Following a nationwide recruitment process that attracted more than 200 applicants, Katherine Fuentes, the current assistant city manager for the City of Pico Rivera, has been chosen to serve as Cathedral City’s new Assistant City Manager.
Mrs. Fuentes currently serves as an assistant city manager for a similar size city within Los Angeles County where for more than six years she has specialized in long-term strategic planning and innovative transformation.
Katherine started her municipal government career, after previously serving many years in the private sector, in the City of Pico Rivera’s Finance Department before moving into the Administration Department. There she quickly advanced into roles of increasing responsibility culminating with the position of Assistant City Manager. Her leadership style refocused from managing projects to empowering, motivating and mentoring people. She believed then, and continues to believe now, that true leadership is about being successful through others. Throughout her career she has been celebrated for her innovative achievements and passion driven leadership.
City Manager Charlie McClendon said, “I am excited to have Katherine Fuentes join the Cathedral City Team. After careful consideration of all the candidates, Katherine rose to the top due to her innovative approaches to enhancing the quality of life in local communities.”
For example, in 2017, Katherine launched the Pico Rivera Innovative Municipal Energy (PRIME) program, the 9th Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program to form in the State of California. This enterprise generated $14 Million in new revenue for the city. In 2019, she acquired and converted 3,000 Southern California Edison (SCE) streetlights to LED, saving the city over $2.8 Million over 20 years. Katherine believes that we all must do our part to safeguard the public’s trust through open and transparent business practices that consistently maintain our credibility as strong ethical stewards of all the community’s resources.
A Southern California native, Katherine holds a M.A. degree in Global Economics and a B.A. degree in International Business with a Minor in Economics, both from California State University, Los Angeles.
“The City of Cathedral City values openness and innovation as we work to improve the lives of our residents, businesses, and visitors through excellent public services,” stated McClendon. “Katherine has demonstrated a commitment to these same values, and I am confident she will help us move forward to an even brighter future.”
