The city of East Palo Alto will lose city manager Carlos Martinez to Richmond by Nov. 1, if not sooner, according to documents from the city of Richmond.
The Richmond City Council is scheduled to approve a contract with Martinez on Tuesday. They plan to hire him for a five-year term at an initial annual base salary of $260,000. His approximate total compensation package would be $358,000 with increases based on his performance, according to staff documents. He was chosen over finalists Jill Keimach, former Alameda city manager and Moraga town manager; and Ruth Osuna, former Oxnard assistant city manager. He would replace retiring City Manager Bill Lindsay.
Martinez has been associated with East Palo Alto in various capacities since 2001, 15 years of which he’s spent working directly for the city government. He has been city manager since 2015 and was interim city manager in late 2014. Prior to that, he was the economic development manager for nearly 12 years, starting in 2003. He was also the redevelopment project manager overseeing East Palo Alto in 2001 until state funding cuts eliminated redevelopment programs.
Martinez has two master’s degrees from the University of California at Berkeley: one in architecture and a second in city planning. He has previously worked for the city of Hayward in economic development, for a nonprofit economic development corporation, as a legislative analyst for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and in the private sector as an architect and planner. He also runs his own small business.
“Serving as East Palo Alto City Manager and leading the East Palo Alto team has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my professional career, and a great honor. Much has been accomplished during my tenure, building on the hard work of my predecessors. East Palo Alto is now better than ever, with a great Council and team of devoted professionals. The city’s future is bright,” he said in an email.
Mayor Ruben Abrica said in an email that he and Vice Mayor Lisa Gauthier will meet with Martinez to sketch out a transition plan.
Martinez said he is committed to a smooth transition for the city. He is working with the City Council to determine his last day with East Palo Alto to accommodate the transition.
Congratulations to Carlos Martinez on his new job! Carlos has been a dedicated and responsible City Manager, and I wish him well in his new endeavors. This is a great opportunity for EPA to search for a new manager in a transparent and open process. EPA is a city moving forward rapidly, and we need a City Manager who can navigate these changes in a thoughtful manner.
I wish him the best. I haven’t always agreed with Carlos’ decisions, management style, or communication methods, but he is an effective City Manager. I don’t think he was well suited to East Palo Alto, but hopefully Richmond will benefit greatly from his presence
With all of the recent closed session items relating to the City Manager’s performance evalution & compensation, I don’t know why I am shocked that he is leaving. I wish him the best, but worry about the transition period and all the City has on it’s plate. Very bad timing for us, but I hope he is happy and effective in his future endeavors.
Mr. Martinez will be missed, unlike some of our other city managers and interims, such as the terrible Magda Gonzalez, the bad manager Ronald Davis, the abusive Monika Hudson and sexual harasser extraordinaire Stan Hall. I hope Richmond and Mr. Martinez are a good match.