For the first time in roughly 70 years of cityhood, Cypress is handing the top job at City Hall to a woman. Shannon DeLong is set to become the city’s first woman city manager on March 30, 2026, after the City Council voted unanimously on Feb. 23 to hire her following a months-long nationwide search. Under a three-year contract, she will earn $315,000 annually and become the city’s tenth manager, a choice council members cast as a bid for stability after a turbulent year in local government.
Council members were effusive about DeLong’s resume and demeanor, with Councilmember David Burke saying she “brings fantastic experience [and] positive energy,” and Mayor Leo Medrano calling her hiring “an exciting new chapter,” according to the Los Angeles Times. In a city news release, DeLong said she was “honored by the City Council’s trust” and eager to build relationships with community members and business owners. Sean Joyce, who has served as interim city manager since September 2025, will leave the post before DeLong’s March 30 start date, the paper reported.
What DeLong Brings to Cypress
DeLong arrives from Whittier, where she has served as assistant city manager since June 2018 and has overseen interagency coordination and day-to-day municipal operations, according to the City of Whittier website. Before that, she spent more than a decade in leadership roles in Downey, experience that council members said weighed heavily in her favor during the hiring process. City officials say her public-sector track record means she can dive quickly into the nuts and bolts of budgets, staffing and community outreach.
A Rocky Year at City Hall
DeLong’s appointment follows a tense chapter at Cypress City Hall. Former city manager Peter Grant resigned in August 2025 amid allegations raised earlier in the year and received roughly $313,000 in a separation agreement, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. Grant has since taken a job with Yorba Linda, and council members said DeLong’s hiring closes a months-long search for permanent leadership. At the same Feb. 23 meeting, the council also voted to shift its regular meetings from Mondays to Tuesdays beginning next month.
Observers say DeLong’s early to-do list will likely feature repairing internal staff relationships and tightening up how the city speaks to residents. At the same meeting where she was appointed, the City Council debated a proposed media-policy change that would make the city manager the primary spokesperson and centralize news releases, a move described by Voice of OC. With her March 30 start date, DeLong’s first months are expected to focus on staffing decisions, budget work and direct outreach to business owners and residents…