PRESS SECRETARY

Mayor

Exempt | Location: Civic Center

Annual Salary

$89,200 - $130,500

contact information

Mayor's Office HR Team
213-978-0600
Mayor.Jobs@lacity.org

job description

The Communications Office is responsible for developing and executing a robust communications strategy in support of the Mayor’s agenda. This includes communicating the Mayor’s priorities and achievements to broadcast media, the public, and through digital platforms. The Communications Office operates in a fast-paced, high-demand environment where teamwork and camaraderie are essential to success.

The Press Secretary for the Mayor is a highly visible and critical role that serves as a spokesperson for the Mayor and the City of Los Angeles. The Press Secretary manages media relations, crafts public messaging, and works closely with senior staff and policy teams to translate complex initiatives into accessible messaging in the Mayor’s voice.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Implementing a communications strategy that effectively promotes the Mayor's initiatives, priorities, and accomplishments.
Going on the record with reporters and serving as a spokesperson for the Mayor, responding to media inquiries, drafting statements and press releases, and coordinating interviews.
Building and maintaining strong relationships with members of the media, including reporters, editors, and producers, to ensure accurate and timely coverage of the Mayor's activities.
Coordinating with other City agencies and departments to ensure consistent messaging and effective dissemination of information to the public.
Travel with the Mayor as necessary.
Planning and coordinating press events, including press conferences, interviews, and other media opportunities, in collaboration with senior staff and other City officials.
Monitoring media coverage of the Mayor's activities and initiatives, and providing regular updates to senior staff on trends and issues of concern.
Ensuring that all City communications, including press releases, statements, speeches, and social media posts, adhere to established standards for accuracy, clarity, and tone.

The Press Secretary for the Mayor will need to be highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to work effectively under tight deadlines in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment. They require strong writing skills, sound judgment under pressure, and the ability to manage fast-paced, high-profile communications.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

At least 4 years relevant experience.
A strong work ethic and positive attitude are required, and prior experience working with African American media is a plus.

How to apply

REFERENCES: Please list 3 references, their emails and their phone numbers.

Applicants should send a cover letter and resume to Mayor.Jobs@lacity.org with “Press Secretary” in the subject line no later than end of day Friday, May 22, 2026 (extended).

Please note that applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis. We encourage interested candidates to submit their applications promptly.

This is an exempt, at-will position. The individual appointed to this position will not accrue any civil service tenure, contractual employment rights, or due process rights. The incumbent may be removed, without any finding of cause, by the hiring authority. The City of Los Angeles is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodations to ensure equal access to its programs, services and activities. Please call (213) 744-9300 if you need assistance.

exempt employment

If employment is said to be exempt, it is meant that the employment is exempted from the civil service provisions of the City Charter. In order to receive a regular civil service appointment, employees must have successfully participated in a civil service examination, received a high enough score on the examination to be placed on and receive an appointment from an eligible list, and they must serve a probationary period. Exempt employees do not compete in a civil service examination, they are not placed on an eligible list and receive an appointment from that list, nor do they serve a probationary period. As a result, exempt employees do not have what is referred to as a “property interest” in their job. Exempt employees serve at the will of the appointing authority and can be terminated at any time without cause. Employees with a property interest in their job, i.e. civil service employees, cannot be deprived of their employment(discharged or suspended) without due process.

General Information About Exempt Employment

Exempt employees serve at the will of the appointing authority, and as such, they may be discharged, suspended or otherwise disciplined without cause. Exempt employees have no property interest in their employment, and any procedural benefit or other prerogative extended to them by their appointing authority is not intended to create and does not create any such property interest. No officer or employee of the City may make to any other officer or employee any representation of a property interest in employment which does not correspond to Charter provisions unless the City Council, by ordinance, permits such representation. No unauthorized representation can serve as the basis of an employee's reliance on, or expectation of, a property interest.

Employees Seeking To Become Civil Service Employees

There is no protective leave for an exempt employee appointed to a civil service position. Upon receiving a civil service appointment and passing probation, the former exempt employee will be subject to the Civil Service provisions described in Article X of the City Charter. Upon appointment, the civil service employee will begin to accrue displacement and layoff seniority on the first day of his/her civil service appointment and may file for promotional examinations for which s/he qualifies. A full or half-time exempt employee appointed to a full or half-time civil service position continues to: contribute to the Retirement System; accrue vacation time; accrue sick time; receive anniversary date salary increases; and, receive health and dental benefits identical to those received in the civil service position.