The City of South Pasadena is a general law city incorporated on March 2, 1888. It is governed by the City Council/City Manager form of government.
The City Manager is appointed by the Council to oversee the activities of the city. The City Manager serves as the Chief Administrative Officer, ensuring that the policies of the Mayor and City Council are executed effectively and efficiently.
Specific areas of responsibility include oversight of eight operating departments, public information and community engagement, legislative affairs, economic development, following up on citizen concerns, providing recommendations to promote organizational efficiency and overseeing the development and presentation of the annual budget.
About the City Manager
Arminé Chaparyan serves as the current City Manager with over 20 years of local government experience, including serving as the Community Development Director and then the Assistant City Manager in the City of San Gabriel prior to this role. She also previously worked for the City of Santa Clarita as a Redevelopment Manager and a Senior Project Manager for the City of Ontario. The City Manager also holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. She has led the City in navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, and has brought the organization to new heights during her time in South Pasadena.
About the Deputy City Manager
Domenica Megerdichian has worked for four Los Angeles-area municipalities. Prior to this role, she served as the Economic Development Manager at the City of San Gabriel, where she helped stabilize and grow the local economy during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also previously worked for the Cities of Glendale and West Hollywood in the City Clerk Elections and in City Council support roles while pursuing her graduate degrees. Domenica brings a dynamic, proactive, team-oriented and solutions based approach to her work and to the agency.