Mayor Pro Tem Stephen Perestam

Stephen Perestam 
Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor Pro Tem

Steve Perestam was elected to the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council in November 2024. Prior to election, Steve served on the Rancho Palos Verdes Planning Commission for 4 terms, two as Chair.

Steve’s background in local public service started over 30 years ago, initially as an American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) volunteer, eventually becoming a board member & Chief Referee. Community involvement continued as co-author of the Rancho Palos Verdes View Protection Ordinance (Proposition M).  Immediately prior to being elected to City Council he served on the Rancho Palos Verdes Council of Homeowners Associations (CHOA) Board and remains an active member of California Cities for Local Control (CCLC).

As a councilmember, Steve has several goals and objectives for the city:   

1. Enhance Public Safety and preserve our quality of life
2. Restore and maintain Local Control, while supporting reasonable affordable housing goals
3. Define and implement effective, affordable long-term solutions for the mitigation of the Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex
4. Secure the permanent transfer of federal property for incorporation into the Civic Center Complex

Steve was born and raised in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He & his wife Carol moved to Rancho Palos Verdes in 1984 and have made it a lifelong home, raising 3 children, Asten, Laurel and Adam, each of whom graduated from the PVPUSD and participated in the numerous educational, athletic and cultural activities the community graciously provided.

Steve earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography from Bradley University and Masters of Regional Planning & Public Administration degrees from The Pennsylvania State University.  He continued his post graduate studies at Texas Tech University’s Business Administration Program.

Professionally, after a short time as a land use planner, Steve pursued a career in management consulting.  As a consultant at Ernst & Young LLP, Steve participated in engagements throughout both the United States & worldwide, predominately in financial services. Over 30 years, his broad career portfolio of engagements includes diverse industries and project management of business intelligence, data warehousing and analytics related database projects.  Steve has managed large scale strategy, technology, business transformation and system integration projects for both corporate business & information technology organizations.