City Employee Honored for His Dedicated Service

Louis Celaya originally wanted to be a lawyer. The Agoura Hills assistant to the city manager went to law school and worked in the legal department of a company. But he wasn’t satisfied. “I knew this [was] not for me,” said Celaya.

A friend recommended he look into getting a master's degree in public administration. So Celaya got his M.P.A. from Cal State Los Angeles, while interning for the city of La Cañada. His future in city government was cemented. “Right away I knew,” said Celaya. “Wow, I really enjoy this.”

Celaya ended up getting hired in La Cañada and then the city of Monrovia. Five years ago, Agoura Hills snatched him up to join its city staff. 

At the July 13 meeting, Mayor Harry Schwarz presented to Celaya the city’s Employee Service Award, recognizing his five years of service. Schwarz called him a selfless person, and while the award is largely nominal, he explained that it epitomizes everything Celaya has done for the city.

“It’s a symbol of our recognition of all of the dedication and hard work he does for the city,” said Schwarz. “It takes a special person to be dedicated to helping the public.”

And Celaya could not be happier to be helping the citizens of Agoura Hills. “It’s very rewarding,” said Celaya. “Before I got into city government, I just wasn’t getting that sense of accomplishment, sense of getting something done at the end of the day. Here, if I’ve helped a resident out, even for the simplest of issues, that to me is fulfilling. That’s what I enjoy about my position.”

That assistant to the city manager position encompasses a multitude of tasks and responsibilities. Celaya is responsible for solid waste administration, which entails all the recycling and making sure the programs comply with state regulations. He oversees grant administration—preparing, researching and managing grants the city receives—as well as emergency management, recently working with CERT volunteers.

City Manager Greg Ramirez regards Celaya as an asset to the community. “He does a lot of the things that other people don’t like to do, that they may find tedious and difficult and challenging,” said Ramirez. “He has no problem taking them on. … He’s extremely dependable, very professional.”

Celaya has a significant impact behind the scenes, according to Schwarz. “A lot of people don’t realize how much work goes on, what they see is a result,” said Schwarz. “They see a finished bridge, they see a project that is finished. They don’t understand that people like Louis, in particular, has a big impact because of all the work he does in the background.”

Most people aren’t that familiar with local government, said Celaya. He, and the rest of the city staff, do their best to assist and educate citizens when they come in to their offices, he said.

After all, that’s why he got into the business: to help people.  “If you become a city worker or county worker, you’re a public servant. People forget that,” said Celaya. “I really enjoy it. The staff is great. The residents are very nice, very engaged. It’s a great place to work.”