Sonoma Valley resident Cathy Capriola to take reins as City Manager

Sonoma Valley resident Cathy Capriola, 52, has been appointed as Sonoma’s next City Manager, effective Jan. 9, 2017. Carol Giovanatto, who currently holds the post, is set to retire at the end of 2016.

The recruitment effort by the Sonoma City Council spanned the West Coast and resulted in 46 applicants, according to City Clerk Rebekah Barr. The Council cited Capriola’s 25 years of local government experience as a key consideration in her hiring. She’s recently been the Assistant City Manager at the City of Novato, a role which expanded to interim City Manager for Novato when that position opened in 2015.

As City Manager, Capriola will report to the Sonoma City Council. She will run the City’s day-to-day operations and will oversee six departments and 35 employees while managing an overall city budget of $32 million. Her salary will be $186,000. Capriola took a pay cut for the opportunity to work in Sonoma. As interim City Manager of Novato, she was paid $200,000.

About her appointment, she said, “It is a dream come true to live and work in my own community. Sonoma is such a special place. I’m excited to get to know our town in a deeper way and to begin working with the City Council, the staff and the community.”

Mayor Laurie Gallian said, “While the Council was fortunate to have many stellar candidates, Cathy Capriola, above all others, portrayed the ideals of Sonoma and the vision to continue the great leadership and progress we have enjoyed to date. She understands the character of Sonoma while bringing an additional fresh perspective and extensive experience for the future.”

As the interim City Manager for the City of Novato, Capriola led the town through a time of City Council transition and drove several major projects while also serving as Novato’s Assistant City Manager, a position she has held since 2009. Prior to 2009, Capriola was the Administrative Services director for the City of Citrus Heights, a community of 90,000 in the Sacramento region. Capriola also served four years as the Deputy City Manager and Economic Development Coordinator for the City of Davis where she focused on business attraction and retention. After Davis, Capriola received a master’s degree in public policy and management from Yale University.

Capriola and her husband, Mark Jewell, have three children in Sonoma Valley schools.

Sonoma Valley Unified School District Superintendent Louann Carlomagno said that she was thrilled to hear of Capriola’s appointment. Carlomagno has known Capriola since they attended college together at UC Davis.

When Carlomagno heard that Carol Giovanatto was retiring, she immediately sent an email to Capriola suggesting that she apply. “I knew that Cathy would be fantastic at this work and would love the chance to pursue her career right here where she lives. Her first-hand knowledge of our schools means that she will really understand the potential for our schools and the city to work closely together.”

Reached by phone in Novato on Nov. 22, Capriola said, “Every town is unique in terms of its internal culture and its community culture. I’ve lived in Sonoma for seven years and I look forward to getting to know it on a far deeper level.”

Capriola is the oldest of five children and both her brother Joe and her sister Sue also live in town. They run a large Oakland-based demolition contracting business. The siblings were raised in Willows, a small town in the Central Valley.

Capriola’s last day in Novato will be Dec. 9; after which she looks forward to then taking a month off and spending it with her extended family. “I’m excited to rejuvenate and come in fresh and ready to start in Sonoma on Jan. 9,” she said.

Email Lorna at lorna.sheridan@sonomanews.com.