After a nationwide recruitment, City Manager Jennifer Maguire selected Manuel Pineda to fill a key deputy city manager position on her City Manager’s Office Leadership Team. Pineda assumes the role on April 13, 2025.
“Manuel is a dedicated public servant with 28 years of experience in the South Bay’s largest cities, including San José, which will allow him to hit the ground running as he returns to his roots,” said Maguire. “His proven relationship building and collaboration skills will be essential as he takes on the deputy city manager role, overseeing our utility- and infrastructure-centric City service areas.”
“As we gear up to compete for AI, manufacturing and data center investments, we’re excited to welcome Manuel Pineda to the team as our deputy city manager overseeing the City’s infrastructure portfolio,” said Mayor Matt Mahan. “Manuel brings deep experience from the energy utility sector that will position San José to partner more closely with large-load customers while also improving services for residents.”
Pineda started his career with a private company in 1996 before joining the City of San José’s Public Works Department in 1997 as an Engineer I/II. He joined the Transportation Department in 2000 as an Associate Engineer and, after several promotions, he became a deputy director in 2009. As the deputy director in charge of Capital Projects, Regional Projects, and Transportation Planning he managed the City’s $270 million Traffic Capital Program; highway and transit project planning and construction; roadway and geometric design, and local and regional transportation planning and policy which included developing and managing the team responsible for the implementation of BART to San José. In 2012, he joined the City of Sunnyvale as the Assistant Director of their Public Works Department and was promoted to Director of that Department in 2014. While in Sunnyvale, he managed a $40 million annual operating budget and over 180 employees within five different Divisions. During his time in Sunnyvale, he managed the $1.0 billion reconstruction of that City’s wastewater treatment plant, modernized the traffic signal system, constructed the City’s first Transportation Management Center, and implemented public/private partnerships that helped fund City projects and staff.
In 2017, he joined the City of Santa Clara as an assistant city manager where he provided leadership and oversight of the Department of Community Development, the Department of Public Works, the Department of Water and Sewer, and the Department of Parks and Recreation. He also led and managed the Sustainability Program, Real Estate Program, Capital Budget, and several special projects including settlement negotiations and Downtown development. Most recently, he served as the chief electric utility officer for Santa Clara, providing leadership and management of Silicon Valley Power with 235 employees and a $900+ million budget. In this role, he developed a strategic plan and implementation strategy to double the size of Silicon Valley Power. He worked with the State for $1.0 billion of new electric transmission projects; updated and modernized the Electric Load Development Fee to fund new required improvements and upgrade obsolete infrastructure; entered into contracts for over 1400MW of renewable energy; and developed new rebate programs to encourage electrification.
“Experience has taught me that the key to a high-functioning government and successful organization is to establish relationships with key leaders and decision-makers, within the organization and with the broader community. Open communication, trust and respect are essential,” stated Pineda.
Deputy city managers play an important role in the leadership of the City. Each deputy serves as a key advisor to the City Manager, supporting City Manager Jennifer Maguire in driving City Council priorities, coordinating a portfolio of service areas and departments, carrying out City Council policy direction, and ensuring the attainment of service delivery goals. Pineda’s portfolio includes the Environmental and Utility Services and the Transportation and Aviation City Service Areas, among other critical leadership assignments.
Pineda holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from San José State University and is a state-licensed professional engineer. Manuel and his family are long-time San José residents.