Sonoma names Novato official new city manager

Sonoma has offered its City Manager job to Cathy Capriola, currently the Assistant City Manager of Novato, who emerged from a field of 46 applicants as the replacement for the outgoing Carol Giovanatto.

Capriola, who lives in Sonoma, has accepted the post pending official approval of the $186,000 contract by the full council on November 21.

She will start the job on January 9, Giovanatto’s final day after nearly 15 years at City Hall. Giovanatto announced her retirement in June.

Capriola took the Novato post in 2009. From January 1 to October of this year she served as the interim City Manager.

In her Assistant City Manager role for the city of 54,000 she was responsible for the City’s internal service departments including Human Resources, Risk Management, Information Technology, and Finance, which included oversight of the City’s $60 million budget. Sonoma’s annual budget is about $31 million.

Capriola lists her major accomplishments in Novato as leading the organization through a time of transition and driving projects related to the arrival of the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART), three-year labor agreements with employees, enhancements to the city’s public engagement and noticing, and investments in open space and Novato’s downtown.

Additionally, she helped lead the City through the recession while developing a sustainable fiscal plan and also implemented efforts to protect city resources after the dissolution of redevelopment agencies throughout California. She has also worked closely with the Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Business Association to strengthen support of local businesses during her time in Novato.

Prior to 2009, Capriola was the Administrative Services Director for the City of Citrus Heights, a community of 90,000 in the Sacramento region. She also served four years as the Deputy City Manager and Economic Development Coordinator for the City of Davis where she focused on business attraction and retention.

A native of Willows, CA, Capriola received her Master in Public and Private Management from Yale University and her undergraduate degree, a B.S. in Communication/Management from the University of California at Davis. She is also a graduate of the Coro Foundation in Public Affairs.