Lisa L. Kim is the new city manager in Garden Grove — the first woman and first Asian American in the role.
Kim called it a “pinch me moment,” starting her new job on March 1, the first day of Women’s History Month.
“I want to be immersed in our community, I want to meet with our residents, I want to touch base with our service clubs, I want to continue to connect with our business community,” said Kim.
One of her first priorities, she said, is working with the City Council to address homelessness, and she is looking forward to launching the Central Cities Navigation Center with the cities of Fountain Valley and Westminster at the end of the year to provide resources, including shelter, to unhoused people and at-risk populations.
“We are about to roll out a program with CalOptima, a street medicine program, which is essentially urgent care on wheels,” Kim said of another tool to help the homeless population. The partnership will be launched in about a month, she said.
Another priority, she said, is addressing the community’s infrastructure, including fixing roadways with funds allocated from federal pandemic relief money.
The city, she said, has about 11,000 businesses, many of which are “small businesses, locally grown, mom-and-pop and first- and second-generation strong.” Kim hopes to work with the council in moving Jobs 1st, a loan and grant program, and Foods of Garden Grove, a program aimed at uplifting local restaurants, to the next phases.
Garden Grove, Kim said, also has several hotel projects near completion, on track to add around 100 hotel rooms.
Kim previously served as assistant city manager and as the community and economic development director. In these roles, Kim developed the 2021 Comprehensive Plan to Address Homelessness, and during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she implemented the Garden Grove Business Resource and Resiliency Plan to help business owners recover financially.
“Lisa’s proven track record for…
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