The city of Los Altos is pivoting its communications strategy.
The major change? Los Altos no longer has a public information officer, a position that includes the dissemination of information to the public and media when impactful events or emergencies happen. Instead of hiring a new public information officer, the city instead brought on a communications and marketing coordinator.
The addition of the communications and marketing coordinator came after Sonia Lee, former Los Altos public information officer, left Los Altos for a communications position at the Livermore City Manager’s office.
While Lee, who left the city in March, was a source of information for the public and media related to Los Altos and Los Altos Police news, communications and marketing coordinator Danielle Kang will work on “internal city projects related to communications and marketing,” Los Altos City Clerk Melissa Thurman said in an email.
Instead, all communications related to city news – breaking or otherwise – will be dispersed by the city manager or clerk’s offices, Thurman said.
Traditionally, the city manager’s office includes communications, information and technology, economic development and the city clerk’s office – which is responsible for facilitating, documenting and recording city council meetings and decisions, and ensuring the city meets local ordinances and state law – according to the city of Los Altos website.
As related to Los Altos Police Department news, official communications will be provided “in coordination with the police chief and the city clerk’s office,” she said.
Press releases, documents that include information related to specific events that are shared with newspapers either before or after an event occurs, will also be coming from the city clerk’s office.
Kang, who holds a master’s degree in public policy from UCLA with a specialty in tech and communications, will be focused on community engagement and the technical side of communications, Thurman said.
“Kang will oversee community engagement, website management and deployment of the city’s new website, which will be launched in June of 2025,” she said. “Danielle will also assist in expanding the visibility of city personnel recruitments.”
Kang previously worked in the communications department of the Palo Alto City Clerk’s Office.
