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Chino Hills council names assistant city manager, honors student water‑conservation winners and appoints Parks & Rec members
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Summary
Council introduced new assistant city manager Hugh Kwok and environmental program inspector Samantha Contreras, presented city water conservation contest awards to local students, accepted a Teen Advisory Board update, and unanimously appointed a student Parks & Rec member (Tanishka Raju) and Kim Sluder to the Parks & Rec Commission.
The Chino Hills City Council used the first portion of its May 7 meeting for recognition, staff introductions and appointments.
Hugh Kwok was introduced as the city’s new assistant city manager. Council noted Kwok’s 15 years of local government experience, his prior roles (including director of administrative services in Arcadia), and educational credentials from Cal State LA. Kwok thanked the mayor and council for the opportunity.
Samantha Contreras was introduced as the new Environmental Program Inspector II in the engineering division; council highlighted her nine years of experience with the City of Montclair in stormwater and pretreatment programs and an environmental compliance inspector grade 1 certificate.
Water Awareness Month: the council proclaimed May as Water Awareness Month and presented 25th annual water conservation design contest awards. Community Services staff said the contest drew over 950 student entries across kindergarten through grade 12; winning posters will be converted into metal street signs that rotate through roundabouts and parks. The community services coordinator recognized participating schools and announced cash prizes for teacher engagement.
Teen Advisory Board: Jacob Velasco, community services coordinator, summarized TAB accomplishments for the year, including a first Teen Leadership Summit with roughly 112 registrants (about 78 attended) and internal changes to board structure to increase equitable participation. The council congratulated outgoing members and thanked staff for TAB support.
Appointments: the council unanimously ratified Mayor’s nomination to appoint Tanishka Raju as the Parks & Rec student member (term through April 30, 2027), and later confirmed Kim Sluder to fill an unexpired Parks & Rec seat through November 30, 2026; both actions passed 5–0.
What’s next: Winners of the student design contest will see their work displayed in the city lobby and later installed in city rights‑of‑way; staff will continue TAB programming and Parks & Rec will onboard newly appointed members.
Sources: Council introductions and presentations, May 7, 2026 Chino Hills City Council meeting.
