Manhattan Beach’s Chief Espinosa will retire at month’s end
Manhattan Beach Fire Department Chief Robert Espinosa has announced his retirement, effective April 28, ceding to the wishes of the majority of firefighters in his department who last month went public with a vote of no confidence.
“A city should never be in a position where the community is asked to choose between its Fire Chief and their firefighters,” Espinosa wrote in an email to City Manager Bruce Moe. “I do not desire to hold a public discussion about the differences management and labor have.”
Espinosa has been chief for nearly seven years. He initially announced his retirement last October, effective Dec. 23. But after former city manager Mark Danaj parted ways with the city in early December, the newly appointed city manager, Moe, asked Espinosa to stay another six months. The city had a new police chief and its assistant city manager had likewise been let go, so Moe sought continuity as he took the helm of the city.
Behind the scenes, firefighters had been seeking Espinosa’s ouster for almost three years, alleging his leadership had created a hostile work environment. A year ago, the Manhattan Beach Firefighters Association took a survey that showed 87 percent of the 26-man department disapproved of his leadership. In September, Danaj reportedly asked firefighters to hold off on a no-confidence vote while he sought a resolution. After Espinosa withdrew his retirement, the firefighters went public with an 84 percent vote of no confidence, and subsequently went public with both the vote and concerns regarding delayed ambulance response times that had occurred since the primary agency MBFD relied on for mutual aid, Hermosa Beach, on Jan. 1 became part of the LA County Fire Department.
“I am begging you in front of the community that we love and that we serve: fix this. Make us a priority,” Rudy Mejia, the head of the Manhattan Beach Firefighters Association, told the council.
Moe stuck by his decision to keep Espinosa. This week, he praised the chief’s contributions to the department and the city.
“I know how much the Chief loves the Manhattan Beach community, and I would like to thank him for his dedicated service for the past seven years,” Moe said. “He has had a long and distinguished career, and I wish him all the best.”
An interim chief has yet been named.
All parties concerned expressed optimism about the future of the fire department in the wake of this unusually public rupture, which Moe characterized to the council as a family disagreement. The firefighters issued a letter (see letters to the editor) thanking city leadership for its responsiveness and wishing Espinosa well. They pledged to work with the city to help find a new chief and to address any systematic problems.
“We would also like to thank City Manager, Bruce Moe, Mayor Amy Howorth and all of the Manhattan Beach City Council members for listening to our genuine concerns,” said MBFD Capt. Dave Shenbaum. “We are honored and thankful to have the opportunity to participate in the selection process of our new fire chief. We all need to take a deep breath, reflect and start the healing process. The firefighters look forward to once again playing an active role in moving this great fire department forward towards a healthy, positive and productive organization.”
“This is been a very difficult time for all of us, including firefighters, city staff, and City Council,” Shenbaum said. “The firefighters are looking forward to putting all of this behind us and start working together to rebuild relationships and focus our time and energy on reestablishing an efficient and effective fire department that this community deserves.”
Howorth, who along with council is hosting an April 16 public workshop on fire services, said she looks forward to what will emerge from the discussion that arose due to this conflict.
“I’m excited about having a discussion, starting April 16 about the future of fire services in Manhattan Beach,” the mayor said. “There are a lot of different models out there, and I want to first find out how we serve our residents right now and how we can offer more services…So I think it’s an exciting time of looking forward.”
Howorth said such examples as the “community paramedic” model will be explored, in which firehouses offer basic medical clinic services. She stressed that the idea of the workshop was never to “brush aside” current concerns.
“I want to put everything on the table and talk about it,” Howorth said. “We are not hiring consultants. We are doing this ourselves. I honestly believe all our council and community members can benefit by really understanding how [our fire service] works. Given that we will be looking for a new fire chief, we want to have this discussion in our community to establish a vision for our fire department.”
Espinosa likewise cited the transition to a new chief as part of his rationale for stepping aside.
“Now that the city has begun the recruitment of my replacement, I believe it is fair to the candidates and our fire department that I retire before the perception that I could have undue influence on the process,” he wrote. “When I began my term as fire chief in Rialto, and here in Manhattan Beach, there were interims in the seats before me. As the new fire chief, I appreciated that transition. It allowed me to have an unbiased opinion when I started. I plan to ensure that the incoming fire chief has that same courtesy.”
Howarth expressed gratitude for Espinosa’s service but also said she hoped for a fresh start for the fire department.
“We’ll get through it,” she said. “I still have confidence in all the people we have in place, and certainly grateful for all Bob has done. I wish him well in the retirement he deserves after his years of service in our community and others.”