Pasadena has picked its next top executive, voting Wednesday to bring in Riverside City Manager Mike Futrell as the city's new chief administrator. Futrell is slated to start work in Pasadena on May 13, 2026, giving him a little over a year to wrap up his Riverside run before heading west on the 210.
The council signed off on the hire at its regular meeting and said Futrell's decades of public-sector leadership line up with what Pasadena needs right now, according to Pasadena Now. City officials told the outlet they were drawn to his experience steering complex infrastructure work and economic development agendas. The city says it will work out the final start-of-employment details ahead of his mid-May arrival.
The City of Riverside's official biography notes that Futrell began serving there on Jan. 9, 2023, and that his résumé includes time as city manager of South San Francisco and as chief administrative officer for Baton Rouge. The Riverside profile also details his service as a state director in the U.S. Senate and a 26-year career in the U.S. Navy, spanning active duty and reserve roles. Those positions, the biography says, built the foundation for his experience running full-service municipal departments and overseeing large staffs.
Council Cites Utilities And Large Operations
Council members pointed to Futrell's track record managing utilities, airports, convention centers and big-ticket capital projects, a mix they said will be critical for Pasadena in the coming years, per Pasadena Now. The outlet reports that Futrell has overseen city-owned electric and water utilities serving up to 200,000 customers. For comparison, Riverside Public Utilities handles about 112,000 metered electric accounts and roughly 66,000 metered water accounts, a total in the same ballpark, according to the Southern California Public Power Authority's profile of Riverside's utility services.
A Résumé Built On City Management
Before taking the reins in Riverside, Futrell spent nearly nine years leading South San Francisco, where city materials credit him with helping push downtown revitalization and improving fiscal ratings. He has also held elected office in Louisiana and worked in both federal and private roles, including an executive position with a Hawaii utility, giving him a blend of political and operational experience. That mix of public- and private-sector work was a selling point for council members as they weighed candidates, according to city documents.
What Comes Next
Futrell's Pasadena tenure will begin as city leaders juggle infrastructure upgrades, housing efforts and economic development projects. Council members say they expect the new manager to emphasize efficient delivery of capital programs while shoring up public-private partnerships. City staff will coordinate with Futrell on a transition calendar in the runup to his May start.
The appointment wraps up the City Council's search for a permanent city manager and hands Pasadena a leader with long experience running utilities and full-service city operations. So far, the city has announced only the May 13 start date.
