Surf City’s new woman in charge

Jenny Marder

A thoughtful manner, analytical mind, deep hunger for knowledge and

an exceptional sense of detail separated Penny Culbreth-Graft, Surf

City’s first female city administrator, from the rest of the pack,

Mayor Cathy Green said.

Her appointment was approved Monday night by the City Council at a

closed session meeting. Culbreth-Graft will take the reins on June 1.

“All of us were blown away with the detail and the background that

she knew on our city and just the knowledge that she had,” Green

said. “She had to do a lot of research Someone who did that much

research you knew really loved the city. It went beyond ‘I want a

job.’ It was ‘this city, this job, this everything.’”

The 46-year-old can attest to that.

“[Huntington Beach] represents the best of what I’ve dealt with in

the past all in one,” she said.

That’s no flimsy praise from someone with a past as diverse and

eclectic as hers.

She has a doctorate in public administration from the University

of La Verne, a master’s degree in public administration from Cal

State Colleges Consortium and a bachelor’s degree in political

science and social science from Cal Poly Pomona.

She comes from a position as assistant city administrator in the

city of Riverside, where she has been since February, 2003. But for

three years before that Culbreth-Graft was the tribal government

manager for the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians in San Diego County.

She was recruited to the rural reservation to establish a

democratic government, at the tribe’s request.

While there, Culbreth-Graft brought to the 800-member reservation

an advanced sewer and water system, a water treatment system and fire

services. She helped residents develop a city code and laws, a

finance and accounting system and headed the creation of park and

recreation and health and wellness programs.

“It was quite incredible,” she says of the experience. “The

structure was different from what you and I would expect to see. You

drive to work [past] cows and the bulls and then work with high

technology water and sewer systems.”

She also served as city manager for Grover Beach, Calif. from 1991

to 1994; and as assistant city manager for San Diego for a year; at

Chino for six years; and Tucson, Ariz. for a year and a half.

While working at all of these cities, Culbreth-Graft developed an

in-depth knowledge of city government that she is certain will

benefit Huntington Beach.

“There’s so much that’s being thrown at you and you learn to

become a really quick study, you learn to assess conditions quickly,”

she said. “You learn the type of people you can put together to solve

things and the type of support you need and then you have general

familiarity with a whole lot.”

Public Works Director Robert Beardsley, who worked with

Culbreth-Graft while she was assistant city manager in Chino,

applauds the City Council’s decision to appoint her.

“I think she’s experienced a lot of things that have prepared her

for anything that’s coming,” Beardsley said. “I don’t think there

will be anything that she’s not prepared to handle. She’s very

intelligent and very savvy in the municipal government situation.

“I think she’ll have an immediate positive impression on employees

as a very caring and direct and very positive influence.”

Unlike her past positions, which were specifically designed to be

short-term contracts, Culbreth-Graft is hoping that Huntington Beach

will be her last move.

On the side, she has taught classes in public policy and

organizational theory at San Diego State, the University of La Verne

and California Baptist University.

“She has done a lot of teaching at the university level, which I

think indicates a lifelong learning process,” Councilwoman Debbie

Cook said. “She appreciates learning and sharing knowledge with

others.”

Culbreth-Graft attributes her strong leadership style to a deep

respect for the will of the community, the city staff and the City

Council.

“It takes a lot of listening, observing and understanding what

people want in their community,” she said. “The input portion is very

important and [so is] the will and ability to bring folks to the

table that are impacted by decisions to create solutions. And then

regularly monitoring that quality of service to see, is the council

happy with it, are the citizens happy with it and adjusting if needed

when you get that feedback.”

Her main goal, she said, is to implement the City Council’s vision

for the city.

“That’s my goal and that’s my job,” she said. “To talk with [the

City Council] and spend more time in the community. It’s a complex

community with complex needs.”

Culbreth-Graft is confident that she can bring a new perspective

to many of the cities most daunting issues. She tackled coastal and

water quality issues in Grover Beach and land preservation issues at

the reservation.

In San Diego, she worked to balance the conflicting voices of

those pushing for economic development with those fighting to

preserve open space.

Council members also expect Culbreth-Graft to bring a fresh fiscal

outlook to the city, which suffered an $11.5 million shortfall in

2003 and faces further cuts this year.

“Are there going to be cuts? Yes,” Green said. “She knows it and

we know it When somebody looks at it with new eyes, we’re always

hoping they come up with better solutions and better ideas.”

Culbreth-Graft’s approach to financial difficulties is to listen

and talk to as many people as possible before making decisions.

“What I’ve found in the years I’ve done this, is the employees,

the council and the community tend to have good ideas on what needs

to be done to get to where you need to fiscally,” she said. “I

wouldn’t expect to come in and say, ‘this is what you need to do.’

The solution is multi-faceted and requires a lot of heads at the

table to figure it out.”

Culbreth-Graft will replace Ray Silver, who has held the post for

13 years.

Silver retired Friday and Assistant City Administrator Bill

Workman will serve as interim city administrator until June.

* JENNY MARDER covers City Hall. She can be reached at (714)

965-7173 or by e-mail at jenny.marder@latimes.com.