Lori Ann Farrell is a local government and finance expert with 35 years of experience in the public and private sectors. Farrell is an innovative and inspirational leader recognized for her leadership in municipal administration, expertise in financial management, passion for improving quality-of-life services in the communities she serves, and an unwavering commitment to ethics in government.

Most recently, Farrell served as the City Manager for the City of Costa Mesa, California. Appointed in 2019, she managed the oversight of City operations across eight departments and over 600 employees, including police, fire, development, public works, parks, information technology and finance departments. During her tenure, the City experienced a

$10 million increase in its General Fund and related reserves, and received a record $16.5 million in Federal, State and County grants for parks and open space. Farrell’s negotiations with the Las Vegas Raiders for their 2024 Summer Training Camp led to a $700,000 investment in local sports fields, a new mobile recreation van for underserved youth, and over $1 million in food and beverage sales for local hotels. In addition, Farrell’s strong relationships at the State level led to a historic $3.5 million planning grant awarded to the City for the future disposition of the 113 acre former State owned developmental center.

Prior to her post as the City Manager of Costa Mesa, Farrell served at the City of Huntington Beach for nine years, as the Assistant City Manager, and as the City’s Chief Financial Officer, where she was responsible for oversight of the City’s 10 departments and $344 million budget. Under her leadership, Huntington Beach achieved its first ever AAA bond rating from Fitch Ratings and increased its General Fund reserves by almost $11 million.

Appointed to the prestigious Board of Harbor Commissioners by former Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster, Farrell served for two years as President of the Board for the second largest container port in the country, responsible for $180 billion in international trade and 30,000 local jobs. She served on the Board for six years in all, participating in global trade missions to China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Denmark, Germany, and ports throughout Latin America.

Farrell previously served as the City Controller, and later, Chief Financial Officer, for the City of Long Beach, the 5th largest City in California, overseeing a citywide budget of $2.3 billion.

Her leadership and financial acumen are well recognized and have led to numerous awards including the prestigious “Golden Hub of Innovation Award” from the Association of California Cities – Orange County Chapter, and awards from the League of California Cities.

She has been featured on Bloomberg News, ABC News, the Journal of Commerce and National Public Radio for her creative strategies to address local government challenges.

Farrell received her Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Columbia University and has a Bachelor’s Degree from Barnard College of Columbia University.