New Escondido assistant city manager named, salary set at $164,390

Former Escondido assistant city manager turned-city manager Graham Mitchell said Thursday, March 17 that Jay Petrek would become the new Mitchell, i.e., new assistant city manager.

Petrek is Escondido director of community development. His new salary will be $164,390.

Mitchell, for example, also received benefits including 20 days of management leave with the ability to convert 15 of those days to salary, auto allowance of $750 per month — the same as council members receive; life insurance policy at twice the salary; separate contribution to deferred compensation plan of 7 percent of the base salary when he was named.

This was in addition to a base salary of $234,719 annually, making him the second highest paid city manager in San Diego County. Carlsbad city manager Steve Sarkozy signed a 2014 contract paying him a base salary of $260,000 and highest paid city manager in the county.

Petrek has worked for the city of Escondido since 1984. He has been community development director since last October. He also has been assistant planning director and principal planner. among his duties were development of three General plan updates, the Downtown Specific Plan update, Climate Action Plan, large annexations, and several master plan communities.

Petrek is a member of the San Marcos Unified School District Board of Trustees, which serves portions of Escondido. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

“Jay knows and loves our community,” Mitchell said. “As the author of the city’s General Plan and work on various specific plans, he has attended over seventy community meetings, getting to know the residents, businesses and culture of Escondido.

“I believe that Jay will be a tremendous asset in overseeing the completion of the thirty major development projects that are under construction or in the planning pipeline,” Mitchell said.