CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING - May 05, 2025
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Mayor of the City of Hermosa Beach has called a Special Meeting of the City Council to take place at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, May 5, 2025, to consider and take action on only those matters set forth on the agenda below.
1. CLOSED SESSION—CALL TO ORDER 6:00 PM
Public Comments:
2. ROLL CALL
Public Comments:
3. PUBLIC COMMENT ON CLOSED SESSION AGENDA
Public Comments
Dency Nelson
As a 41-year resident and homeowner here in Hermosa Beach, I adamantly support City Manager Suja Lowenthal.
And we are not a “cult,” as some detractors have called those of us who support our City Manager. Quite the contrary, we are the Mainstream of our community, and that should be evident to all, based on the overwhelming show of support for City Manager Lowenthal during the Public Comments at the April 22 Closed Session of the Hermosa Beach City Council. That support was voiced by outstanding, longtime Hermosa Beach Businees owners such as Steve Collins of Hermosa Cyclery and Baker Dave of Hermosa Pie & Cake. By spiritual leaders of our community such as the Reverend Doctor Rachel Nyback of St. Cross Episcopal Church. By the Heads and Staffs of every Hermosa Beach City Department, including the Hermosa Beach Police Department, Public Works, and Community Resources, as well as the Superintendent and the President of the Board of Education of the Hermosa Beach City School District. Even by the leadership of the collective bargaining unions and organizations representing the workers of these departments. Who better to evaluate the performance of their manager than those who on a day-to-day basis take their orders from the City Manager and look to her for support for the work that they do for our city. Even the former Mayor, shortly before this meeting, stated: “Our city is well positioned for the future” and that “It enters 2025 with a balanced budget and we are focused on back to basic essential spending.” “ We switched health care providers for the first time in 10 years, saving $200,00.” “We hired an emergency management coordinator” and, referring directly to the performance of our City Manager, “What a great job she has done helping us to guide with the challenges we have in our city.” The detractors point to cost overruns and delays of city projects as reason to call for replacing Suja. This is a preposterous complaint as almost every municipality and public and private enterprise, in this post-Covid era, is suffering from rising costs of materials and labor; all of our neighboring cities are experiencing the same thing -- it’s a sign of the times. In fact, the leaders of our neighboring cities are laughing at us and saying “What’s up with Hermosa?” at the suggestion of replacing our outstanding City Manager, Suja Lowenthal! And if cost is the major concern of the City Manager’s detractors, just contemplate the costs to the city of buying out the remainder of her contract and the cost and chaos of the very likely resignations of several if not all of our City Department heads should they witness this completely irresponsible firing of their trusted City Manager. Their confidence that they themselves will be supported in the future will be completely eroded.
No, stop this nonsense now! Support our outstanding City Manager Suja Lowenthal, and let’s move on with the real issues and business in our city! Dency Nelson
Melary
I am writing as a concerned resident who deeply cherishes the unique character and close-knit nature of this community. We know Hb stands apart from our neighboring cities for its surf, skate, and music culture—along with its small-town charm, collaborative spirit, and strong sense of community. These aren't just nostalgic ideals—they are the foundation of who we are.
With that in mind, I urge you to conduct a fair and thorough review of our current City Manager’s performance. Leadership at this level should reflect the will and character of the community it serves.
This is not a call for rash action, but rather a sincere appeal for overdue accountability. I ask that you listen to the community—particularly in light of the recent election of Michael Keegan, who campaigned on "course correction" and fiscal responsibility. His re-election underscores the public's desire for renewed leadership. Leadership that reflects our deeply rooted Hb values.
Unfortunately, the culture the current city manager has fostered feels increasingly divisive, politically driven, and misaligned with what makes Hb so special. Her approach more often resembles big city politics rather than the collaborative, community-centered governance our town deserves. Instead of trying to unite residents, or spearhead creative ways to fight for the success of our small businesses, her tenure has, in many instances, sown deep division and frustration within our small town.
We urge you to evaluate the City Manager not just by metrics, but by the deep divide she has created in our city. What separates truly great leadership is one’s ability to unite. Hermosa Beach deserves GREAT leadership for everyone. We need to go back to our city’s core foundation, by bringing both sides together, respecting each other and our long standing traditions, while fostering the kind of city we are proud to call home.
Thank you for your time, service, and commitment.
Respectfully,
Melary Burry
Hermosa Beach Resident
anthony higgins
Dear City Council
please see attached pdf
This Public Comment period is limited to Closed Session agenda items only. Public Comment is limited to three (3) minutes per speaker.
4. RECESS TO CLOSED SESSION
Public Comments:
4.a
Closed Session Minutes
Public Comments:
Approval of minutes of closed session held on April 22, 2025
4.b
Public Employee Performance Evaluation - Continued from 4/22/25 Attachments
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Public Comments
1. 1. Supplemental Emails and Ecomments Item 4d - 4-22-2025.pdf Carolyn Petty
This should have never turned into a public spectacle and the councilmember who blasted this out on social media breached protocol and possibly set the city up for a lawsuit. Shame on him.
The bottom line is that our current City Manager still views herself as a politician, not a worker who is supposed to take direction from the City Council. She is engaged in a never ending PR campaign. Everything is about PR. Pave a street? Issue a press release. Fix something that should have been repaired a long time ago? Issue a press release congratulating yourself. For her, everything is about optics.
What is reality and not just optics, is that while she has been here, she has grown the city staff from 130 to 151. That is problematic because every employee comes with a never ending pension liability. Hence, prior City Managers were extremely cautious about increasing headcount. Look at the results. As costs continue to rise, she demanded another $2M from the residents to support her increased spending. When people said no, she tried yet again with another ballot measure, this time aggressively marketing the advocacy campaign with taxpayer dollars and skirting the line of illegality. Even with this massive increase in headcounts, they still discuss all the deferred maintenance that is not getting done. What are we really getting in exchange for this explosion of spending? The community does not trust her. The number of Public Records Requests have skyrocketed. This is not normal and it shows that people are rightfully suspicious of what is going on at City Hall under her watch.
When her contract last came up for renewal, the community was outraged and protested loudly at the golden package that was handed her. No matter – Justin and Stacey did not care about the community outcry. They handed her a nearly ironclad employment agreement. This hamstrung future city councils, but that was clearly their intention. If she was so good at her job, why did they feel the need to do that? They did everything possible to protect her, at taxpayer expense. That was wrong on so many levels – ethically as well as a breach of their fiduciary duty to the Hermosa Beach taxpayers.
Things need to change at City Hall.
Eileen M Reardon
I am against the termination of the CIty Manager.
I am not in favor of old, mediocre white men attempting to derail the career of an young, career oriented female who received excellent appraisal reviews.
This is an active republican anti-DEI retaliation campaign intended to hurt our community.
AnneG
Good Evening City Council:………………Our Streets Feel the Following Facts are Definitly Worth Considering When City Manager Evaluation Comes Around? (May 2025) The street inventory within the city of Hermosa Beach comprises of Arterials 18%, Collectors 26%, Locals 55% and Alleys 1% (A total of 6.9M square feet).
The type, extent, and severity level of the distresses identified and measured is used to calculate the Pavement Condition Index (PCI) of a street. The PCI is on a 0 to 100 rating scale, where new and properly constructed pavements have a PCI of 100 or close to 100. In general, a street with more distresses, greater quantity of distresses, and higher severity level of distresses will have a lower PCI.
In 2017 (Just prior to City Manager Lowenthal’s hire), the city’s Arterials and Collectors were in relatively good to fair condition with PCIs at 81 and 77 respectively. Seven years later in 2024 their PCIs have plummeted to 70 and 74 (Fair to Good) respectively In 2017, less than 1% of our Arterials had a PCI below 55 (Poor to Fair) which jumped up to 4.1% of our Arterials rating Poor to Fair in 2024. 3% of Collectors had a PCI below 55 (Poor to Fair to Failed) prior to City Manager Lowenthal’s hire which again increased to 5.1% of Collectors being rated Poor to Fair to Failed in 2024.
Locals or residential type roads account for over half of the City’s network (i.e., 3.8 million square feet). These are the roads the residents travel to and from their homes and 18% of those roads and half of the city’s alleys had (and still have) a PCI less than 55 (Poor to Fair to Failed).
According to the city’s 2017 Pavement Management Report all the city needed to do 7 years ago was budget and spend $1M/Year on pavement rehabilitation to maintain the quality of streets they had in 2017!! Instead city management spent their paving budgets on 8th Street sidewalks, Prospect Avenue, Van Horne Lane, Gould Terrace and numerous and numerous Consultants resulting in the aforementioned sizeable drops in the PCI of our road system in Hermosa Beach. The reality now is that to maintain the current network PCI (which is a lot lower than 7 years ago)…………………the city will now need to budget $3.1M annually towards paving, equating to a total of $31 million over the next 10 years.
It is also of interest and extreme concern to note that according to the city’s latest 2024 Pavement Management Report, it was recommended that Pier Avenue not be repaved until 2028 with numerous other streets being recommended to take precedence for repaving such as (to name a few):
1st Place: PCH to Ardmore
1st Street: PCH to Ardmore
2nd Street: PCH to Valley
3rd Street: Hopkins to Hollowell
8th Street: PCH to Prospect
11th Street: Beach to Hermosa Ave.
27th Court: Ozone to Morningside
34th Place: Manhattan Ave. to Highland
Artesia: PCH to Harper
Aviation Boulevard: Ocean to Corona
Hermosa Avenue: 4th to 6th and 8th to 10th
Hollowell: Prospect to 6th
Manhattan Avenue: 29th to Longfellow
Monterey Boulevard: Pier to Circle Court and Herondo to 2nd Palm Drive: 31st to 35th
Springfield: 21st to Cul-De-Sac
Valley Drive: Pier to 11th and 24th to 25th
After all, wasn’t it only 15 short years ago that the city spent nine months and $4.3M repaving and overhauling Pier Avenue! Moira Lerner Nelson
In regards to the sudden move by former Mayor Dean Francois and Councilmember Michael Keegan to place an off-cycle performance review of the city manager on the April 22 closed session agenda, I think part of what has inspired the strong response of so many residents in support of the city manager is the unexpected nature of the attack, coming after years of stellar performance reviews, raises and bonuses for Suja Lowenthal. (In fact, the former mayor himself made it a point to praise her in his recent state-of-the-city address.) To me it seems fundamentally like an attack of two of the current city councilmembers on two of the other councilmembers, with one member representing a possible swing vote in between. Consider that the voice of residents and city employees in support of the city manager is at least as strong as the voice of those lodging complaints against her, and that the support for her comes from an impressive number of Hermosa’s most engaged and respected leading lights. That being the situation, it makes sense to me that the city manager should continue in her position and that the Council should continue to operate as it has always done, voting on individual matters as they come up: either voting to follow the city manager’s advice or voting not to follow it, depending on the specific situation.
Dency Nelson
As a 41-year resident and homeowner here in Hermosa Beach, I adamantly support City Manager Suja Lowenthal.
And we are not a “cult,” as some detractors have called those of us who support our City Manager. Quite the contrary, we are the Mainstream of our community, and that should be evident to all, based on the overwhelming show of support for City Manager Lowenthal during the Public Comments at the April 22 Closed Session of the Hermosa Beach City Council. That support was voiced by outstanding, longtime Hermosa Beach Businees owners such as Steve Collins of Hermosa Cyclery and Baker Dave of Hermosa Pie & Cake. By spiritual leaders of our community such as the Reverend Doctor Rachel Nyback of St. Cross Episcopal Church. By the Heads and Staffs of every Hermosa Beach City Department, including the Hermosa Beach Police Department, Public Works, and Community Resources, as well as the Superintendent and the President of the Board of Education of the Hermosa Beach City School District. Even by the leadership of the collective bargaining unions and organizations representing the workers of these departments. Who better to evaluate the performance of their manager than those who on a day-to-day basis take their orders from the City Manager and look to her for support for the work that they do for our city. Even the former Mayor, shortly before this meeting, stated: “Our city is well positioned for the future” and that “It enters 2025 with a balanced budget and we are focused on back to basic essential spending.” “ We switched health care providers for the first time in 10 years, saving $200,00.” “We hired an emergency management coordinator” and, referring directly to the performance of our City Manager, “What a great job she has done helping us to guide with the challenges we have in our city.” The detractors point to cost overruns and delays of city projects as reason to call for replacing Suja. This is a preposterous complaint as almost every municipality and public and private enterprise, in this post-Covid era, is suffering from rising costs of materials and labor; all of our neighboring cities are experiencing the same thing -- it’s a sign of the times. In fact, the leaders of our neighboring cities are laughing at us and saying “What’s up with Hermosa?” at the suggestion of replacing our outstanding City Manager, Suja Lowenthal! And if cost is the major concern of the City Manager’s detractors, just contemplate the costs to the city of buying out the remainder of her contract and the cost and chaos of the very likely resignations of several if not all of our City Department heads should they witness this completely irresponsible firing of their trusted City Manager. Their confidence that they themselves will be supported in the future will be completely eroded.
No, stop this nonsense now! Support our outstanding City Manager Suja Lowenthal, and let’s move on with the real issues and business in our city! Dency Nelson
Tom Moroney
I was in chambers on April 22nd, and I've read every written comment. I don't see the justification for terminating the City Manager before her contract expires. From my perspective, as a 40-year resident and nearly a decade on City Commissions, things are running pretty smoothly right now. And staff's show of support for Suja Lowenthal at the last meeting was impressive. Staff obviously respects and wants to work with her. An engaged and enthusiastic staff is a powerful City asset. And there' a lot to be said for stability. Early termination will be disruptive and expensive.
John Burry
City Council is the Board of Directors of the Hermosa Beach City Corporation. The City Manager is your CEO. The electorate are the shareholders. It is perfectly correct that only the Board of Directors get to hire the CEO that they believe has the skills and experience to deliver the future strategy. That is not a job for employees, or for shareholders or customers. It’s certainly not the role of our Police Department, or labor unions. In the end, if the Board gets it wrong, the shareholders will eventually remove them. But your duty as a board is to think about the future, not the past.
November’s election saw three candidates (Keegan, Worner, Sheil) get a clear majority of the votes cast. All three were explicit in their desire to see significant change in the running of City Hall. That’s an inconvenient truth to a small group of activists in this City, but it’s vital to acknowledge it. Those that attempt to diminish that shift are wilfully ignoring the democracy that should protect us. They are also destined to repeat the mistakes that got us here if they do not at least acknowledge the lessons of the last few years.
City Manager Lowenthal has created an administration that habitually focuses on optics first rather than output. We all need to be able to acknowledge when mistakes have been made, to drill down and learn from them, and build processes that make those mistakes harder to repeat in the future.
I think that we have witnessed ideology getting in the way of good local governance in recent years, and I believe that the City Manager has been a very willing part of that approach. She was appointed by a council that saw that as helpful to their agenda, and that was their prerogative. But these are different times, and we are in danger of falling into a cycle of slow attritional decline. Two defeats on sales tax ballot measures speak to her inability to win a broad ‘hearts and minds’ argument. EDAC is some dusty plan, not a force for business prosperity. The Civic Facilities Project is stillborn, forever tainted by a misguided public comms strategy that Suja is 100% responsible for. CIP reporting is still opaque, and a million miles away from the clarity that council (as board members) should demand.
To appoint a new City Manager now is the more difficult option on the table here. But in order to set us on a better course, I urge you to act. With the right replacement, this can soon be behind us. We can be better, and we should aim higher. Let's find a city manager who has the skills and expertise to tackle the new challenges to our City, and someone who wants to work for all, not just an influential minority.
Raymond Dussault
Dear City Councilmembers,
Hermosa Beach is not Long Beach. We’re a close-knit, small-town community that values accessibility, efficiency, and a genuine connection between our local government and the people it serves. But over the last several years, we’ve watched that small-town character erode under the leadership of City Manager Suja Lowenthal and a City Council that has refused to hold her accountable.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t about partisanship or personalities, it’s about performance, priorities, and the broken relationship between our city government and its residents. Since her arrival, Suja has imported not just Long Beach staffers, but a Long Beach mentality: bloated bureaucracy, diminished transparency, and a top-down approach that prioritizes consultants and high security offices over community engagement.
City Hall used to be a welcoming space. Today, you can’t even walk in and say hello to staff, let alone handle simple tasks like getting a parking pass. Projects like the Clark Building and restroom renovations have ballooned from modest undertakings into multi-million-dollar fiascos. Council directions are often ignored in spirit and actuality. Basic services are delayed. We’ve lost valued department heads, seen skyrocketing personnel costs, and suffered a $1.3 million legal settlement that might have been avoided had the city attorney and city manager provided proper counsel.
Worse, Suja has never once received a true performance evaluation. Instead, she’s enjoyed automatic raises and a rubber stamp from a council majority unwilling to provide oversight. That’s not good governance—it’s abdication.
And let’s not forget: over the last two elections, voters have sent a clear message. In both cases, there were candidates openly aligned with the Massey/Jackson/Detoy vision for Hermosa Beach. Voters rejected that status quo by solid majorities—choosing instead a council that is more civil, more balanced, and more willing to engage in real debate about the city’s future. Stop pretending elections don’t matter. They do.
Hermosa Beach deserves better. We need a city manager who reflects the values of the community: personal, independent and thriving. Thank you to the brave council members who asked for this opportunity to truly conduct a real evaluation, grounded in performance and community service.
Sincerely,
Raymond Dussault
Hermosa Beach, CA
rory barish
City managers are suppose to implement municipal policy, supervising the day to day operations of all city departments and staff. Their duties include executing policies, budget management and supervising personnel. I do not believe that Suja is doing a good job in these and other areas.
1. After eight years our City manager is only finally getting around to deferred maintenance projects and everything she oversaw prior, Clark building, gravel path on Greenbelt, restrooms for the parks, were way behind schedule and over budget.
2. The City manager allowed Hermosa's Housing Element to be delivered late putting all of our city at risk and resulting in the Builder's Remedy being used for a 53 ft, 5 unit apt building on Hermosa Avenue. This project ignores height standards which would ruin the essence of this community paving the way for more of this to happen because the city manager does not have it together. When review comes around again, I doubt Suja will be prepared. The community is outraged over this issue as was witnessed in the Planning Commission meeting.
3. The parking permit program was and is a complete disaster and hurts residents and businesses. Why is it that other cities of which I have lived in can figure this out but to this City manager it is rocket science?
4. Why would the City manager not upgrade City Hall but instead chose to spend $150 million on a new City Hall. Is this prudent spending?
5. Although we are told that the police department is fully staffed, where are they on big holidays? Each year on 4th of July for instance when the masses infiltrate our beaches, shoot fireworks into people's homes, get drunk and overdose on the beach, police presence is scarce, if any at times. . There are explosions every night and all night before and after this holiday in particular, yet there is no constant police presence and patrolling. When they are called they take forever to get there and the perpetrators are long gone when the police arrive.
This is awful oversight and budget management and lack of supervision on the City manager's part. While paid staff and insiders have all good things to say about her, the constituents that I hear from do not approve of her job performance.
It is time for a change. It is time for a new City manager who can do just that...manage the city, Suja Lowenthal cannot.
Wayne Mogilefsky
The decision to get rid of Suja is bad enough without the horrific optics and race to please a very small minority of the community. A moment that will define all the council members one way or the other.
Melary
I am writing as a concerned resident who deeply cherishes the unique character and close-knit nature of this community. We know Hb stands apart from our neighboring cities for its surf, skate, and music culture—along with its small-town charm, collaborative spirit, and strong sense of community. These aren't just nostalgic ideals—they are the foundation of who we are.
With that in mind, I urge you to conduct a fair and thorough review of our current City Manager’s performance. Leadership at this level should reflect the will and character of the community it serves.
This is not a call for rash action, but rather a sincere appeal for overdue accountability. I ask that you listen to the community—particularly in light of the recent election of Michael Keegan, who campaigned on "course correction" and fiscal responsibility. His re-election underscores the public's desire for renewed leadership. Leadership that reflects our deeply rooted Hb values.
Unfortunately, the culture the current city manager has fostered feels increasingly divisive, politically driven, and misaligned with what makes Hb so special. Her approach more often resembles big city politics rather than the collaborative, community-centered governance our town deserves. Instead of trying to unite residents, or spearhead creative ways to fight for the success of our small businesses, her tenure has, in many instances, sown deep division and frustration within our small town.
We urge you to evaluate the City Manager not just by metrics, but by the deep divide she has created in our city. What separates truly great leadership is one’s ability to unite. Hermosa Beach deserves GREAT leadership for everyone. We need to go back to our city’s core foundation, by bringing both sides together, respecting each other and our long standing traditions, while fostering the kind of city we are proud to call home.
Thank you for your time, service, and commitment.
Respectfully,
Melary Burry
Hermosa Beach Resident
anthony higgins
Dear City Council
I agree with an earlier post that mentioned that mentioned the seemingly highly orchestrated support for the city manager in the meeting 2 weeks ago.
This was not an organic development. Suja's supporters were leaked inside information about the closed session mid term performance review that was not shared with the general public hence the one sided response.
That was intimidating and inappropriate but its just how our city rolls.
In any case i made some small edits to my earlier pdf on suja's performance and attached it. ive tried to provide specifics not generalized accolades for your consideration. thank you
Nancy Schwappach
When I learned of the off-cycle performance review for the City Manager, I assumed the reconstituted Council would undertake a fair review based upon their assessment of her past performance and the City’s needs going forward.
Then, at the 4/22 meeting, I was appalled to see a carefully orchestrated outpouring of “support,” which in my experience is completely inappropriate in an employee’s performance review. I completely agree with Randy Balik. While voices should be heard, an employee’s performance review should not be a popularity contest.
Nonetheless, apparently public opinion counts in this matter. So I reached out to people in my network who are active and engaged in City matters. I asked if they, like I, think it might be time for a change. Many of them agreed but were unwilling to speak out publicly for fear of “retribution.” To me, that says everything. A culture where residents and business owners are afraid to question the direction the City is taking for fear of reprisal is not the City I know and have loved for more than 30 years. We should be able to speak freely, express our views, and, respectfully, offer differences of opinion, all without fear of retaliation. I think it is time for a change.
Mayor Saemann and Council Members, thank you for being willing to take on this difficult issue. I appreciate you, after careful consideration and reflection in closed session, making what you think is the right decision for our City going forward, without regard to the public backfire you may receive.
Cammie Herbert
What is going on with yet another closed meeting with Council and Suja? An early performance review for the City Manager? There is so much the city council to be working on for positive, progression of this city. I’m so AGAINST the council using time on this ridiculousness. I don’t like recalls for this same reason—just because you don’t like someone doesn’t mean you can figure out other ways to get them out. anthony higgins
Please see attached pdf for my comments
thank you
tony higgins
John Schattinger
I want to give my full support to our great City Manager. Suja is a top tier manager that has brought many outstanding projects to the city, making HB shine brighter than ever. Her dedication and devotion to the city is evident by the full support and backing of all entire city departments, including the HBPD. It is clear that council members Francois and Keegan have a personal agenda and vendetta that will cost the city irreparable damage and lawsuit costs. They do not represent the community to which they serve and in fact, is an embarrassment to this town. What a disappointment the Oliver Hardy looking guy has become too. Hb will not become HB! Thank you.
Randy Balik
I will state the obvious first: there is a lot of controversy surrounding the City Council’s plan to evaluate the job performance of the City Manager. I am aware that not all individual council members agree with this, but the Council acts as one body by way of elected majority, and so it is that body that is choosing to perform this evaluation at this time.
The noise coming from both sides of this issue is deafening, and to be honest, the manner in which people are expressing themselves is appalling at times….fake social media accounts stirring up controversy, a current council member berating another in public settings in a way that I’ve not seen in my three decades living here, calls for recall elections, and more. This is all highly polarizing with each side determine to be in the “right,” and dangerous precedents are at risk of being set. Each of you can choose to litigate this in public. You can show up and pack the Council chamber. You can lobby in support of whatever side you’re on here. But in the end, conducting an employment performance evaluation of our City Manager is not the responsibility of the general public or City staff.
Now, in an attempt to cut through all the noise, I will state the less obvious as a reminder: It is the City Council’s absolute right and absolute responsibility to evaluate the job performance of the City’s most senior employee, even if an evaluation is performed at what could be viewed as a non-routine time. We elected our council members to do this job. And over the course of the recent two elections, the Hermosa Beach electorate spoke at the ballot box, installing a Council that represents what many see (and expect) as a change. And so, to me, objectively speaking, it stands to reason that this “new” Council wants to review the performance of the senior City employee in a way that perhaps was not done over the previous several Councils. This is their right to do. Indeed, this is their obligation. My own expectation as a business owner who routinely measures key employee performance is that any performance evaluation weighs results against expectations, and so long as that happens objectively, there should be no controversy here regardless of outcome.
There are many who are screaming from the hilltop in defense of our City Manager, touting what they perceive to be the many accomplishments and other attributes. But there are also many who are also screaming from the other hilltop wanting to see change, voicing their concerns about what they see as failures and other shortcomings. And you know what? All of those who are speaking up deserve to be heard, no matter what their viewpoint. But it is not our job as everyday residents to make these decisions. We elect our City leaders to do that. And it is the City Council’s job to determine what the best path forward is for our City. That’s why we elected them. And if you don’t like it, then there will be future elections.
Make no mistake, the City Manager’s job performance review is not now and should never be a popularity contest. It’s not about how City staff feels about their senior manager, nor about the work the work culture that has been created within the walls of City Hall. These are important, but these are not the ultimate measure. To the contrary, the measure of success should be what happens outside the walls of City Hall, in our business districts, on our streets, at our parks, etc. It’s about how the person who holds this position is performing for our City. It’s about how effective the City Manager and his/her staff are for our City. It’s about how the culture that has been created works for our City and the residents who pay the bill. And it’s about how the City Manager and staff execute the vision and plans set forth by City Council.
Whether your perceive success or failure or something in between, our City Manager has worked hard for our City for many years now. But our City Council must always be looking ahead and planning for the future, and ensuring the value we are receiving matches the employment investment being made, and if they feel that a new course must be charted in the City Manager’s office to meet a new vision, then it is the responsibility of City Council to evaluate and determine if and when a change is needed.
So my message to City Council is this: Hermosa Beach is at an inflection point and we need a solid vision and economic plan for our future. Either our current city management staff is the right one for this or it’s not. Do your job in this and all instances and figure this out expeditiously. Do the job we elected you to do. Listen to the viewpoints of all, and then make the decisions you feel are best for us residents and our city. These are not easy decisions and you will not be able to please everyone, but if you do this objectively, fairly, thoughtfully, and with foresight, you will be successful, and so too will Hermosa Beach.
Claudia Berman
Two weeks ago, we witnessed an outpouring of support for City Manager Suja Lowenthal. There was a full house in chambers and in the lobby. We heard from residents, business owners, clergy, commissioners, and most importantly, from all city departments. There were eComments and people present to simply show support. All praised Suja's leadership.
And what was the response?
* Council member Keegan was texting on his phone throughout. Simply couldn't be bothered. * Just 2 weeks prior, Francois, as then Mayor in the "State of the City," said the following of Lowenthal: "What a great job she's done helping us, guiding us through the challenges of our city." All the while privately orchestrating her firing. * Council member Saemann listened intently, and yet, he was not moved by this outpouring of support to stop this colossal waste of time, energy, and money.
So, what have Saemann, Keegan, and Francois accomplished? * Created distrust with their constituents
* Created distrust with our city employees
* Created a morale crisis with our city employees
* Delayed the Capital Improvement Projects Study session Were they thinking "This is great timing, let's create a leadership vacuum.”? It will be interesting to see how Saemann handles his first leadership challenge as Mayor. Of course, we won't know the result of the meeting as it's closed session on Monday night.
Unfortunately, we will need to wait to see if "termination of the city manager's contract" is placed on the May 13th agenda.
Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957
Title: City Manager
5. CLOSED SESSION REPORT
Public Comments:
6. ADJOURNMENT
Public Comments: