Shanae Smith named City Clerk of Palmdale

PALMDALE – Shanae Smith has joined the city of Palmdale to serve as the new City Clerk, replacing Becky Smith who retired after 21 years of service, officials announced Thursday.

Smith comes to Palmdale with more than 20 years of experience in both the private and public sectors, with vast experience in the areas of compliance, legislative management, project management and grant administration.

Before coming to Palmdale, Smith served in a number of positions, including executive assistant, project manager and board secretary at the West Valley Water District, aiding in their mission to provide its customers with safe, high-quality and reliable water service at reasonable rates and sustainable manner. This included a five-year stint overseeing the $22 million cutting-edge bioremediation water treatment plant, the first of its kind in the nation, and designed to treat groundwater sources contaminated with nitrates and perchlorate.

Smith also worked as a legal secretary in various law firms in the greater Los Angeles area, including Fulbright & Jaworski, Buchalter, and Goldman & Kagan in the areas of bankruptcy and insolvency, intellectual property, and employment law. She most recently served as executive assistant to the office of the city manager of the City of Riverside, working closely with the mayor, members of the city council, and department heads.

“Since I began my tenure as city manager, it has been a goal of mine to increase the diversity of our managers in this organization to better represent the community,” said Palmdale City Manager J.J. Murphy. “As a high performing organization, inclusiveness infuses talent on our team and it’s a win-win situation. The City Clerk’s department plays an important role in municipal government, handling everything from public records to managing elections and processing candidates. We have a strong team in place, and I know Shanae’s leadership will help us to continue to provide outstanding service to our residents.”

Smith lives in Riverside with her husband Glenn where they own a small fitness studio. “I am super excited to start a new chapter in my career and to be a part of this amazing team,” Smith said.

[Information via news release from the city of Palmdale.]

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