City welcomes Rod Gould as New City Manager
City Manager Rod Gould officially joined the City of Santa Monica on January 22. Mr. Gould’s remarkable resume includes a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Political Science from Yale University and master’s degrees in both Public Administration and Education from Harvard University. He has previously served as city manager in the cities of Monrovia, San Rafael and Poway, California. He is a past president of the League of California Cities’ City Managers Department and has served on the League’s Board of Directors since 2007.
Speaking on behalf of the Council, Mayor Pro Tempore Pam O’Connor said at the December 8 Council meeting, “We’re pleased to have found someone who we think will be able to lead the city with a steady hand, who brings a wealth of experience and education from Southern California as well as around the country.” Graciously accepting his appointment, Mr. Gould spoke of his appreciation for the city’s breadth of quality services and leadership in areas including sustainability, housing issues and transportation. “The vibrancy, dynamism and civic engagement in Santa Monica make it the most exciting city in California today.”
The City of Santa Monica welcomes Mr. Gould, his wife Rosaline and their two children to the community.
Jennifer Phillips, Assistant City Manager
 Assistant City Manager Jennifer Phillips (center, with L-R Director of Public Works Lee Swain, Housing and Economic Development Director Andy Agle, Planning and Community Development Director Eileen Fogerty, Community and Cultural Services Director Barbara Stinchfield, Director of Transit Services Stephanie Negriff and City Librarian Greg Mullen) oversees the external services departments of Big Blue Bus, Community & Cultural Services, Housing & Economic Development, Library, Planning & Community Development, and Public Works.
Ms. Phillips has over 24 years of public administration experience including serving as Recycling Specialist with the LA County Sanitation District, Principal Financial Analyst with the Orange County Transportation Authority, and Assistant to the City Manager with the City of Fullerton, in which she served in the daily operational capacity of Assistant City Manager.
Ms. Phillips has also served as an Executive Manager with the County of Orange, developing and making policy recommendations to executive management and the County Board of Supervisors. Ms. Phillips is an active member of the International City/County Management Association; the Preparing the Next Generation Working Group and is currently Vice-Chair of Women Leading Government.
Elaine Polachek, Deputy City Manager
Deputy City Manager Elaine Polachek (second from right, with L-R Chief Information Officer Jory Wolf, Finance Director Carol Swindell, Human Resources Director Donna Peter and Community Maintenance Director Joan Akins) oversees the internal services departments of Finance, Information Systems, Community Maintenance and Human Resources. Prior to assuming her current position, Ms. Polachek held several key positions with Santa Monica including Open Space Manager and Director of Community Maintenance.
As Director of Community Maintenance, Ms. Polachek was responsible for the maintenance of Santa Monica’s community infrastructure and assets including parks, public landscapes and urban forest, buildings, vehicle fleet, and community venues including the Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica Pier and Santa Monica State Beach. She also assisted in the redevelopment of the Santa Monica Pier in the early 1990s as Operations Manager for the Pier Restoration Corporation, and previously held management positions with the Province of Ontario and the City of Scottsdale, AZ. Ms. Polachek graduated from UCLA (BA, Political Science) and University of Southern California (MPA).
 Kate Vernez, Assistant to the City Manager, Community and Government Relations
As Assistant to the City Manager for Government and Community Relations, Kate Vernez oversees advocacy, policy development and management of the intergovernmental relations and community relations functions so that the City is both responsive to the community’s needs and is effective securing funding and desired outcomes in public forums, in the media and before legislative and regulatory bodies in Los Angeles County, the State of California and the Federal Government. This includes oversight of Cable television division, citywide publications such as Seascape, web content and outside lobbyists. Work on regional, state, and federal levels advances high priority goals of the City, including Phase 2 of the Exposition Light Rail Project, homeless initiatives, and management of State and Federal lobbyists to seek available funding for City projects. Special focus areas include executing public education and media campaigns; strategic communications programs; resident satisfaction surveying and customer service initiatives.
Ms Vernez joined Santa Monica after working for the City of New York, for the Housing and Preservation and Development agency, City Comptroller, and Mayor of New York. She completed the Executive Program in Management from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. She received a joint Masters from Columbia University in Urban Planning and Community Organizing. She received her B.A from New York University.
What does the City Manager's Office Do?
As the executive officer of the municipal government, the City Manager is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the City of Santa Monica, including implementation of City Council ordinances and policies, oversight of fourteen departments and primary responsibility for budget development. The City Manager's authority is derived from Article 7 of the Santa Monica City Charter. The City Manager's Office is comprised of four divisions: Administration, Community and Governement Relations (including CityTV), the newly-created Office of Sustainability and the Environment and the Santa Monica Municipal Airport. City management is guided by the Code of Ethics adopted by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA).
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