Daniel Inloes is the City’s Economic Development Administrator. Daniel is the first to occupy this position since its creation in 2018 by a unanimous vote by the City Council ensuring Costa Mesa is a vibrant and prosperous City is one of their primary goals.

Since his assignment Daniel has created several programs, two of which were grant programs which awarded approximately $5 million dollars to local small businesses, coordinated with thousands of businesses through in person site visits and surveys, partnered with regional pro-business agencies to bring in millions of dollars in investment funds directed toward not for profit projects that further the City’s brands of art and education, and developed a more robust digital presence in partnership Travel Costa Mesa, Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce, and the South Coast Metro Alliance with an economic development micro-site called Costa Mesa Business Assistance Collaborative (BAC) and launching tools like a site selection tool and a business insights tool that helps small businesses make important business decisions. He has furthered the development of the City’s first economic development strategic plan by gathering relevant data, bringing together key stakeholders, and going through a comprehensive RFP process to ultimately select Tech Coast Consulting Group in assisting the City in developing the plan.

Before his promotion to Economic Development Administrator Daniel was a Senior Planner for Costa Mesa and had been working for Costa Mesa since 2014. He came to Costa Mesa with six years of experience; working with a variety of local, regional, and international agencies. This includes being a planner at the City of Camarillo, a regional planner at Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), a private economic and planning consultant for firms like AEG, agencies like the Dodger Foundation, research centers like the USC’s Center for Economic Development, a consultant for international urban design efforts like the Chinese Academic of Urban Planning and Design, and an adjunct professor at USC. His wide breadth of interests and skills has found synergy with the eclectic and diverse City of Costa Mesa.

Inloes has a Bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics and Political Science from UC Santa Barbara and Master’s degrees in Planning and Public Administration from the University of Southern California.