As Cole leaves the City of LA for Santa Monica, he gives his assessment of the former's fiscal health, reflects on the bureaucratic challenges that have faced Garcetti’s “back to basics” initiatives, and explains his reasons for heading west.
Rick Cole, Deputy Mayor of Budget and Innovation and the former Mayor of Pasadena and former Ventura City Manager, calls for a honest and sustainable city government upon receiving the Clarence A Dykstra Award for Excellence in Government by the American Society for Public Administration in June.
Former Ventura City Manager Rick Cole defends CEQA against both those who would reform it, and those defending it in its current state, suggesting misinterpretation of the act and the procedures developed in response have twisted CEQA in opposition of the very projects that share its goals of sustainability and environmental stewardship.
