Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti last month nominated Matt Szabo as L.A.’s next city administrative officer. Current CAO Rich Llewellyn will retire this summer after 20 years of service to the city.

Szabo has spent over two decades serving the city of Los Angeles in several roles, including as deputy chief of staff to both Garcetti and former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. He has negotiated dozens of city labor agreements on Garcetti’s behalf and served as his top budget adviser since 2015.

If confirmed by the City Council, Szabo will step into the CAO role at a critical moment, as the city prepares to allocate and spend billions in new funding to house homeless Angelenos at an unprecedented pace and recover from the economic devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is an historic moment for Los Angeles, and we need a chief administrator who’s not just experienced, but battle-tested – and who has the background, focus and skills to help reimagine a more prosperous, resilient and just city for everyone,” Garcetti said. “Matt Szabo knows city government from top to bottom, and he understands how to steer us through our most challenging and complicated economic circumstances. There is simply no one better suited for this job right now than Matt.”

The CAO reports to both the mayor and the City Council and serves as the city’s budget officer and day-to-day fiscal steward. This is the official responsible for negotiating labor agreements on the city’s behalf, ensuring tax dollars are being used wisely and efficiently, solving budgeting issues that arise throughout the year, and navigating complex city bureaucracy to get funding for things like homeless housing and financial assistance out the door quickly and into our communities. The CAO also oversees the city homelessness coordinator.

Szabo’s experience extends from his role in helping to keep the city afloat during the 2008 financial crisis to his leadership managing the successful recovery. He also helped mediate a resolution to the teachers’ strike in 2018.

Llewellyn has served as CAO for three years.

“Rich is a model public servant and a dear friend. My term as mayor has been better off, and our entire city is better off, because of the man and the leader he is,” Garcetti said. “Rich’s time working for the city may be drawing to a close, but I know that his legacy will live on, and I hope every city employee aspires to do this work with his same degree of compassion and commitment. I wish Rich the best in the next chapter of his life.”