The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a contract for Matt Pontes to become the new County Administrative Officer.
Pontes is scheduled to start his new job on Monday, April 29.
He fills the position left open when Wade Horton resigned nearly a year ago. John Nilon was named interim CAO following Horton's departure, but he was removed from the position in November 2023 after being accused of violating the county's discrimination and harassment policy.
County officials say Pontes was chosen to be the next CAO after a nationwide search. Most recently, he served as the Director of Wildfire and Forest Ecology at Sierra Pacific Industries.
Pontes reportedly graduated from Cal Poly with a degree in Forestry and Natural Resources and has had county administrative experience in Shasta, Santa Barbara and Kern counties.
Last week, the San Luis Obispo Tribune reported that Pontes was convicted of felony grand theft 30 years ago but the case was later expunged from his record.
San Luis Obispo County spokesperson Jeanette Trompeter released a statement saying the conviction occurred when Pontes was 20 years old and that the case was known as part of the county's background investigation.
"Just as none of us would want to be punished for the mistakes of our youth for which we have made amends, the Board is confident this was a one-time incident for which he paid the price and has since then offered 30 years of reputable public service," the statement said. "Mr. Pontes was fully transparent during the interview process. The Board stands behind its choice of him for the role of County Administrative Officer and is confident he will lead us in the direction we need to go."
On Tuesday, Supervisor Bruce Gibson said about Pontes, "He is widely respected by county leaders all over this state for a long career serving counties. He also has tremendous personal skills at connecting with people. We're going to see a blossoming of our organization and by extension, our ability to serve our 280-some thousand constituents."
Pontes will receive an annual salary of $293,946 plus benefits.
He said he is eager to begin serving the community.
"We must work together to address issues such as homelessness, affordable housing, infrastructure and our long-term financial stability," Pontes said. "I am confident as we work cooperatively as a countywide community, we can tackle them all successfully. I can't wait to start on Monday."
