Daniel Ortiz-Hernandez has been appointed as City Manager for the City of Webster City. He will begin his duties at the end of July. Daniel was Webster City’s City Manager from 2016-2018.
Since 2018 Daniel has been the City Manager of Wasco, California, a city of 28,000 in California’s San Joaquin Valley. He relocated to California to be closer to family. Daniel and his wife (Rachel) had two young children, ages 1 and 2 at the time. After Daniel and Rachel each lost a grandparent they wanted to provide an opportunity for the children to spend time with their grandparents and relatives during their early childhood years.
Daniel received his B.A. in Political Science from California State University, Northridge and Master of Public Administration degree with a concentration in urban management from Arizona State University where he was also a Marvin Andrews Fellow. He completed the University of Arizona’s Southwest Leadership Program and received a Certificate in Management and Organizations. He started his career as a Section 8 Advisor with the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles. From 2009-2012 he served as Management Analyst in the City Manager’s Office in Casa Grande, Arizona; he was hired as the City Administrator in Kimball, Nebraska, in 2013. In 2016 he began working for the City of Webster City and accepted the position in Wasco, California in 2018.
In January 2020, Daniel achieved the designation of Credentialed Manager (ICMA-CM) under the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). This designation signifies Daniel’s commitment to continuous learning and professional development as a professional city manager. The efficient and effective delivery of city services and management of municipal utilities requires an organizational leader, and an organizational culture, that is constantly learning and striving for best practices and innovative thinking and action. Daniel has achieved this accomplishment through a significant combination of professional development and local government leadership experience above and beyond the daily demands of leading the organization.
The City has been in the search for a new City Manager since the resignation of the previous City Manager in December of 2020. After an unsuccessful search and the fact that there are several communities in Iowa and the Midwest searching for a City Manager at this time the City decided to take a break before starting the search again. Knowing that Daniel and his family desired to return to the Midwest, communication was initiated regarding the possibility of him returning to the position.
Last modified: May 3, 2021