City Manager Steve Mermell has appointed David Reyes as the new director of the planning and community development department. Reyes had been serving as interim director for the past six months. The appointment will be effective July 25.
Reyes will oversee a department of about 80 employees who review planning proposals and develop land-use policies for the city. The department includes the planning, building and safety; cultural affairs; and code compliance divisions – including the city’s permit center for new and remodel construction, zoning, and code enforcement and public art.
Reyes brings nearly 20 years of professional planning experience to the position from the public and private sectors. He joined the City of Pasadena’s Planning Department in 2012 and has been the department’s deputy director department since 2014 before becoming the department’s interim director earlier this year.
“I am honored to have been selected to lead Pasadena’s Planning and Community Development Department at a time of great challenges for the city, in terms of future growth, land-use issues, and the overall financial and economic health of the city,” Reyes said. “I look forward to serving Pasadena’s residents and businesses, and continuing the tradition of outstanding community service.”
Assistant City Manager Julie Gutierrez said Reyes “combines effective executive leadership skills with a strong sense of community values that, together with his planning expertise, makes him an outstanding fit to lead our planning department into the future.”
Prior to Pasadena, Reyes worked for 10 years in a variety of positions for the planning departments of the Cities of Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and Malibu. Reyes has a bachelor’s in urban studies and planning from the California State University, Northridge.
The maximum salary for the position as posted on the city’s website is $18,333.47 per month.
