Hermosa Beach Council Gives City Mgr. Suja Lowenthal Six Figure Deputy City Mgr.; Sole Dissenting Councilmember Says He Lacks Confidence In Her Leadership But City's Mayor Voices Full Confidence Of Four Other Councilmembers...And They Vote NOT To Name Dissenting Councilman Their City's Latest <i>Mayor Pro Tem</i>

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Hermosa Beach Council Gives City Mgr. Suja Lowenthal Six Figure Deputy City Mgr.; Sole Dissenting Councilmember Says He Lacks Confidence In Her Leadership But City's Mayor Voices Full Confidence Of Four Other Councilmembers...And They Vote NOT To Name Dissenting Councilman Their City's Latest Mayor Pro Tem

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(November 26, 2019, 6:35 p.m.) -- Some speculate that Suja Lowenthal (former LB 2nd dist. Councilwoman mid 2006-mid 2016 (incl. two periods as Vice Mayor), short-time 2014 LB Mayoral candidate, unsuccessful 2014 Assembly candidate, named Hermosa Beach City Manager in August 2018) may be favored by some inside LB City Hall to become LB's next City Manager.

In that context, LBREPORT.com reports some recent items of interest from the small southbay city: .

In March 2019, Hermosa Beach Councilman Hany Fangary removed an item from the Council's no-discussion "consent calendar" as a procedural matter after City Manager Lowenthal sought consent calendar approval for a roughly $140,000 street repair contract. Councilman Fangary didn't question the item on its merits but said the Council had adopted a policy to not place items over $100,000 on the consent calendar. City Manager Lowenthal acknowledged her awareness of the policy but cited previous Council voted approval of the project itself, and cited additional verbiage in the Council consent calendar policy, as her basis for believing that she had discretion to seek consent calendar approval for the $140,000 final contract. This didn't satisfy Councilman Fangary who said the policy is clear, doesn't include discretion, and the consent calendar cap is $100,000 unless formally changed with voted approval by the City Council. The exchange ended with unanimous Council approval of the item (joined by Fangary) with the Council also inviting discussion with the City Manager to refine or clarify the consent calendar protocol.

In a May 2019 Hermosa Beach city budget session (less than a year on the job), City Manager Lowenthal recommended that the Council add $219,000 (salary + benefits) to create a position of "Assistant City Manager." In June 2019, the Council adopted a FY20 budget that added a new position of "Deputy City Manager" carrying a taxpayer cost (salary and benefits) of over $193,000, The vote was 4-1, with the Councilman Fangary (who['d raised the consent calendar issue with Lowenthal) voting "no."

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On October 10, 2019, the Hermosa Beach City Council held a closed session on its annual performance evaluation of the City Manager. Following the closed session, the City Attorney reported "no reportable action" but Councilman Fangary -- who'd raised the consent calendar issue in March and voted "no" in June on adding a Deputy City Manager position, volunteered the following:

Councilman Fangary: Relating to the closed session report, I want to share that I expressed with my colleagues as part of the City Manager review of the closed session this evening, that I currently lack confidence in the Manager's leadership of the City for the past year. This is based on many concerns, some of which I have expressed during some of our recent public meetings and wanted to issue this statement to ensure I am being transparent while at the same time being protective of the City Manger's privacy rights

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Hermosa Beach Mayor Stacy Armato responded:

Mayor Armato" Well, Madame City Manager: On behalf of the four other Councilmembers up here, I wanted to say "thank you" for the terrific job you're doing, for your commitment to this city, and to fully express that we have full confidence in you and thank you for all that you're doing for our city and we're moving forward.

During the exchange, City Manager Lowenthal said nothing publicly.

On November 21, 2019, another shoe dropped...when the Hermosa Beach Council voted to pass-over dissident Counciman Fangary in choosing the body's new Mayor Pro Tem. Councilman Fangary was next in line for the title but instead the Council voted 4-1 (Fangary dissenting) to give the titular position to another of its members. (The Council's action has spawned a Brown Act complaint by a Hermosa Beach resident, seeking to rescind the Council action.)

The bottom line for LB's neighbor: Hermosa Beach City Manager Lowenthal now has a six figure Deputy City Manager answerable to her. Hermosa Beach Councilman Fangary, one of five policy setters to whom the City Manager is supposed to answer, remains a Councilmember but as a result of his Council colleagues' action isn't Hermosa Beach Mayor Pro Tem

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Nov. 27, 8:10 p.m.: Additional details added re Nov. 21 Council vote that chose a different Councilmember as Mayor Pro Tem

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Support really independent news in Long Beach. No one in LBREPORT.com's ownership, reporting or editorial decision-making has ties to development interests, advocacy groups or other special interests; or is seeking or receiving benefits of City development-related decisions; or holds a City Hall appointive position; or has contributed sums to political campaigns for Long Beach incumbents or challengers. LBREPORT.com isn't part of an out of town corporate cluster and no one its ownership, editorial or publishing decisionmaking has been part of the governing board of any City government body or other entity on whose policies we report. LBREPORT.com is reader and advertiser supported. You can help keep really independent news in LB similar to the way people support NPR and PBS stations. We're not non-profit so it's not tax deductible but $49.95 (less than an annual dollar a week) helps keep us online.

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