Pat was born in Inglewood, California and grew up in the Los Angeles area.

Pat has an MBA from California State University, Dominguez Hills; a Masters Degree in Recreation Administration from California State University, Los Angeles; and a BA Degree in Social Sciences from the University of California, Irvine.

Pat started working for cities at the age of 16 as an Ocean Lifeguard in Huntington Beach.  He went on to be the Assistant Director of the Recreational Instructional Program at UCLA, and worked for twenty-five years with the City of Paramount as the Parks and Recreational Director, Community Development Director/Executive Director of the Redevelopment Agency and eleven years as the City Manager.  In August 2005, Pat was appointed the Director of Community Development and Executive Director of the Redevelopment Agency in Long Beach.  Pat was appointed City Manager of Long Beach and began in that position on September 24, 2007.

Pat has been married to Madelyn for 31 years.  They have a daughter, Stacy, 27, a graduate of California State University, Fullerton, and a son David, 23, a graduate of California State University, Long Beach.