City Manager, Rod Gould
City Manager Rod Gould took the lead at the City of Santa Monica in January 2010. 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 served on the League’s Board of Directors from 2007-2009.
NEW - Professional Recognition for Santa Monica's City Manager
In February, Mr. Gould was given the Wes McClure Manager of Distinction Award by the League of California Cities City Managers Department. This is the highest award given by the Department, and Rod is the second recipient. It is given to those managers who have supported the profession through service, innovation and developing others. It is particularly meaningful to Rod because he knew the gentleman for whom it is named as a tireless supporter of the profession during his 35 years as a City Manager and 30 years thereafter.
In addition, Rod was recently elected to West Coast Vice President of the International City and County Management Association (ICMA). He will serve on the ICMA Board of Directors and represent the states of California, Oregon, Nevada, Washington, Hawaii, and Alaska. No expense of City time or funding will be incurred as a result of his service in this role; however, it brings the opportunity to support the profession nationally and internationally during a tough time for cities.
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, Deputy City Manager
As the Deputy City Manager for Special Projects, 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 includes Administration, Community and Government Relations (including CityTV) and the Office of Sustainability and the Environment. City management is guided by the Code of Ethics adopted by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA).
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