Steven A. Preston, FAICP
Steve Preston is the city manager of San Gabriel, California a full-service general law city of 40,000 residents in 4.0 square miles, served by 190 full-time personnel. Birthplace of the Los Angeles Region, San Gabriel is home to historic Mission San Gabriel Arcangel, founded in 1771.
Mr. Preston started with San Gabriel as deputy city manager in January, 1999. During his tenure the City has received several awards for its planning and redevelopment programs. Prior to joining San Gabriel he served in the communities of La Verne and Glendale, California, as well as in the private sector.
Co-author of the 1999 report Planning at the Edge of the Millennium, Preston has taught negotiation and community engagement processes, and has significant experience in group facilitation. He has been a member of the International City Management Association for more than a decade, contributing the chapter on management to ICMA’s most recent volume on community planning. His most recent publication is a chapter in the new anthology, Planning Los Angeles, issued by APA Press in 2012.
<>An urban planner by training, Steve recently concluded his term on the American Planning Association’s national board of directors, chairing its national Legislative and Policy Committee. Winner of CCAPA’s 2000 Distinguished Service Award, Preston is also a former president of APA’s California Chapter; former member of APA’s national Board of Directors; past President of the California Planning Roundtable; a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners; former Chair of AICP’s Multi- Media Task Force; served on the Planning Accreditation Board; and has served as adjunct faculty in the graduate planning programs at both USC and Cal Poly Pomona. He has bachelor and master degrees in planning from Cal Poly Pomona with an emphasis in policy administration and communications.</>
Co-Chair for the past nine years of the UCLA Extension Land Use Law Conference, Steve has served as president of the Asian Youth Center, a regional organization serving youth and families, and of La Casa de San Gabriel Community Center. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board for Pasadena Heritage.