KJZZ

Phoenix’s City Manager is stepping down to take a job in Orange County. 

Santa Ana, Calif. is a fraction of Phoenix’s size and has about one-fifth its population. And that’s where David Cavazos is taking a job, pending the approval of the Phoenix City Council.

Cavazos has worked for the city since 1987 and served as Phoenix City Manager since 2009. Thursday, he announced he’d taken a job as Santa Ana City Manager. In a statement, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton praised Cavazos for guiding the city through the economic downturn.

According to information from a search firm that worked with Santa Ana, the city manager’s salary is negotiable – the person who last held the job made $265,000 a year. Currently, Cavazos makes $315,000 plus bonuses and allowances, a salary that city employee unions have called excessive.