Costa Mesa : Allan Roeder Named as New City Manager

Allan Roeder has been named city manager of Costa Mesa, making the 33-year-old administrator the youngest person to hold the post in the city’s history.

The position pays $72,000 a year.

Roeder, who has been Costa Mesa’s assistant city manager for the past six years, was chosen unanimously by the five-member City Council, which had interviewed more than 70 candidates in a statewide search.

Roeder replaces Fred Sorsabal, who resigned after 15 years in the job. Sorsabal said his immediate plans include taking one year off to work at the El Bekal Shrine Temple in Anaheim.

Roeder began in Costa Mesa as an administrative intern in 1975. He has a master’s degree in public administration from Cal State Long Beach and a bachelor’s degree in political science and history from Cal State Fullerton.