5 minute read
Making History: Leslie Caviglia
Making History
Getting to know Visalia's first female City Manager, Leslie Caviglia.
Story by Lifestyle Staff | Photo by Katie Perez
Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey to Visalia.
A: I was born in Salinas and grew up on a farm and attended a small country school in Soledad, a town due west of here in the Salinas Valley. The City of Visalia drew me to this community when they advertised for a Community Affairs position, which was very cutting-edge for government at the time, and I was thrilled to come work for a progressive City. I fell in love with the community, and it quickly felt like home. I’ve lived in Visalia now for 35 years; my husband and I have raised our family here, and it is very much our home.
Q: How long have you worked for the City of Visalia? Can you share what your day to day looks like?
A: I’ve worked for the City for a total of 26 years (with a few years in the private sector). Every day is different, and that is part of what I love about working here. First and foremost, it is about working with the Council. Those five individuals are my direct bosses, so it's important I understand the Council's expectations, as a whole. The day is often filled with emails and meetings that range from planning for growth, discussing finances, park maintenance, and recreation programs to addressing citizens' concerns and creating a positive work environment. It's the depth and breadth of what those items include that makes it so interesting and fulfilling.
Q: Over the years you’ve achieved great success. Are there any practices you put in place in order to balance family life alongside a demanding career?
A: Truly this is one of the toughest parts of working for the City, especially so when the girls were young. Being willing to work odd hours in order to flex my schedule to be with them was challenging but helpful. I was fortunate that my job with the City was able to accommodate many of their activities and needs as long as I got the job done. I also included the girls a lot; they have been to many events, meetings, and were there when I’d get stopped at church or in the grocery store by a citizen who had questions. And having a supportive spouse that is self-sufficient is imperative—I couldn’t do what I have over the years without his patience and support!
Q: Are there any community projects or hobbies you’d like to share that are important to you?
A: In 2008, Steve Salomon, who was City Manager at the time, assigned me to work on developing a Cultural Plan for Visalia. I was a bit perplexed; I don’t have ANY artistic talent, and really didn’t know where to begin. But as usual, the people of Visalia came together and we developed a process for creating a plan. We had an amazing consultant that helped us understand what some of our first steps could be, and how to begin to implement more arts and culture into the community. It was through this process that the Arts Consortium began to really become a significant community organization. Since that time, we’ve seen First Fridays, Taste the Arts, and My Voice Media begin in the community, as well as many other projects and programs. More people are becoming aware that arts and culture can really enhance a community. I’m excited about some plans that could be true community assets in our future.
Q: The Visalia City Manager job was founded in 1852. What do you most enjoy about serving in this position?
A: The feeling that by working together, we really can make a difference in the lives of Visalians, both in the present day, and in the future. Ever since coming to the City at the local government level, I’ve felt you really can make a difference for the people of your community. As City Manager, that seems even more true, which is rewarding, gratifying, and a little scary!
Q: What is something others might be surprised to learn about you?
A: I knit (mostly a few hats for the Blanket Ladies that do so much good in our County), love to cook, and love running snack bars for community events. Also, I am the 7th generation to be born in and 8th generation to live in California. Some of my ancestors came over with Portolá.
Gaspar de Portolá was a Spanish military officer who led an expedition into California and served from 1767-1770 as the first Governor of the Californias.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
A: The most important thing that any of us can do to make Visalia the type of community that we know and love is to be involved. At whatever level you can, invest yourself in our community: Be a youth sports coach, work with a nonprofit, join a service club, volunteer with an organization that interests you, call about graffiti when you see it, pick up trash when you see it — invest in this community. By working together, we can make a difference!
Be informed. Follow the City of Visalia on social media @cityofvisalia, and subscribe to our weekly e-newsletter Inside City Hall: visalia.city/insidecityhall.
If you see something, say something. Report things you see that need work in our community through our online reporting portal for Visalia Works: visalia.city/visaliaworks
We can and will respond.
Finally: Know that your City of Visalia employees care about this community, and we're human. We make mistakes too. Most of the time, our folks get things very right, but when we don’t, we’ll admit it and do our best to fix it.
