by Mark McDermott
The Manhattan Beach City Council formally appointed Talyn Mirzakhanian as city manager at its November 6 meeting.
Mirzakhanian has worked for the City of Manhattan Beach since 2020, first as a planning manager, then as community development director, and since August as acting city manager. The City Council conducted a nationwide search for a new city manager after Bruce Moe’s retirement on August 18, receiving over 50 applications, but last week settled on Mirzakhanian.
“Talyn’s commitment to our city, work ethic, responsiveness, and collaboration has demonstrated that she is the ideal choice for City Manager,” said Mayor Amy Howorth. “Her leadership during her tenure here in Manhattan Beach has demonstrated her unique ability to navigate complex challenges and engage with our community effectively. We are excited to see her continue to guide our City into a bright future.”
“It will be an honor to accept this role and to continue serving the residents of Manhattan Beach,” said Mirzakhanian. “I look forward to working collaboratively with the City Council, the staff, and our community to enhance the quality of life for all residents and to ensure that we effectively tackle any future challenges. Together, we can achieve great things and make Manhattan Beach an even better place to live, work, and visit.”
Mirzakhanian holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Master in Planning from the University of Southern California. She has worked 20 years in city governments, beginning as a planner with the City of Calabasas, where she served 12 years. She spent four years with the City of Pasadena before joining Manhattan Beach as a planning manager, and was appointed Community Development Director last year.
But her passion for public service began long before any of these professional credentials had accrued. Mirzakhanian started doing volunteer work with youth groups at 14, and quickly realized she’d found her calling in serving others. She continued to do volunteer work, especially with kids, all through her high school and collegiate career.
“The gratification I got was in how the youth would succeed,” Mirzakhanian said. “You could see the transition in them, and that is fulfillment for me. I do compare that to public service, because everything we do is selfless. It’s really for the betterment of the community that we’re working for. That is something I’ve always valued. As a public servant, I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
At UCLA and USC, Mirzakhanian found professors who helped guide that urge to serve towards municipal government. She began to understand that through local matters, often the most tangible positive changes are able to be made.
“I think it’s really about shaping the society around you, right?” she said. “Whether it was policy classes or urban planning classes, you can see the impact of the decisions that you’re making on the community that you’re making it for. And I’ve had the travel bug since I was pretty young, so I’ve had the opportunity to see how different cities function, how they are organized, and how they’re built out. It’s always intrigued me. You can see the impacts of policy development and decision making, on a local level, directly on that community. What I learned in those classes really inspired me to go down this path.”
Her experience over two decades has only deepened the passion that drew her public service. While so much societal attention is given to the larger policy and political stages, over and over again, Mirzakhanian observed people making a positive difference in the communities in which they lived.
“I always tell people, don’t underestimate the importance of participating in local local elections and local government issues,” she said. “That’s where you can make the most change for your day to day life. And I say this all the time, so people, people who know me will know this, but I tell people it’s really, really important to get involved in local policy development. That is when you want to get involved, not only when there is a project you know you are dissatisfied with. People always get involved when something feels really tangible to them, but your local government is developing policies for your city, and that’s when you need to get involved. I highly encourage involvement in local government.”
“I know full well, through my 20 year career, what your government can do for you as a citizen. And I’m proud to wear that badge of government employee, working in the public sector, devoting my entire career to that. Because we see the change in the communities we work in, and that is extremely gratifying.”
Mirzakhanian also learned from several of the municipal leaders she served alongside, starting with Maureen Tamari, community development director in Calabasas.
“She was a significant mentor for me,” Mirzakhanian said. “The way she directed the team, but really understood work/life balance and you know the need to keep your employees happy so that they give their best at their job. There’s also a lot I learned from her in managing public meetings, how to make sure that the meetings stay on track, how to make sure they’re efficient, how to make sure that you’re prepared to lead the discussion so that it doesn’t go astray.”
Former Calabasas City Manager Tony Coroalles was also a significant mentor.
He was a military man and he was always prepared,” she said. “He was always dressed for the occasion. He just had a very impactful way, with the city council as well as staff. He was able to find that middle ground, where you really know how to communicate well with staff and you’re an effective leader, but you’re also serving the council really well, making sure they are getting their priorities taken care of. That’s a hard balance to find.”
And then there is of course the locally legendary Bruce Moe.
“I was so happy to be able to serve him for the four years that I did, and I learned a lot from him,” Mirzakhanian said. “His love for this community, his love for staff — it was evident every single day on the job.”
Mirzakhanian fell in love with Manhattan Beach long before becoming a city employee. During college, and earlier in her career, she and her friends would come here on weekends.
“I knew there was something special about the community since then,” she said. “I would always tell myself, ‘I want to be a part of this community, one way or another.’ And so that’s why when that opportunity came up in 2020, I just knew it. I knew in my heart that this was the place for me.”
Mayor Pro Tem David Lessor said he has already been impressed with Mirzakhanian’s almost hypercompentent effectiveness. For example, while serving as acting city manager, the City had to grapple with the emergency closure and then demolition of one of its key downtown parking structures. Mirzakhanian led the staff in swiftly making the best of a difficult situation, finding temporary parking to mitigate the loss of spots. And when Lesser suggested that, despite the short time frame, staff investigate a more competitive bidding process for demolition, Mirzakhanian and Public Works staff returned at the very next meeting with a bid that saved the City nearly $1.7 million, from $1.85 million in the original estimate to $190,000.
“It was like, what? $190,000?” Lesser said. “I share that because it was a specific example of her being open, and just asserting her role, engaging the Public Works department, and encouraging them to reach out to other firms.”
Lesser said that though the nationwide search attracted over 50 candidates, he and his colleagues just kept coming back to the city manager they already had.
“She understands issues specific to Manhattan Beach,” Lesser said. “Obviously, that’s partly because she’s been here for four years. But she’s engaged with residents and businesses, and she’s worked with the most important regulatory agencies for our city, which are the Coastal Commission and the California Housing and Community Development Office. Housing is and will continue to be a big issue, but more importantly, she’s familiar with issues that directly impact our community and can really continue in the role from acting to permanent city manager without missing a beat.” ER
