The City of Monte Sereno has decided to hire longtime urban planner Diana Perkins as city manager—who has been running the small Silicon Valley municipality on an interim basis, since the departure of former head Steve Leonardis.
The selection was approved at council on May 20, as the Town reported payments of more than $700,000 to settle legal troubles related to former top officials.
Perkins starts at an annual salary of $245,000, effective last Wednesday, to be increased to $260,000, effective July 1, 2026.
“She will continue to serve as the city planner, and she will be in charge of long-term planning,” said Kirsten Powell, the city attorney. “The contract provides for benefits that are consistent with what she’s previously had, and also consistent with other employees.”
Speaking before the scheduled vote (which did not attend, as he was away celebrating a graduation), Monte Sereno Councilmember Bryan Mekechuk said he was looking forward to Perkins’ leadership.
“I think it will be great for the City, because, essentially, our business is helping people build the home of their dreams,” he said. “And Diana has always worked well with applicants to help them put together a plan that can be approved. She will focus on improving our internal processes, which is a key requirement.”
Perkins, who holds a master’s of Public Administration, has been working in Monte Sereno’s Planning Department since July 2021.
Perkins played a key role in getting the City’s Housing Element approved by the Department of Housing and Community Development—which, while out of compliance for more than a year, made it across the finish line before Los Gatos’ did.
“It was definitely great to see that we were able to get the 6th Cycle Housing Element adopted,” said Perkins in her first interview with the paper since her promotion. “We did have an excellent consultant helping us.”
Their proactive approach to drumming up support for granny flats in town allowed the community to avoid some of the multifamily developments the State was originally pressuring them to accept.
‘I’m very happy that you want to be the city manager’
Lisa Shannon, Monte Sereno Council member
“We do have a couple of rezones we need to do along Winchester (Boulevard),” she said.
Perkins previously worked as a plan check manager at Shums Coda Associates, and before that as a permit center coordinator for the City of Sunnyvale.
During the meeting on Tuesday, Vice Mayor Javed Ellahie said Perkins has been an excellent performer in the Planning Department.
“You were just too excellent for me,” he said. “You did such a great job.”
Ellahie was behind two contract clarifications: 1. That no Council member can direct the City Manager unless authorized by the full Council. 2. That “the City is not obligated to defend and indemnify Diana if she is responsible for conduct outside the course and scope of her employment as the City Manager.”
“We are not going to indemnify,” he said. “The reason for (that) is obvious. Today, under our warrant list, we paid $850,000 to indemnify somebody for something that we probably shouldn’t have had to. That’s neither here nor there. I just want to make sure we don’t indemnify somebody when they’re not acting in the scope of their employment.”
Powell confirmed the language deals with that concern.
Leonardis’ last day with the City was in September. Perkins was appointed interim city manager later that month.
But to be clear, Ellahie was not referring to Leonardis.
In the May 14, 2025, check register, $220,000 is listed to go to Bustamante & Gagliasso APC, and $470,000 to Hugo Torbet Attorney, and $23,428.04 to McDowall Cotter, APC, for the mutual settlement agreement under Padgett v. Wright.
(So, $713,428.04—the full list of checks, including for unrelated items, came out to $837,012.31)
This dates back to city manager Brian Loventhal’s era and a fence-height / civil rights dispute—that kicked-off last millennium—between former residents Joe and Darla Padgett and the City (including former mayor Curtis Wright).
Former mayor Lon Allan spoke during public comment.
“I just want to commend the Council for engaging Diana Perkins,” he said. “I think she’s done a great job. And, promoting from within, I think is always better, because then you see someone in action—rather than just someone who, perhaps, knows how to interview.”
The newest Council member, Lisa Shannon, said Perkins has been very helpful.
“I’ve enjoyed working with you thus far,” she said. “And I’m very happy that you want to be the city manager.”
Later in the meeting, a project applicant said they’d had a positive experience working with Perkins, too.
