HB City manager raise, bonus approved by City Council

by Kevin Cody

An $18,000 bonus for Hermosa Beach City Manager Suja Lowenthal was unamiously approved by the Hermosa Beach City Council at its Tuesday, January 23 meeting. The city manager’s contract allows for a bonus equal to 10 percent of her annualy salary.

The council also approved a 3% salary increase for the city manager, bringing her annual base salary to $273,180.72

Mayor Justin Massey praised Lowenthal for “meeting the city’s many challenges, and doing an excellent job.”

Lowenthal responded by saying, “The folks who make the difference are the executive team.” She credited Public Works Director Joseph SanClemente for securing $2.3 million in grants for pier improvements; Community Services Director Lisa Nichols for managing new events including the return of city-sponsored beach concerts; Community Development Carrie Tai for her work on the city’s housing element; Finance Director Vickie Copeland for forecasting the city’s need for new sources of revenue; and Police Chief Paul LeBaron for new crime fighting technology, and recruitment efforts that resulted in the department being fully staffed.

She also thanked the 30 new city employees recruited over the past year. ER