West Covina City Manager David Carmany resigned Thursday night, May 18, ahead of a hastily assembled closed session City Council meeting in which his job was set to be evaluated.
His resignation was accepted by Mayor Rosario Diaz and the City Council in a 5-0 vote, swiftly bringing to an end a tenure that began in 2019 as the city’s top administrator.
“For personal reasons, I have decided to resign as City Manager effective immediately,” Carmany said in a statement. “It has been my honor to serve the community of West Covina.”
It was not publicly disclosed as to why the council was meeting to evaluate Carmany’s performance, but it aligned with the council’s power to evaluate the performance of a city manager any time it deems fit. Carmany’s contract with the city ran month to month.
Assistant City Manager Paulina Morales was appointed acting city manager, the city announced Friday. Morales has served the city for the past 19 years, starting as an intern, and has held various responsibilities over the years.
“Ms. Morales has a strong reputation within City Hall and is respected by her peers,” said Mayor Rosario Diaz in a statement. “I am confident that she will ably fill this role on a near-term basis while the City Council takes steps to identify a new City Manager.”
But Carmany’s resignation means that the city is without a full-time executive officer responsible for running city functions’ administration and daily operations. The city manager also implements policy decisions and enforces all municipal laws and regulations for the benefit of the community.
Carmany was a regular presence at City Council meetings, taking in and responding to public concerns, grievances and disagreements on matters of policy.
While the specific reasons for Carmany’s resignation were unclear, this decision comes after a cluster of higher-profile episodes at City Hall.
On May 5, former West Covina fire chief Larry Whithorn was awarded $4.1 million after a Los Angeles County jury found that he was wrongfully terminated.
Additionally, during a May 16 meeting, the City Council received and filed a third-party investigation report of the city’s centennial celebration, where the city manager’s office scheduled an indigenous acknowledgement at the final hour that was rejected by members of council.
Finally, Carmany had an open police case against City Council member Tony Wu, alleging that Wu threatened him with physical violence during a meeting in the spring of 2022.
Wu on Thursday, however, appeared to reach for a conciliatory note.
“I have been privileged to work with David Carmany,” Wu said. “He turned our city from almost bankrupt in 2018 to today, financially healthy. Together we went through city reform, financial hardship and a worldwide pandemic but we pulled through. No matter what happened, he is always my friend and I want to thank him for his service and wish him all the best.”
Carmany will depart after a robust career so far in Southern California municipal government.
With 30-plus years of experience in local government, having served as city manager in La Puente, Agoura Hills, Malibu, Pacifica, Seal Beach and Manhattan Beach, Carmany was appointed by the West Covina City Council on July 16, 2019.
He earned a bachelor of sciences degree in public affairs from USC in 1979, and serves on USC’s City Management Foundation Board of Directors.
Carmany’s resignation was not a first in West Covina. In May 2019, Carmany’s predecessor, Chris Freeland, resigned after having served for four years following a 4-1 City Council vote to draft, negotiate and finalize a separation agreement.
Chris Chung was city manager from 2012 to 2014, but was paid out $440,000 to retire early after the council decided they no longer wanted him at the helm. This is the same year that then State Controller John Chiang audited 2 years of West Covina financial records.
West Covina has been noted for its financial woes. In 2021, it was among 12 cities statewide deemed high-risk — “high risk for the potential of waste, fraud, abuse, or mismanagement, or that have major challenges associated with their economy, efficiency, or effectiveness,” according to the California state auditor.
“Finally, (the city’s) purchasing and contracting processes have deficiencies that its leadership has allowed to persist over several years, exposing the city to the risk of fraud and perpetuating its susceptibility to wasted public funds,” a 2019 audit report stated.
Carmany departs before the city’s annual city budget was finalized.
Indeed, while the city’s proposed 2023-24 finances were presented recently as a “rollover budget,” with no new city positions, a highly touted Sportsplex facility is $600,000 in the hole, and an independent health department – once the dream of some local leaders wanting to escape the thumb of the L.A. County Public directives during the pandemic – is not in the cards – at least not any time soon.
Officials also are projecting a shortfall in revenue and major overtime costs in the coming fiscal year, which are stretching the city’s piggy bank at a time when economists are warning of a potential national recession.
Other city manager responsibilities include keeping the mayor and City Council apprised of key issues and matters dealing with city business. The manager responds to the needs of the community, serves as the city’s liaison to local agencies and organizations, represents the city in legislative matters at the state and federal government levels and oversees the preparation of the city budget.
Carmany sought to end his tenure also striking a conciliatory tone.
“Be kind to one another, and tender hearted, too, ” Carmany’s statement said.
