Long Beach Utilities General Manager Announces Retirement

Published on September 27, 2024

Contact: Joy Contreras
Public Information Officer
Phone: (562) 355-1201
Email: joy.contreras@lbutilities.org

Long Beach, CA – Christopher J. Garner announced his retirement from the City of Long Beach today. Over Mr. Garner’s 40-year career, he has held administrative and management positions in various City departments. Mr. Garner concludes his career in public service as General Manager for Long Beach Utilities Department.

“I extend my sincerest gratitude to Chris Garner and his 40 years of hard work and unwavering dedication to the Long Beach community,” says Mayor Rex Richardson. “Chris is a consummate public servant, who always prioritizes the needs of residents and ratepayers. He deeply cares about his hometown and has been committed to integrity and fairness, while maintaining a great sense of humor."

Mr. Garner joined the City of Long Beach in 1984 as an Administrative Analyst in the now-dissolved Tidelands Agency. In that position, he oversaw the City’s property leases including those with the Convention Center, the Hyatt Regency Hotel, and Shoreline Village. In 1987, he transferred to the Long Beach Gas Department where he managed the negotiations of nearly $100 million of natural gas commodity purchases annually in the newly deregulated natural gas market. In 1998, he was appointed to the position of General Manager for the Gas Department.

In 2001, Mr. Garner was appointed Director of the newly created Long Beach Energy Department where he oversaw various City enterprise operations including: natural gas utility, fleet services, towing, refuse, recycling, street sweeping, and the waste-to-energy power plant. Mr. Garner then assumed the responsibilities of overseeing the City’s offshore and onshore oil operations with the formation of the Gas and Oil Department in 2004. Mr. Garner has also twice served as Acting Director of Public Works and once as the Acting Director of Oil Properties.

In 2015, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners appointed Mr. Garner to the position of General Manager of the Long Beach Water Department. In November 2022, Long Beach voters approved a local ballot measure to merge the City’s water, gas and sewer utilities into a single Utilities Department. The new Long Beach Board of Utilities Commissioners selected Mr. Garner to lead the newly merged department of 500+ employees with an annual budget of $375 million.

“On behalf of the Board of Utilities Commissioners, we thank Chris Garner for his many years of visionary leadership during challenging times. We are grateful for his strategic problem-solving which has helped ensure a resilient future for nearly half a million people, in partnership with hundreds of employees providing essential utilities services to the City,” says President Gina Maguire. “Chris has established a lasting legacy of authentic leadership that will live on to serve Long Beach and its employees for years to come."

Through the years, Mr. Garner held leadership roles in the utility industry. Most recently, he served as President of the California Municipal Utilities Association (CMUA) from 2020-2022, an organization in which he also served on the Board of Governors since 1998. In addition to CMUA, Mr. Garner served on the American Public Gas Association (APGA) Board of Directors from 1996-2015. Mr. Garner was honored that peers within the APGA, with a membership of over 700 natural gas utilities nationwide, selected Long Beach as the Natural Gas Utility Of The Year in 2012. Mr. Garner served on the Southern California Water Coalition (SCWC) Board of Trustees from 2016 through 2024.

“It has been an honor to work alongside thousands of fellow devoted public servants and humbled to serve in multiple leadership positions,” says Chris Garner, retiring General Manager. "To my Long Beach community, it has been an absolute pleasure to serve this city for 40 years especially as a 4th generation Long Beach resident. Thank you for all the memories and support throughout the years.” 

Mr. Chris Garner will serve as General Manager until October 4, 2024. Chris Garner plans to enjoy retirement by spending time with his wife Becky, his three adult children Juliette, Matthew, and Natalie, and his new grandson Rory. The Long Beach Utilities Department has finalized the recruitment for a new Department General Manager and will issue the announcement during the week of September 30, 2024.

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