Ken Striplin, 2012. Striplin succeeded Ken Pulskamp as city manager of the City of Santa Clarita in 2012.

[City of Santa Clarita, 2013] — Kenneth W. Striplin, Ed.D. (b. Aug. 31, 1951) is the City Manager for the City of Santa Clarita. Ken has worked for the City of Santa Clarita since 1995, serving in a leadership capacity in every City department during his tenure.

Ken has served as Department head and Division Manager in several areas throughout his career and his experience has supported the City's successful efforts in the opposition of the Cemex mega-mining project; working toward the clean-up and reuse of the Whittaker Bermite property; creation of economic development plans and programs, like the award-winning Film program, to strengthen the local economy throughout the recession; and assumption of library services from the County of Los Angeles in order to provide enhanced local services while decreasing operating costs and resident fees.

Throughout his career, Ken has played an integral role in the fiscal and organizational success of the City of Santa Clarita. Working with the City Council and staff, Ken has helped to ensure the City delivers an on-time and balanced budget each year. These efforts resulted in multiple bond rating upgrades over the course of the Great Recession, including the highest rating of AAA by Standard & Poors in 2012. The City has also been recognized for its excellence in budgeting by the California Society of Municipal Finance Officers. Ken's conservative fiscal planning has helped ensure the City is able to consistently provide essential services, while adding new offerings and meeting new demands.

Ken works closely with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and the Los Angeles County Fire Department to address local issues, develop targeted programming, and implement strategies that support the high quality of life in Santa Clarita. Some of the City's successes to date include: the addition of several new fire stations to meet the community's growing needs; the development of the Sheriff Zone Program, which monitors and addresses community-specific crime trends and issues; and an overall effort to help Santa Clarita consistently lower annual crime rate statistics, which were at their lowest ever in 2011.

Ken has served as Personnel Officer for the City, overseeing all human resource activities and acting as the City's labor negotiator. He has worked with staff to develop a successful workforce development plan and an award-winning mentoring program, which was recognized by the League of California Cities with a Helen Putnam award.

Ken is the recipient of the John H. Nail Award from the League of California Cities for his work as an outstanding assistant City Manager. He has served on several local boards throughout his career, including the Michael Hoefflin Foundation for Children's Cancer and the Santa Clarita Valley YMCA.

Ken holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Master of Public Administration from California State University, Northridge, as well as a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Pepperdine University. Ken and his family enjoy an active lifestyle and participate in baseball and football programs in the community.