City Employee Wins Prestigious Award

A member of the Redondo Beach City Manager's Office was recently honored for her commitment to public service with a scholarship.

Sara Russo, an administrative intern since August 2010, received the inaugural Wes McClure scholarship from the California City Management Foundation in the fall.

"I knew I always wanted to do public service," she told Redondo Beach Patch. "[The Redondo internship] just kind of reaffirmed that maybe local government was probably the right path for me."

She applied for the scholarship through her school, California State University Long Beach. As part of the application, Russo had to include an essay and two letters of recommendation that she received from Assistant City Manager Peter Grant and City Manager Bill Workman.

As part of her internship with the city, Russo, who grew up in San Pedro, helps City Manager Bill Workman monitor federal and state legislation, writes staff reports, researches best practices and techniques in the industry, and helps with large projects like the Riviera Village Business Improvement District and the Harbor enterprise plan, among duties.

"[Russo] is bright, enthusiastic and committed to a career in public service," the city wrote in a news release announcing the award.

The scholarship—named after the late Wes McClure, who served a 28-year tenure as city manager of San Leandro—will help Russo pay for courses for her Masters in Public Administration.