City Manager, Rod Gould
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.
Elaine Polachek, Assistant City Manager
Assistant Manager Elaine Polachek
has over 30 years of public administration experience and has held several key
positions with the City of Santa Monica. As Open Space Manager she
managed operations, public use and long-range planning activities for over 420
acres of public open space including Santa Monica Beach, City parks, and
community facilities. As Director of Community Maintenance she led
the department responsible for maintaining City assets including the Pier,
Third Street Promenade, parks, and buildings.
As Deputy
City Manager, Ms. Polachek oversaw the departments of Finance, Information
Systems,
Community Maintenance,
Human Resources, and the Big Blue Bus.
She also
assisted in the redevelopment of the Santa Monica Pier from 1984 to 1995 as
Operations Manager for the Pier Restoration Corporation and previously held
management positions with the Province of Ontario and the City of Scottsdale,
AZ. She 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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