Dear San Gabriel,

As our summer season winds down, I have some very exciting news to share about several departments that help run our City. Both the City Clerk’s department and Public Works’ Field Operations division are now fully staffed, and our Finance department recently received a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. More information about all three accomplishments can be found below.

In a bittersweet note, Fire Chief Derrick Doehler has retired after more than twenty years of service. Chief Doehler has been an instrumental force within the department during his tenure, and we wish him well on his well-deserved retirement. Chief Doehler will still be part of the San Gabriel Fire Department on a part-time basis as we begin the recruitment for a new Fire Chief, which you may read about here. From everyone at the City, we want to thank Chief Doehler for his tireless service and dedicated leadership.

Now, here’s the City Manager’s update for the month of August:

City Clerk

• Now that our City Clerk’s department is fully staffed, we’ll expect to see batches of minutes coming through over the next several City Council meetings. You can browse through each of them in our agenda section of our website. These minutes provide a written summary of what has occurred at each City Council meeting.
• In addition, Los Angeles County will be undergoing some significant changes in the way it conducts elections, with a new voter experience being rolled out in March 2020, which will be our City’s next general election. To inform our residents, our team at the City Clerk’s department has requested a presentation to the City Council by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder to highlight the changes.

Community Development

• Ever since the City’s first Starbucks opened earlier this year, we’re very happy to share that the Sheraton Los Angeles San Gabriel is reporting that the store is exceeding expectations. As a result, this Starbucks has extended its hours of operation several times. If you haven’t seen the store, we encourage you to take a visit!
• I’m happy to announce that the City’s Historic Preservation and Cultural Resource Ordinance has been awarded a Preservation Design Award from the California Preservation Foundation. The award is a statewide hallmark, showcasing the best in historic preservation. Congratulations to a very well-earned award to the team that made this possible.