New city manager arrives ready to listen to residents

ENCINITAS — Arriving in the midst of a pandemic and a contentious election, Encinitas’ new city manager Pamela Antil begins on October 12 and looks to bring solutions to state housing requirements and homelessness as well as attention to the community’s unheard voices.

Officially confirmed by the City Council in a unanimous vote on September 9, Antil was hired from a competitive pool of 60 applicants and will be paid a salary of $250,000 commensurate with her experience and comparable positions in neighboring cities.

Antil has 25 years of experience directly managing and advising local government agencies after working with the cities of San Jose, Ann Arbor and Palo Alto before her most previous position as assistant city manager for the City of Santa Barbara.

She also holds a Bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University and a Master of Public Administration Degree from California State University.

In speaking with the Coast News, Antil reiterated her excitement to come to Encinitas, both as a resident and a city official.

Antil has visited the county’s coastline repeatedly for years visiting family in the greater San Diego area, and she appreciates Encinitas’ charm and the differing cultures of each section — Leucadia, New Encinitas, Old Encinitas, Olivenhain and Cardiff-by-the-Sea.

“I believe it’s really important as stewards of the public trust and public funds, to be constantly thinking ahead of what is it that needs to be done here to protect our beautiful community for the next generation,” Antil said.

Of the subjects she looks forward to wading into and offering solutions, Antil is ready to work to achieve compliance in regards to affordable housing guidelines established by the state, tackle the growing homeless population, as well as balance the interests of new and established Encinitas residents.

“Young families want to see more parks and activities for kids and more established residents tend to want to see the community stay the same,” Antil said. “As the world is always changing, communities need to change as well, but it’s also a balance between the needs of all differences ages of our residents.”

Antil also stressed her willingness to hear the opinions of all Encinitas residents, those who are openly vocal and those who may have stayed quiet in previous years.

“Even if your voice is not in the majority, it’s still important. You never know about the minority voice compared to what you’re hearing from those who speak at council meetings… it could be a bigger group than you think,” Antil said. “I’d really like to see some active engagement from folks that we usually don’t hear from to make sure that all Encinitans’ voices are heard. We’re one city. It’s okay if you have a different opinion than I do and it’s super important that you’re heard.”

As a board member of Women Leading Government CA and chief administrative officer of the League of Women in Government, Antil also looks forward to fostering a work environment conducive to those of all genders and backgrounds.

Antil will be moving to Encinitas with her husband of 30 years, Dave, from their residence in Santa Barbara. The couple has two college-age daughters, Syndey, a student at Boston University, and Peyton, a sophomore at San Diego State University. Antil said the family is excited to enjoy Encinitas together during the holiday seasons.