Susan Cline

Assistant City Manager

As Assistant City Manager, Susan works alongside city leadership to advance the City’s top priorities: emergency operations, clean and safe neighborhoods, economic recovery, and racial equity inside and outside the organization. In particular, Susan plays a critical role with the City’s Emergency Operations Center to promote public health as we work to save lives and support vaccination amidst the catastrophic crisis occurring across LA County, as well as to plan for full reopening of City operations and services. She will also continue to help make necessary adjustments to our operations to deliver strong city services, as the City was forced to make painful decreases to its operating budget to account for the revenue decreases forecast at the time and now clearly seen in the pandemic. 

Cline is a Santa Monica resident who has held key leadership roles in the Public Works Department for more than a decade, including serving as Director of Public Works since 2016. In her role as Public Works Director, Cline has overseen operations for the City’s largest department, a department that offers many of the services that have the greatest impact on resident’s lives, including refuse collection, public landscape, beach maintenance, capital projects, and environmental programs. Cline is a champion for sustainability and has been instrumental in incorporating sustainable practices across Public Works and City operations.