HUNTINGTON BEACH City Council on Tuesday approved Al Zelinka as the new city manager. Mayor Barbara Delgleize joined the meeting remotely.

By Jim Tortolano/Orange County Tribune

On a unanimous vote, the Huntington Beach City Council on Tuesday night appointed Alfred Zelinka as the new city manager. Zelinka, who is currently serving as city manager of Riverside, will take over leadership of Surf City on Monday, June 27.

ALFRED ZELINKA (City of Riverside photo)

After receiving the post, Zelinka said that “Huntington Beach has captured my imagination, and I want to be part of this journey.”

His salary will be $320,000 a year.

Mayor Barbara Delgleize praised the council’s choice. “After an exhaustive national search I am so pleased to have Al Zelinka join us as Huntington Beach city manager.

Other council members joined in, citing what they called his “innovative ideas” and “outside the box thinking” as demonstrated by his tenure in Riverside.

In that city, he served as community and economic development director, assistant city manager and – since May 2018 – as city manager. Oliver Chi was Huntington Beach’s city manager from 2019 to 2021, leaving to become the chief executive officer of Irvine.

Another major topic discussed at Tuesday’s meeting was coyotes, an issue brought to the forefront by an attack on a 2-year-old girl Friday night near the Huntington Beach Pier.

The girl was injured and the coyote was later killed by police.

Interim City Manager Sean Joyce announced that the city was planning a major town hall event to invite the public to speak on their concerns, and hear the city’s plans to curb the threats posed by the wild canines. The date and time are to be announced.

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the council is set for Tuesday, May 17.