Katie Lichtig has had to help cities walk the fine line of economic development before.

The new San Luis Obispo city manager, installed Jan. 19, comes to town after working in city management in Santa Monica, Malibu and most recently, Beverly Hills. The switch to much-smaller SLO means Lichtig will be managing more than 358 full-time equivalent municipal employees — compared to about 1,000 in Beverly Hills — and a $100 million budget.

But Lichtig said it’s the similarities between the other cities where she’s worked and SLO that drew her to the Central Coast.

The full version of this article is only available in the print edition. To view everything the Business Times offers, see this week’s print version or SUBSCRIBE to the print edition for $49.99 today.