Recent Updates:

• City Manager Rick Cole's 2017 State of the City remarks
• City Manager Rick Cole's "The Santa Monica Brand" remarks and from the 7th Annual Santa Monica Travel and Tourism Summit on May 3, 2016
• City Manager Rick Cole's "State of the City" remarks and video on January 28, 2016
• City Manager Rick Cole's "State of the City" remarks on February 6, 2017

Rick Cole, City Manager

City Manager Rick Cole has 30 years of experience in public policy and administration. Most recently, he served as Deputy Mayor for Budget and Innovation for the City of Los Angeles where he was responsible for a budget of $8.6 billion and oversaw five city departments with more than 3,000 staff.  He also supervised LA's Chief Sustainability, Technology and Data Officers. 

For 15 years, Mr. Cole was City Manager of two Southern California cities, Ventura and Azusa.  He has been recognized as one of America's Public Officials of the Year by Governing Magazine and one of the "Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers" by Government Technology Magazine. He has won awards for municipal management excellence from the American Society of Public Administrators and the Municipal Management Association of Southern California, as well as for urban planning leadership from the Congress for the New Urbanism. 

Mr. Cole served 12 years on the Pasadena City Council and was Mayor when Pasadena adopted its landmark General Plan, an early model for smart growth.  Called "one of Southern California's most visionary planning thinkers" by the Los Angeles Times, he has been an active leader in the International City Managers Association and the City Managers Department of the League of California Cities.

As Santa Monica’s City Manager, Mr. Cole is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the City of Santa Monica, which includes implementation of City Council ordinances and policies, oversight of all City departments and a budget of $564 million.

Elaine Polachek, Assistant City Manager

Assistant City Manager Elaine Polachek has over 30 years of public administration experience and has served in several key positions with the City of Santa Monica. Her academic career includes a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from UCLA and a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California.

As Assistant City Manager, Ms. Polachek oversees the day-to-day coordination, administration, and supervision of 11 city departments. She focuses on developing, enhancing, and sustaining relations with key City business partners such as the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, Convention and Visitors Bureau, Downtown Santa Monica, Inc., and the Pier Corporation. She is tasked with managing internal interdepartmental efforts addressing community concerns. In addition, Ms. Polachek is responsible for carrying out the City Manager’s directives regarding interpretation of policies and representing the City Manager in negotiations of complex use agreements with institutional partners, large scale event agreements and resolving conflicts within the organization. In 2014, Ms. Polachek received the John H. Nail Award from the League of California Cities City Managers’ Department. This award is presented to an outstanding municipal assistant city manager who has contributed significantly to his or her city government and to the advancement of the community as a whole.

Ms. Polachek previously served as Deputy City Manager, Director of Community Maintenance, and Open Space Manager with the City of Santa Monica. Other noteworthy past positions for Ms. Polachek include Vice President of Marketing at the Pacific Design Center, and Operations Manager for the Pier Restoration Corporation, where she played a key role in the redevelopment of the Santa Monica Pier from 1984 to 1995. She has also served in management positions with the Province of Ontario and the City of Scottsdale, AZ.