New Los Gatos town manager comes from San Dimas

After months of searching for a new town manager to replace the outgoing Laurel Prevetti, the Los Gatos Town Council tapped Chris Constantin, who previously served as the city manager of San Dimas, for the job.

Constantin, who grew up near Los Gatos, spent about three years as city manager in San Dimas and has served for nearly 20 years as a volunteer law enforcement officer with the city of Hayward. His start date is Nov. 4.

After initially announcing that she’d retire as of June 28, Prevetti twice moved up her last day on the job, which is now Sept. 6. Assistant town manager Katy Nomura will take over as interim town manager to bridge the gap between Prevetti’s departure and Constantin’s arival, according to an Aug. 15 release from the town.

The town contracted with the search firm Peckham & McKenney to conduct the search for the new town manager. The company advertised the job for a salary in the $320,000 range. With the city of San Dimas, Constantin made $24,105.55 each month, or $289,266.60 each year, according to public documents.

Constantin also served on the West Valley-Mission Community College District board of trustees from 1997 to 2010, according to his LinkedIn page. He has a master’s in public administration from Syracuse University, and a bachelor’s degree in industrial and systems engineering from San Jose State University.

“I am excited to return home to the Bay Area and serve Los Gatos,” he said in a release. “This community is a gem and is a remarkable place to live, work and play. I am excited to bring my experience and passion for public service back to Los Gatos and look forward to working with the town council, staff, residents and business to build on Los Gatos’ strengths.”

San Dimas Mayor Emmett Badar and Mayor Pro Tem Eric Nakano submitted an open letter congratulating the Los Gatos community for choosing Constantin.

“There is no doubt that Chris will serve Los Gatos with the same ethics, thoughtfulness and care that he brought to San Dimas,” the letter reads. “And while we will miss him dearly, we are excited about the impact he will undoubtedly have in your community and wish him and you well.”