City Manager Appointment nears with Contract Discussion

Hermosa Beach City Council will meet behind closed doors tomorrow (Monday 1st December) to discuss the employment contract of the City Manager.

The meeting comes after a previous closed session on 20th November, widely assumed to have been the final interview process for the appointment of a permanent City Manager. Former Manhattan Beach Mayor Steve Napolitano was appointed to the post on an interim basis in May, following the resignation of Suja Lowenthal from the post after a performance review.

It is not known at this stage whether a final appointment has been made, but the fact that tomorrow's closed session is titled 'Negotiation of City Manager Employment Contract' would appear to indicate that a decision on the successful candidate has been reached.

If there is agreement on both the appointment and the terms of the contract, it is possible that an announcement to ratify both items could be made at the next scheduled full city council meeting on 9th December.

Lowenthal's annual base salary was $281,376 when she resigned. She was awarded a 7% bonus for 2024. Transparent California reported her total cost to taxpayers as $404,749.42 for 2024. This figure includes pension debt, as well as any other salary supplements.

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