Garden Grove City Manager Selected as Palm Springs’ Next City Manager

(CNS) – Garden Grove’s city manager was named Friday the next city manager of Palm Springs.

Scott C. Stiles will begin his Indio position March 6 if his employment agreement is approved Thursday by the Palm Springs City Council, according to the city.

"With decades of experience in city administration, he brings a wealth of expert knowledge and a desire to improve systems, mentor staff as they advance in their careers, and collaborate with residents and stakeholders to move Palm Springs forward," Mayor Grace Garner said in a statement.

City officials said that during Stiles’ seven years serving Garden Grove in Orange County, he rolled out an innovative mobile mental health program, developed the city’s first permanent supportive housing program, mobilized a regional effort to open a homeless navigation center, helped pilot a street medicine program, and helped the city through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to Garden Grove, Stiles served as the assistant city manager for Cincinnati for eight years, starting in 2013, and then as that city’s interim city manager for one year.

He graduated from South Dakota State University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and geography in 1980, and from the University of Cincinnati, Ohio with a masters in community planning in 1983, city officials said. He additionally received the League of California Cities Award for Advancement of Diverse Communities in 2018.

"The city of Palm Springs is one of the most vibrant, welcoming and diverse communities in the nation and I am humbled and honored to be selected to lead this dynamic city and resort destination as it moves into the future," Stiles said in a statement. "I look forward to collaborating with the City Council, community and staff and I am incredibly excited about this next step in my career."

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