nature of local, state, and federal land use and environmental regulation.”
Read the entire Breeze story here
We agree with the City administration and Council that Velasco’s 17 years of municipal experience, with nine in a supervisory role, prepared her well for the Planning Director position. It’s been a pleasure to bring this professional and this team together!
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