SANTA MONICA—On January 22, the city of Santa Monica announced that The Santa Monica City Council Tuesday announced that Elaine Polachek will serve as interim city manager, replacing outgoing City Manager David White during the national recruitment for a permanent appointment.
Polachek previously served the city in various roles for nearly two decades, most recently as Assistant City Manager from 2010-2017.
White announced his departure in December 2024, following more than three years with the city. The Santa Monica City Council also directed staff to immediately begin a national recruitment for a permanent city manager.
“On behalf of the City Council I want to express my gratitude to David for his leadership and service to the community, particularly as we faced regional impacts from the devastating Palisades Fire in his final weeks at the helm, and we wish him the best in his new endeavor,” said Mayor Lana Negrete. “Elaine will provide much-needed stability and a wealth of knowledge of Santa Monica, allowing staff to continue important work to serve residents, businesses and visitors as we proceed with recruitment.”
Polachek first joined the city in 2000 as open space manager. She served as director of the Department of Community Maintenance, deputy city manager, interim city manager and then assistant city manager/chief operating officer. After leaving the city, she was interim executive vice president at Santa Monica College for two years before starting her own government, community and legislative affairs consulting firm, Kings Road Consulting, in 2020.
“Having spent almost 28 years in Santa Monica, I am fortunate to have worked with many of the talented staff who serve this city and I am excited to return to serve as interim city manager during the formal recruitment process to fill the position,” Polachek said. “My commitment is to continue to support Santa Monica as the region recovers from the terrible fires and address the needs of the community. I am confident that together we can make progress in achieving the goals of the council and community.”
Polachek spent 10 years as the operations manager for the Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corporation and served as executive director of the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and vice president of marketing for the Pacific Design Center.
She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California Los Angeles and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Southern California.
Pending final approval of her contract by the Santa Monica City Council, Polachek will join the city effective Monday, February 3 to assist with the transition ahead of White’s departure and will begin as full-time city manager starting February 21, with a salary of $197.41 per hour.
By Trevor