1 David Yakobson
From: Cris Gutierrez <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2025 11:45 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Natalya Zernitskaya; Dan Hall; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell
Cc: David Haake; Shannon Parry
Subject: Agenda Item 5D
EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete, Mayor Pro tem Torosis and City Council Members:
As Clean Power Alliance Community Advisors for the Westside and as community leaders for environmental organizations, including Climate Action Santa Monica and the Sierra Club, we write to welcome Mr. Oliver Chi as Santa Monica’s new City Manager and to support City Council in helping Mr. Chi know that Santa Monica highly values transparency and local sustainability/climate leadership as core to its identity, reputation and credibility.
With three decades guided by Santa Monica’s Sustainable City Plan, deepened by an ambitious Climate Action & Adaptation Plan and the ground-breaking Sustainability Rights Ordinance — "acknowledging the rights of Nature and the community rights as fundamental and superseding corporate interests” — the City and community have a momentous history to regard and embrace and a bright future that depends on advancing visionary leadership and capacities. Santa Monica is a founding member of Clean Power Alliance, which is a major climate solution. This makes Santa Monica a part of the largest clean renewable energy provider in the United States. The Clean Power Alliance’s Community Benefits Programs have funded many local opportunities including the recent $249,100 innovation grant that the City won for the development of a direct-torenter electric appliance incentive program.
We trust the City Council to be clear-eyed and conscientious about the responsibilities of any Santa Monica City Manager to carry out the policies and priorities of the Council, the elected representative body of Santa Monica. Mr. Chi will be accountable for carrying out expected professional duties and community relationships with integrity for good self-government. High expectations are especially significant in times, like now, when conditions are challenging.
We are happy to engage with the Santa Monica City Council or with the Santa Monica City Manager whenever needed. Thank you.
Respectfully,
Ms. Cris Gutierrez and Mr. David Haake
Clean Power Alliance Community Advisory Committee, Westside Advisors Item 11-A
May 27, 2024
Item 11-A
May 27, 2024
2 David Yakobson
From: ProtectSantaMonica <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2025 11:39 AM
To: Council Mailbox; councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Dan Hall; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya
Cc: Nikima Newsome
Subject: Urgent Considerations for City Manager Appointment, Item 11A
EXTERNAL
Hello Mayor Negrete, Vice Mayor Torosis, and Honorable Santa Monica City Councilmembers:
First let me acknowledge the anonymity of this message. To protect myself from retribution I have to keep my identify secure, however, I am absolutely available to communicate with any City Councilmembers who wish to discuss concerns with Oliver Chi's history as a City Manager before you make this vitally important decision for Santa Monica.
As you have experienced, Oliver can exude a very charming persona. He comes across as self-deprecating, acknowledges his career "missteps" and shares how he has learned lessons along the way to help him grow as a manager and leader. Unfortunately that leadership style is just surface-deep, and at his core he operates only for his own ultimate self-interest no matter how misguided his agenda may be. Oliver is extremely skilled at obfuscating the truth, and at playing up to his audiences. Take this City Manager recruitment as a hackle-raising example: Santa Monica issues a very public statement about Oliver's selection as the next City Manager which includes a quote from him about how humbled and honored he is to come and collaborate with the City Council and Santa Monica community -- 30-minutes later he sends a message to the City of Irvine's staff about his internal struggle to inform them of his "possible transition" and a special meeting that was being set for the Memorial Day holiday to discuss his performance in "light of current circumstances." Instead of sending a graceful email about his intention to accept a new position in a transparent manner, he apparently attempted to play both agencies against one another. This egotistical manner of leadership does not fit with Santa Monica's core values, and Oliver is not the person who should be leading the management of the City.
I, and many others, are very concerned with the potential for fraud and mismanagement of the City's resources if you put Oliver at the helm. His track record illustrates a very questionable relationship with developers and lobbyists that should be alarming to Santa Monica's leadership, especially with the Olympics' business opportunities, airport, housing, and several high-profile projects in the City's spotlight. Oliver has no respect for sharing information with decision-makers or with the public, and his lack of transparency and questionable real estate and development bedfellows, will become a big problem for Santa Monica as it is in Irvine. Please refer to examples of conflict of interest in Irvine's Great Park to see how special interests control the City and the massive investments being made to benefit private developers over City interests. Oliver has a very cloudy past with real estate dealings, most recently losing the City of Irvine $1M in a hastily put together deal gone bad, and a looming bond issue for the Great Park that was created and doubled under Oliver's tenure and will cost Irvine residents half a billion dollars to payback.
Hopefully the recruiters at WBCP have informed you of Oliver's checkered past, but if not please take a look at the background check provided in the Irvine Watchdog community newsletter. Being on the outside, the recruiters will not know what is going on behind the scenes or experience the wake of destruction that Oliver leaves behind as he jumps from agency to agency. In addition to the financial and conflict of interest issues, Oliver also has a troubling record of discrimination, harassment, and total disregard for behaving with respect -- as is expected of someone at that level of leadership. Not everyone has to agree, but no one should be treated with the contempt and vitriol I have witness from Oliver. In each agency he works in, he leaves behind a trail of lawsuits and settlements. Please do your due diligence and ask him about these issues, and then really examine his responses to see if you think he is being sincere, or is simply playing a part and telling you what you want to hear.
Item 11-A
May 27, 2024
Item 11-A
May 27, 2024
3 I urge you to proceed with extreme caution, and to avoid giving Oliver the opportunity to tarnish Santa Monica's stellar reputation and the quality of life we have all come to appreciate.
City Clerk Newsome, please confirm receipt of this message in reference to Item 11a on the 5/27/25 City Council Agenda and acknowledge this statement for public comment in tonight's meeting.
Sincerely,
A very concerned citizen.
Sent with Proton Mail secure email.
Item 11-A
May 27, 2024
Item 11-A
May 27, 2024
1 David Yakobson
From: [email protected]
Sent: Sunday, May 25, 2025 10:27 AM
To: Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Ellis Raskin; Dan Hall; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; councilmtgitems
Subject: new city manager
EXTERNAL
Dear Santa Monica City Council,
On Tuesday please reject Mr. Chi for City Manage. This city needs a real city manager that has a history of helping cities not of corruption.
Thank you,
Beau Marks
902 23rd St.
Santa Monica, CA 90403
Item 11-A
May 27, 2024
Item 11-A
May 27, 2024