National City Council Parts Ways With City Manager

The National City Council on Friday ousted the city’s top bureaucrat, terminating City Manager Benjamin Martinez’s three-year contract early because of what Councilmembers described as a series of management problems, including prominent personnel departures, a botched cannabis permitting process, a budget deficit and ongoing legal disputes. 

Councilmembers approved Martinez’s departure at a hastily called midday meeting that was opposed by one Councilmember. Opponents of Mayor Ron Morrison criticized the timing of the move as an attempt to evade scrutiny by removing Martinez on Good Friday. 

Martinez was not present at the meeting and could not be reached for comment. Morrison called the city manager’s departure “a mutual agreement of separation” that took effect immediately. Martinez would “clean out his office this weekend,” Morrison said on Friday. He will receive six months’ pay plus accumulated vacation and sick leave. 

Councilmembers on Friday appointed Engineering and Public Works Director Stephen Manganiello as acting city manager. He will run City Hall until the city hires an interim replacement for Martinez as early as next week. 

“You never like it but I’m kind of relieved at this point,” Morrison said of Martinez’s departure. “We need to restabilize the ship…When you have a gap at the top, it creates a void and people start filling the void. There’s a lot of consternation [about Martinez’s leadership] among the staff, department heads and right on down to the worker bees.” 

Councilmember Jose Rodriguez, who ran against Morrison in 2022 and has clashed frequently with the mayor, refused to participate in Friday’s meeting, calling it a “kangaroo court” instigated by Morrison and an effort to “silence public input.” 

Rodriguez was in the Council chamber on Friday but did not take his seat on the Council dais. Instead, he sat in the audience and addressed the Council during public comment. 

“This meeting should not be happening today,” Rodriguez said in comments directed at Morrison and two other Councilmembers on the dais. “You’re really hijacking this city for your own personal benefit…You all should be embarrassed and ashamed.” 

In addition to Morrison, Vice Mayor Marcus Bush and Councilmember Luz Molina attended the meeting. Councilmember Ditas Yamane arrived late and only appeared on the dais after Councilmembers returned from closed session. She, along with Morrison and Molina, voted to approve Martinez’s departure. Bush voted no, objecting to some terms of the separation agreement. 

Martinez, who had worked for the city previously, was hired in 2023 after a period of turnover in City Hall leadership. At the time, Councilmembers expressed relief that they had found a permanent city manager. 

In recent months, however, Councilmembers grew increasingly dissatisfied with Martinez’s performance, Bush said in an interview the night before Friday’s meeting. “There are some very serious organizational issues going on at the city,” Bush said. “We need to hold staff and ourselves accountable.” 

Bush cited “employee complaints,” “personnel issues” and “investigations being mishandled” as some of the reasons Councilmembers had soured on Martinez’s leadership. 

Among the “personnel issues” cited by Bush was the abrupt departure in February of Travis Karlen, the city’s newly appointed Community Services Director. Karlen resigned less than two weeks after starting his job. 

In a Feb. 11 email explaining his departure to Councilmembers, Karlen said he “was disappointed by what I witnessed as an employee of the City of National City. I have no confidence in the City Manager, Deputy City Manager or the Human Resources Director. I believe that this lack of confidence is shared by much of the Executive Team, however, they do not currently have the outlet or courage to speak up. I wish the City the best, and I know that my values and principals do not align with the current environment.” 

Karlen could not be reached for comment. 

In addition to staff turmoil, the city in recent months has contended with a multi-million-dollar sexual harassment lawsuit payout, allegations of improprieties in cannabis licensing, ongoing negotiations with the Port of San Diego over reimbursement rates for city services on port property and a projected $3.5 million deficit. 

Earlier this year, Bush filed a California Bar Association complaint against City Attorney Barry Schultz, alleging Schultz had failed to represent the city’s interests on multiple issues. Councilmembers then complained that Martinez signed off on payments to an outside attorney representing Schultz without notifying them. 

Recent Council meetings have devolved into acrimonious disputes over Councilmembers’ use of city funds and dueling policy proposals that Councilmembers accuse each other of using to advance political goals. Councilmembers have complained that Martinez favors certain members of the Council and turns a blind eye to abuses of city ethics rules. 

Alongside Rodriguez in the audience on Friday were residents and business owners who live or work near a recent controversial development proposal that was withdrawn late last year after the city’s planning commission rejected it amid strong opposition from the surrounding community. 

Two business owners in the area sued the city, alleging that Morrison and his executive assistant, Josie Flores-Clark, sought to gain approval for the development project in exchange for favors from the developer. Morrison and Flores-Clark deny the allegations and say the business owners have provided no proof for their accusations. 

The two business owners, Luisa McCarthy and Micaela Polanco, co-owners of La Vista Memorial Park cemetery, attended Friday’s meeting and accused Morrison and other Councilmembers of firing Martinez to ensure he did not investigate claims made in the lawsuit. 

“Who does a meeting [to remove a city manager] on Good Friday?” McCarthy said to Morrison during public comments. “Only a person who abuses power. You are very shady.” 

Morrison said the cemetery owners’ lawsuit, which has roiled Council meetings for months, had nothing to do with Martinez’s ouster, which he said stemmed from ongoing problems in City Hall. 

City “staff has already investigated” allegations made in the lawsuit, Morrison said. “Everything was done according to policy.” 

Morrison, Bush and Molina all said they scheduled the meeting Friday because Rodriguez had said he was unavailable to meet most days next week. Rodriguez also said he was unavailable on Friday but did end up attending as an audience member. 

“I do think the problems that we have would have probably either come to a conclusion or at least to some place a little bit better than where we are had we had a city manager that knew how to deal with those problems,” Molina said. “We have fantastic people on staff that deserve good leadership. And that’s what I’m looking for. I’m looking for a good leader.”