Montebello City Manager Rene Bobadilla, who has been on medical leave since early this year, has resigned from his position, he said.
Bobadilla confirmed in a Tuesday telephone interview his resignation, and a joint statement drafted by the city and Bobadilla’s legal representatives, and released Wednesday, stated that the terms of the separation were approved by the Montebello City Council.
His last day was Friday, May 12, according to the statement.
“The City of Montebello expresses its thanks to Mr. Bobadilla for his contributions during his tenure as City Manager and wishes him well in his future endeavors,” the statement said.
The terms of the separation were not released.
Due to undisclosed health problems, Bobadilla hasn’t attended a council meeting since the first one this year in January.
Michael Chee, city spokesman, said that Bobadilla’s absence has been conspicuous.
“From my perspective his leadership has been missed, but the work of the city has continued through our leadership team,” Chee said.
In lieu of Bobadilla, the joint statement stated that under the direction of the mayor and City Council, day-to-day operations have been managed by Assistant City Manager Arlene Salazar.
Bobadilla, who previously worked for Huntington Park, El Monte and Pico Rivera, came to Montebello in June 2019.
Nearly a year ago, Montebello City Council gave him a $68,500 annual raise plus some other perks as part of a five-year contract to convince him to turn down an offer from the Santa Monica City Council to become its city manager.
But since then, Bobadilla has had problems with then-Councilman David Torres, who is now the city’s mayor.
Bobadilla; Chee, director of public affairs; and Nicholas Razo, director of human resources, filed claims for undisclosed damages against the city, accusing Torres of verbally attacking him and creating a “hostile work environment.”
“These claims are the result of a long and documented history of sustained and repeated harassment committed by Mr. Torres, resulting in the creation of a hostile work environment for these employees,” Jamon Hicks said in an emailed statement back in September.
At the time, Torres said he did nothing wrong.
“I have been an advocate for the needs and requests of Montebello residents,” Torres said in an emailed statement at the time.
The council on a 3-2 vote in August 2022 voted to admonish Torres for what it called “constant adverse behavior” and creation of a “hostile work environment.”
Salazar, the assistant city manager, will continue in the role while the city seeks options for a new city manager, according to the joint statement.
