Council Approves Steve Napolitano as Permanent City Manager in 4-1 Contract Vote

Councilmember Raymond Jackson casts lone dissenting vote against the contract and appointment of new City Manager Steve Napolitano

The Hermosa Beach City Council voted 4-1 Tuesday night to appoint Steve Napolitano as the city's permanent city manager, formalizing a selection that critics called predetermined and supporters hailed as exactly what the city needs to navigate looming fiscal challenges. Councilmember Raymond Jackson voted against the appointment.

Napolitano, who has served as interim city manager since May 28th following the departure of Suja Lowenthal, will earn $270,000 annually under a three-year contract that includes CalPERS retirement and full benefits. His appointment takes effect today, Wednesday December 10th.

Staff reported that the city received 56 applications for the position following a recruitment process led by executive search firm Peckham and McKinney, which the city paid $30,000 to conduct.

"We received a total of 56 applications by the following deadline and the recruiter screened the applications down,"said City HR Manager Tiffany Nguyen. "And in the end, three candidates were interviewed."

She also reported that the three finalists were interviewed by both the City Council and department heads, with staff noting that "it was a unanimous decision for the department heads" in favor of Napolitano.

Napolitano brings over 30 years of local government experience, including five terms as mayor and council member for Manhattan Beach and nearly 12 years as senior deputy to Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe. He is also an attorney skilled in administrative law.

Keegan: Napolitano Essential for Coming Fiscal Battles

Councilmember Michael Keegan defended the selection by pointing to the serious financial challenges facing the city—and Napolitano's relationships with county officials who will be on the other side of critical negotiations.

"We're facing a deficit coming up, converging on us of a couple million dollars," Keegan said. "We also have a pending lifeguard program where we're going to be asked by the county to pay for all our own lifeguards and beach maintenance. That could be up to a five to six million, maybe even nine million dollar hit to our budget."

Keegan emphasized Napolitano's county connections as a strategic asset: "Steve has the numbers of at least 20 people in the county in his contact list already, people he knows. He already knows the head of the beaches and harbors who's doing the beach maintenance. He already knows the supervisors, aides, and all the people involved in his staff."

"So do you think we would have done better with some stranger from out of the state? Or do you think we would have done better with Steve Napolitano?" Keegan asked.

Councilmember Dean Francois praised Napolitano's performance as interim manager: "He walked into a city that was going through changes and a lot of internal conflicts and some external ones. And I think he's navigated it well."

Mayor Saemann declined to respond to Jackson's critique of the recruitment, stating: "I will not dignify your statements with a rebuttal."

Commenters Urge Unity

Public speakers largely supported the appointment while pushing back on earlier criticism from resident Ira Ellman, who had questioned the process and suggested the council majority wanted to "replace a woman of color with an older white male."

Former Mayor and Councilmember Carolyn Petty urged the dissenting council members to unite behind the new city manager.

"We are lucky as a community to get a local back who understands our community," Petty said. "I'm asking you Councilmember Jackson to get on board. Support Steve Napolitano because he's great for our community."

Business advocate Laura Pena noted that Napolitano had already demonstrated a different approach from his predecessor: "For the last few years... I've wanted a lot of our business owners to meet with city staff, city manager, our director. And literally it couldn't get done because I was told there was a lack of resources. Within three weeks of hiring the interim city manager, Steve had met with us."

Napolitano Addresses Predecessor's Departure

In brief remarks after the vote, Napolitano addressed his relationship with his predecessor directly.

"I want to make a comment to my predecessor, Suja Lowenthal. I know her. She is a friend. We remain friends. She's an incredibly capable person," Napolitano said. "And I wish her nothing but success going forward. What happened was a Council decision that I had no part in."

He pledged to focus on the city's needs: "As far as putting this city first, I've put this city first each and every day for the last six months. That's exactly what I'll do going forward. I appreciate the opportunity, the honor of serving what I consider my second hometown."