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Editor’s Note: Due to a city council policy restricting media photography inside Santa Ana hearing chambers, Voice of OC was unable to include a photo of Nuñez and is instead using cartoons to illustrate stories about city hall.
Alvaro Nuñez will be taking over the reins at Santa Ana city hall permanently after officials decided to promote him from acting city manager to filling the role full time.
At Tuesday’s city council meeting, Santa Ana Mayor Valerie Amezcua announced that after convening behind closed doors for several months the city council unanimously appointed Nuñez to serve in the role effective August 6.
“As an employee of 30 years who started here as an intern in the city of Santa Ana and living in the city for almost 33 years,” Nuñez said during Tuesday’s regular meeting, “I’m very proud of what the city has given me and look to provide more to the city.”
Amezcua praised Nuñez for his willingness to disagree with City Council and move forward with city issues in his time filling the role.
“You have really shown leadership, and there’s been issues. You address them – you don’t get excited or emotional, you just address them,” Amezcua said during the same meeting.
She later added “If you disagree – and I’m speaking for me – you just say ‘Mayor, I disagree and here’s [why it’s] wrong’ and I really appreciate that.”
His appointment comes almost a year after officials decided to pay out over $600,000 to former City Manager Kristine Ridge, who abruptly resigned in October, to settle a legal claim alleging the Mayor created a hostile workplace environment.
In her claim that city officials tried to keep hidden for months, Ridge also described a pressure campaign by elected officials on behalf of the police union to get her to boost former union president Gerry Serrano’s pay and pension.
[Read: Why Did Santa Ana Pay Out Over $600K to Settle a Claim Alleging the Police Union Runs City Hall?]
Ridge’s resignation came weeks after former Police Chief David Valentin announced he was going to retire citing – in written parting remarks to employees – “corrupt and compromised politicians.”
[Read: ‘Emotional Distress’: Santa Ana Pays $625k to City Manager Who Abruptly Resigned]
After Ridge’s departure, city officials appointed Tom Hatch, a former Costa Mesa City Manager, to serve in the role in an interim manner and approved an up to $50,000 agreement with Jacob Green and Associates to help recruit someone to fill the role permanently.
As a retiree under the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, Hatch is limited to working 960 hours in one fiscal year and was later replaced with Nuñez because he was reaching the limit of hours he could work.
Nuñez – who has been the acting city manager since April – has overseen issues relating to poor management of political aides by council members and meeting with state officials about a needle exchange program heavily opposed by city officials.
Before filling in as city manager, Nuñez worked as the assistant director of planning for the city. Prior to that, he served as the city’s code enforcement manager from 2017 to 2021, according to his LinkedIn.
City council members are expected to approve Nuñez’s appointment and employment agreement at their August 20 meeting.
Hugo Rios is a Voice of OC reporting fellow. Contact him at hugo.toni.rios@gmail.com or on Twitter @hugoriosss.
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.
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