Garden Grove is changing hands: Lisa Kim to retire, Matt West tapped for city manager — his $363,756 contract goes to a vote September 8

What's happening?

The city manager is the chief executive of city hall: the person who runs the police and fire departments, street repairs, business permits, libraries, and parks, carrying out policies set by the elected council. In Garden Grove, that seat is about to change hands for the first time in more than three years.

According to the staff report for the September 8, 2026 council meeting, Lisa Kim will retire on November 2, 2026. To prepare, the City Council held a special closed session on Monday, August 31 — a meeting called for this one purpose — and reached consensus to offer the job to Matthew S. West, the current assistant city manager, once Kim steps down. The staff report is signed by Human Resources Director Jany Lee and addressed, per internal filing format, to Kim herself.

Kim took the job in March 2023 and was the first Asian American woman to lead Garden Grove's city operations, according to the city's announcement at the time. The public record does not say why she is retiring, and the city has issued no statement.

Who is Matt West?

West is no stranger to city hall. He has been Garden Grove's assistant city manager since January 2024 (officially since April 1, 2024). Before that, he spent 23 years with the city of Tustin, per the staff report, working his way up from planner to deputy city manager, assistant city manager, and then five years as city manager. He oversaw Tustin Legacy — the conversion of the former Marine Corps air station into a new district, one of Orange County's largest land developments. He holds a bachelor's degree in urban planning from Cal Poly Pomona.

In Garden Grove, the city's own bio page says he is currently overseeing a notable project at Pioneer Park: Orange County's first regional police-dog training center.

What's in the contract — and what it costs

Per the staff report and the employment agreement attached to the agenda, the annual package includes:

- Salary: $363,756
- Health, dental, and vision allowance: $25,800
- City-paid PERS retirement contribution: $43,177.84
- Car allowance: $10,416
- The city also contributes the legal maximum to his 457(b) deferred-compensation plan
- 80 hours of vacation credited each January, on top of accruing 120 hours a year, plus 40 hours of administrative leave
- A city-issued phone with service, and a laptop

Some clauses worth knowing:

- At-will employment: either the city or West can end the agreement, with or without cause.
- Initial 3-year term: November 3, 2026 through November 2, 2029, then automatic 2-year renewals so at least one year always remains on the contract.
- If he is let go without cause: he receives his monthly salary times the months left on the term, capped at 12 months — exactly the ceiling state law allows (Government Code 53260). If he is fired for cause (a felony conviction, misuse of public funds, abandoning the job...), he gets nothing.
- No removal within 180 days before or after any council election or change in council membership — a clause designed to prevent a new council majority from immediately axing the city manager.
- The council reviews him annually in closed session; raises are not automatic, and the contract says his salary cannot be reduced.

The cost is already in the adopted 2026–27 operating budget, per the staff report. For comparison: Kim's base pay in 2024 was $307,180, according to Transparent California — the most recent year with public figures.

Why this matters in Little Saigon

Garden Grove is one of Little Saigon's two core cities. The person in the city manager's chair shapes how the city serves residents every day — how fast a shop permit moves, what the police budget looks like, how the big projects around Little Saigon get run. West would take over just as the city juggles several of them: the three-city Little Saigon design guidelines, the aftermath of the GKN Aerospace chemical incident, and a slate of development deals.

At the same September 8 meeting, the council will also consider raising the city manager's own contracting authority (item 3). The Finance Department proposes lifting the ceiling from $50,000 to $75,000 per contract, matching the new bidding thresholds the council adopted by ordinance in August. In other words, the new city manager would start with more signing power than his predecessor had.

What happens next

The council votes on the contract Tuesday evening, September 8, 2026. If it passes, West officially takes over on November 3, 2026 — one day after Kim retires. Between now and then is the transition window, and the moment for residents and community groups to say what they expect from the new hand at the wheel.

WANT TO FOLLOW ALONG — OR WEIGH IN?

Garden Grove City Council meeting: Tuesday, September 8, 2026, 6:30 p.m., Community Meeting Center, 11300 Stanford Ave (closed session starts 5:30 p.m.).
Written comments: email the City Clerk before 3 p.m. on meeting day — instructions at ggcity.org.
Agenda and documents: agendasuite.org/iip/gardengrove (September 8 meeting, item 12).