BIO
Chris Mann is an experienced City Manager with a diverse professional background which includes local government administration, public relations, political strategy, and real estate development and management. As such, Chris uniquely provides public service with a private sector approach.
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Chris most recently served as City Manager for the City of Yucaipa, California. Appointed in January of 2023, and serving through March of 2025, Chris successfully accomplished every goal set by the City Council. Drafting and implementing the Homeless Strategic Plan, which reduced homelessness by 82%, and expanding policing initiatives, he led Yucaipa to be named the safest city of its size in California and the 9th safest in the entire nation. Chris corrected a $7.3 million structural budget deficit and set the City’s finances on a path toward fiscal recovery through the passage of Measure S (1% sales tax), a renegotiated solid waste hauling agreement, cost recovery efforts related to Community Services and Development Services programs, and by focusing on economic development initiatives such as the adoption of the award-winning Wine Country Specific Plan and attracting businesses such as Trader Joe’s and Raising Cane’s. Chris led efforts toward enhanced transparency and community engagement through the drafting and implementation of a “Sunshine Ordinance,” and by modernizing communications with creative video and graphic content, including the launch of the Yucaipa 360 podcast.
In his previous role, as City Manager for the City of Canyon Lake, California, Chris is widely credited with professionalizing City staffing and operations, and turning around the finances of the City. Suffering from crippling budget deficits for the better part of a decade, Chris implemented popular quality of life programs that increased General Fund revenue by 31% in a four-year period without raising taxes, and taking the City’s budget from an $800,000 deficit to a surplus of more than $400,000. He also led the City’s efforts to start its own fire department. The Canyon Lake Fire Department went into service January 1, 2022, saving the City hundreds of thousands of dollars in its first year and providing faster response times than what the City experienced under its previous contract with the County.
Chris brings a wide breadth of experience both in the public and private sectors. Chris started in public service at a young age. At 23 he was elected to the City Council in the City of Westlake Village, in Western Los Angeles County (1999). At 26 he became Mayor. He has also served on two separate elected water boards, the San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency (2004-2008) and the Yucaipa Valley Water District (2016-2023), where he was selected by his peers as Board President, a position he held for four consecutive years until his appointment as City Manager for the City of Yucaipa.
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From 2014 to 2017, Chris worked as an Administrative Analyst and then as Deputy Chief of Staff for a member of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors. In this role, he advised the Supervisor on a wide range of policy issues impacting the County’s two million residents, including the management of the County’s $5.4 billion budget and 22,000 employees.
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Much of Chris’ professional experience has been in the private sector. From 2005 to 2019, he owned and operated Mann Communications, a public relations firm specializing in helping businesses interface and do business with local government, and helping local government agencies more effectively communicate with the public. The company’s client list included local small businesses, residential and commercial real estate development companies, industry associations, labor groups, cities, political action committees and non-profit organizations. Through his work with development clients, Chris has also held ownership interests in several commercial real estate development projects. Prior to forming Mann Communications, Chris worked as a Senior Account Executive at O’Reilly Public Relations, one of the largest and best-known public relations firms in the Inland Empire, where he specialized in land-use entitlement, public outreach programs and political strategy.
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Chris holds bachelor’s degrees in psychology and political science from California Lutheran University, in Thousand Oaks, California, and is completing a master's degree in public administration (MPA) at San Diego State University (degree expected December, 2025). He is also a graduate of the ICMA High Performance Leadership Academy. His active professional affiliations include the California City Management Foundation (CCMF), the Municipal Management Association of Southern California (MMASC), the American Association of Municipal Executives (AAME), and the American Society for Public Administration. Chris lives in Yucaipa with his wife Annie, their four-year-old son Liam and one-year-old daughter Ellie, and has a 13-year-old daughter, Amelia.
Education
2024-2025
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA
1995-1999
California Lutheran University
Thousand Oaks, CA
1991-1995
Chaminade College Preparatory High School
West Hills, CA
Master of Public Administration (MPA)
Program in progress. Completion expected December, 2025.
Bachelor of Science in Psychology/
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science
Served as a Psychology Department Assistant and a Writing Center Tutor. Worked at a treatment center for at-risk youth and volunteered on city council and state legislative campaigns. Graduated Cum Laude.
High School Diploma
Served as Student Body President. National Honor Society Member. Extracurricular activities included Student Government, Drama, Mock Trial and Fencing.
