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REFLECTING THE CONCERNS OF THE COMMUNITY smmirror.com
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Jun 11 – Jun 17, 2021 Volume XCII, Issue 97
René Bobadilla Declines Santa Monica City Manager Position John Jalili to serve as Interim City Manager By Sam Catanzaro
John Jalili will serve as Santa Monica’s Interim City Manager after René Bobadilla, the current city manager for Montebello, turned down the permanent position City Council selected him for this week. On Tuesday, the Santa Monica City Council announced that it had selected René Bobadilla to serve as the City of Santa Monica’s City Manager. Two days later, however, Mayor Sue Himmelrich announced that Bobadilla declined the offer. “Today, my Council colleagues and I received a letter from René Bobadilla announcing that he will not move forward with contract negotiations to be Santa Monica’s next city manager. Mr. Bobadilla has made the decision to continue his public service with the City of Montebello,” Himmelrich said on Thursday. “We will take up this matter at our next Council meeting
and remain confident that we will hire an exceptional, energetic leader for our worldclass organization.” According to Himmelrich, former Santa Monica City manager John Jalili will serve as Interim City Manager starting June 25. Jalili, who served as city manager in Santa Monica from 1984 to 1999, also has twice served as interim city manager in Hermosa Beach. Prior to Himmelrich announcing Bobadilla declined the offer, the Whittier Daily News reported that Montebello lawmakers were making an effort to retain him. “Right now, he’s a coveted city manager,” Montebello Councilmember Angie Jimenez told the Daily News. “This means we need to do everything we can to hold on to him.” Whoever takes over the post for City Manager in Santa Monica will oversee a total City budget of $705.5 million and a workforce of 1,923. After Council selects a new candidate, the City will have to negotiate a start date and salary, will be negotiated, and return to Council for approval. Former Santa Monica City Manager Rick Cole’s salary was $343,000.
Photo: Montebello Chamber of Commerce
Montebello City Manager René Bobadilla addresses attendees at the Montebello Chamber of Commerce’s 2018 “Top of the Town.”
Cole, who resigned last spring, was replaced by former City Attorney Lane Dilg who served for over a year in an interim role. Last December, Dilg announced that she will leave the City as her family relocates for public service outside of Santa Monica.
“Across my career, I have been immensely
proud to dedicate myself to the public good.
Serving the City of Santa Monica as Interim
City Manager during the pandemic has been no exception,” Dilg said.
Deputies Visit Venice Boardwalk Following Sheriff Villanueva’s Plan to Clear Encampments by July 4th LASD Homeless Outreach Services Team visits Venice Boardwalk Tuesday By Sam Catanzaro Deputies were on the Venice Beach Boardwalk Tuesday doing outreach with homeless individuals as part of Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s plan to clear encampments there by Fourth of July.
On Monday Villanueva visited the Boardwalk to announce a plan to clear encampments there by Fourth of July. In his remarks, Villanueva took aim at City of Los Angeles officials, blaming them for the prevalence of encampments in the area. “The city of LA created this problem. This is a failure of leadership from the very top, all the way down. If I go there to the end of Santa Monica, at the end of Santa Monica I don’t see any tents. There’s no stronger argument than the division between the two sides,” told a group of reporters. “I want to see the boardwalk full of tourists. I want to see the boardwalk full of Boardwalk, see page 6
Photo: Twitter (LACoSheriff)
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva speaks to a group of reports on the Venice Boardwalk Monday.
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