City manager
THE OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
The City Manager is the administrative head of the government of the City, subject to direction of the City Council. She is appointed by the City Council and responsible for the efficient administration of all the affairs of the City. The City Manager’s responsibilities include overseeing the enforcement of all City laws and regulations; supervising all City department heads; preparing and administering the annual budget and ensuring the City’s financial affairs are properly managed; overseeing City purchases; advising the Council on the City’s current and future financial needs; supervising and controlling expenditures; and representing the City before other public agencies and organizations.
The City Manager also has general supervision over all City public buildings, public parks, and all other public property under the jurisdiction of the City Council. The City Manager provides leadership for the City’s day-to-day operations and manages the personnel system. The City Manager also oversees programs and projects aimed at enhancing the economic, social and cultural aspects of Sand City, and evaluating existing programs and implementing new initiatives that align with the community’s needs.
Specifically, the City Manager oversees the following departments:
- Planning;
- Building;
- Public Safety (Police and Fire);
- Public Works;
- City Clerk;
- Finance;
- Human Resources/Risk Management; and
- Information Technology.
In addition, under the direction of City Council, the City Manager serves as the liaison to various entities to promote the economic and cultural vitality of the City through Marketing and Economic Development.
MEET THE CITY MANAGER
CITY MANAGER
Vibeke Norgaard
Sand City, CA 93955
(831) 394-3054
vibeke@sandcityca.org
Vibeke Norgaard has served as the City Manager for Sand City since 2022. She began her career with the City as the City Attorney in 2018 and served as the City’s Acting City Manager prior to her appointment as City Manager.
Ms. Norgaard holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in History from the University of California, Berkeley, and a law degree (Juris Doctor) from the U.C. Berkeley School of Law. Her previous experience includes practicing law at the litigation firm Bingham McCutchen in San Francisco, and serving as staff attorney for the Prison Law Office. She has taught law at the University of California, Berkeley law school and later taught at Monterey Peninsula College in its Administration of Justice program. She has also been a visiting scholar at the University of Pretoria Center for Child Law; a foreign law clerk at the Constitutional Court of South Africa and volunteered at the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission. She is bi-lingual in Danish and English.
Ms. Norgaard is a member of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), the California City Management Foundation (CCMF); and the California State Bar Association. She was also elected Chair of the Monterey Bay City Managers Group, and the Monterey Division representative for the California League of Cities’ City Manager Executive Committee in 2025.
Ms. Norgaard grew up in South Africa and Scandinavia before moving to California as a teenager. She is the author of “101 Things I learned in Law school”, (Martin 2019; 2nd edition. Penguin), and the mother of two daughters and two dogs.