'We Made Magic': Hermosa Beach City Manager Steps Down, Reflects On Career

HERMOSA BEACH, CA — It seemed that after a tough period for Hermosa Beach, the city had found its leader in Suja Lowenthal.

For nearly seven years, Lowenthal served as the beach town's city manager, making a name for herself by acting on her ideas.

"We just made magic, it's really nothing short of magic," Lowenthal told Patch about her time working in Hermosa Beach. "I've never experienced anything like it."

But on Thursday, May 8, Hermosa Beach officials announced Lowenthal would be stepping down from her position amid controversy about her performance review.

The decision appeared to come out of the blue. In reality, Lowenthal, for the last few weeks, had been facing scrutiny from some council members, who sought to review her employment contract just months after her last review.

That scrutiny became the main subject at two city council meetings, where city workers, residents and other council members vouched for Lowenthal's professionalism and leadership during her Hermosa Beach tenure.

Lowenthal was the first woman, the first person of color, and the first person with a doctorate to serve as Hermosa Beach's city manager. Last month, her supporters in the community and on the City Council poured into City Hall last month to praise her work and denounce efforts to push her out. One councilman claimed she was the victim of bigotry.

Calling it a personnel matter, her critics on the council declined to speak publicly about the announcement.

Despite the support, Lowenthal felt the sun was setting on her time in Hermosa Beach.

"I'm really proud of all the work we've done in Hermosa Beach. It's been extraordinary," Lowenthal said. "I resigned because it seemed like the right time."

'A Passion For Public Service'

Lowenthal says her passion for public service and helping others can be traced back to her parents.

Born in Madras, India, she grew up watching her mother treat patients as a registered nurse. Her father worked at the port in Madras and spent his free time volunteering at the Vincent De Paul Society. There, he served as the organization's charter president and spent time serving impoverished communities and humanizing the ostracized, such as people with leprosy.

"Most people don't go up to people like that," Lowenthal said. "My father would embrace them. I felt inspired by that."

Lowenthal eventually moved to the United States, where she attended UCLA, majoring in economics. But it was working at a Bank of America during her college years that a customer encouraged her to pursue a career in the public sector.

"You would love it," Lowenthal recalls the customer telling her. "You would be fulfilled, and it's the right place for your heart and your skill set."

Soon, Lowenthal found herself working as a customer service representative at the Department of Water and Power in Los Angeles, a role she says gave her insight into how many other departments worked.

After a few years, she moved on to the Department of Aging, where she gained management experience delivering services to the city's elderly, then at the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office in the domestic violence unit.

However, it wasn't until she worked for the water districts that she realized what she enjoyed was organizing cities.

"It's a calling, a deep calling," Lowenthal said. "I believe in cities with every core of my being."

From The Ground Up

The path to becoming a city manager was hard work for Lowenthal.

Upon discovering her passion, Lowenthal got her master's degree in business administration and a doctorate in policy, planning and development. Then she hit the ground running.

After spending 10 years working as a community relations manager and chief of strategic planning and initiatives at multiple water districts, she worked for a few years at a civil engineering firm, earning experience on "both sides of the counter" that would help her become a better public servant.

Shortly after, she was hired by the city of Santa Monica. During her time there, Lowenthal led the city in addressing high-profile issues involving the airport. She also served on the city council in Long Beach from 2006 to 2016, including four years as vice mayor.

"I feel fortunate and blessed," Lowenthal said. "When I looked back at my career, I have a balance between the policy maker side and policy implementer. It's a background that made me a better elected official."

Lowenthal took the helm at Hermosa Beach in 2018. Since then, Lowenthal sought to improve residents' quality of life, spearheading an outdoor dining deck program during COVID-19 that has since become a permanent fixture.

She's paved the way for the resurfacing of more than 10 miles of city streets, along with nearly 5 miles of sewer repairs, and filling more than 100 city government vacancies through an aggressive hiring campaign.

During her tenure, Hermosa Beach has, year after year, broke its record for the number of capital improvement projects finished and has helped the Hermosa Beach Police Department become fully-staffed and nationally recognized.

"I led a cultural transformation," Lowenthal said. "(Workers) stay for the culture, they stay for what we have built here."

Turmoil

To say it's been an honor to serve the residents of Hermosa Beach for almost seven years would be an understatement, Lowenthal said about her time as city manager.

Lowenthal said she's always gravitated toward coastal cities and Hermosa Beach, being a small coastal community, drew her.

She praised her team of city workers, who helped her create a high-functioning city.

"I've never experienced anything like it," Lowenthal said. "Their deep commitment to public service and each other allows them to excel."

Those same workers spoke highly of Lowenthal and her dedication to the city during a special council meeting on April 22, when the City Council held a closed session meeting to review her contract.

It's unclear which council member initiated the off-schedule review of Lowenthal's contract. A report from the Daily Breeze identified then-Mayor Dean Francois of being Lowenthal's critic.

Francois, in an interview with the Daily Breeze, refused to comment on Lowenthal's contact review, citing the confidential nature of a closed session personnel issue. The Daily Breeze reported that Francois only noted that personnel matters were supposed to remain confidential.

He did add that not everything in the city has been as successful as Lowenthal's supporters would suggest. He also denounced what he described as rumors and efforts to “undermine constructive dialogue.”

“Our city needs unity to tackle the challenges ahead, many of which stem from past decisions,” Francois told the Daily Breeze. “Spreading false rumors and personal attacks only divides us. As mayor, I remain committed to fairness, inclusivity, and respectful governance for all residents and stakeholders.”

During the tense council meeting, Hermosa Beach Mayor Pro Tem Mike Detoy and Councilmember Ray Jackson disagreed with the way the approach to Lowenthal's review. They accused their fellow city leaders of creating unnecessary confusion, bringing instability to the city and targeting a well-liked city manager.

"Working with the city manager for the last five and a half years, we have not always agreed, we've had difficult conversations," Detoy said. "But I've seen her lead with professionalism, build a highly capable leadership team and guide this city through immense challenges, from a global pandemic to complex labor negotiations."

Jackson said Lowenthal has been the subject of racial and misogynistic attacks, adding that the council members were succumbing to pressure from a "small group that's had the city manager in their sights since day one."

Francois did not respond to multiple Patch requests for comment regarding Jackson's statements.

"This has nothing to do with job performance and everyone knows it," Jackson said during the meeting. "This is political maneuvering and it's putting real, measurable progress at risk. Progress that ironically was celebrated just days ago by the mayor himself at the state of the city."

Just a few weeks later, Lowenthal announced she would be stepping down from her position as city manager.

“I am leaving Hermosa Beach with deep pride in what our team has accomplished together,” Lowenthal said in a statement at the time. “This City is strong— operationally, financially, and culturally—and I’m confident Hermosa Beach will continue on its upward path. I will always cherish the opportunity I had to serve this extraordinary community.”

A Place Where Humanity Can Flourish

Lowenthal isn't quite sure what the future has in store for her just yet.

Although her career as Hermosa Beach's city manager has come to an end, Lowenthal is already looking forward to finding a new city where she can put her passion to use.

"I'm an urban planner by background," Lowenthal said. "Cities, to me, are the birthplace of innovation. Incubators of what's possible."

She wants the next city she works for to be motivated to serve its residents with a high level of exceptionalism by harnessing talent and being open to innovation.

"I would love to be a part of that team," Lowenthal said.

Lowenthal said she sees cities as engines of economic growth, constantly evolving and on an unending journey.

"It's where humanity can flourish or wither," Lowenthal said. "City making and city manager is where all this happens, and that's why I got into city management."