The city of Santa Clarita is proud to announce that Assistant City Manager Frank Oviedo has been recognized with the 2021 John H. Nail Memorial Award from the League of California Cities. This distinguished award annually recognizes an outstanding municipal assistant who has contributed significantly to his or her City government and to the advancement of the community as a whole. The award was presented to Oviedo by City Manager Ken Striplin at the League of California Cities – City Manager Conference last week in Monterey.

“Frank is the embodiment of what this prestigious award recognizes,” said City Manager Ken Striplin. “Throughout his tenure with the city of Santa Clarita, he has encouraged innovation, led landmark projects and been a dedicated and effective mentor to City staff. He takes pride in professionally developing staff members to prepare them for future leadership roles in our organization.”

With more than 23 years of experience in local government, Mr. Oviedo has taken the lead on major projects and initiatives for the city of Santa Clarita. During the pandemic, he focused on creating new recreational opportunities for the public to provide safe, active opportunities. He oversaw the creation of the Trek Bike Park of Santa Clarita and led the negotiations to purchase, renovate and rebrand the former Ice Station, now known as The Cube.

Mr. Oviedo has served as Assistant City Manager in Santa Clarita since 2013. This is his second stint with the City, previously serving the community here from 1997 to 2002, before being named the Deputy City Manager for the city of Elk Grove. During his time there, he had direct oversight of the Public Works, Planning, Finance and Human Resources Departments while also supporting the police department. He played a significant role in converting the Sacramento County Sheriff’s contract into the City’s first municipal police department.

Frank departed Elk Grove to become the city of Wildomar’s first City Manager in 2009. He assisted the City Council in stabilizing the City’s finances during the 2009 Great Recession and developed Wildomar’s first comprehensive economic development plan.

The John H. Nail Memorial Award was created by the City Managers’ Department of the League of California Cities at the 1978 Annual Spring Conference in honor of a highly regarded city manager and individual. For more information, please visit calcities.org.