Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/raul-godinez/)
Council members vote Tuesday on a nearly $400,000 separation agreement ousting City Manager Raul Godinez and decide on a replacement for longtime City Clerk Maria Huizar.
Santa Ana city council members have gone through five city managers in two years. The latest, City Manager Raul Godinez II, finds his future at city hall in play with just a little over a year in the job. City council members met this past Friday in secret session to discuss his severance, the latest in top executive severance agreements – which could soon collectively reach near the million dollar mark for Santa Ana taxpayers.
The Nov. 6 election comes as the city faces an ever-worsening financial crisis, pulling $10 million in one-time money this year to make ends meet.
City officials say they need the extra $63 million to maintain existing service levels and fix aging infrastructure. Most of the increase apparently would go toward maintaining existing services and the pension cost increases for the existing workforce and retirees.
The budget pressures are prompting warnings from the city manager that services may have to be cut back, despite growth in tax revenues. The funding gap is projected to grow to $40 million in five years.
In a tense meeting this week, City Council members said in coming weeks they will re-approve the original agreement – including the use of emergency reserves.
2017 was a year full of divided – and deeply personal – actions on the Santa Ana City Council, affecting everything from police officer discipline to who runs the city on a day to day basis.
“This is probably the most political and divisive city council Santa Ana has had,” Councilwoman Michele Martinez said as the council debated the appointment. “Let’s be honest with each other. We really don’t like one another, and we really don’t trust one another.”
Raul Godinez works for the city of Lynwood, which has one-fifth the population of Santa Ana. He previously led the larger public works departments of Oakland and Santa Ana, before his run as city manager of El Monte abruptly ended in controversy.
URS Corp. failed to submit adequate environmental review reports, which is at least in part to blame for cost overruns that amount to nearly $500,000.