Mollica’s resignation is effective July 25 and the city is launching an executive search to replace him
By Barbara Burke
Special to The Malibu Times
“It has been an honor to serve Malibu residents,” Richard Mollica, Malibu’s Planning Director, stated as he turned in his resignation on June 28 after serving as a city employee for twenty years. “I was fortunate enough to grow up in my grandfather’s Malibu barber shop alongside my aunt’s beauty salon and I enjoyed weekly shrimp brunches at the Malibu Sea Lion.”
“Working for the City has allowed me to give back to the community in ways my family members did as members of the LA County Lifeguards, Lion’s Club, Navy League, and Kiwanis Club. As part of the first graduating class of Malibu High School, I experienced the 1993 fire firsthand.” Mollica wrote.
Elaborating, he added, “Little did I know that I would play a key role in rebuilding Malibu after the 2007 fires and the Woolsey Fire. It was an honor to give back and reconnect with so many fire victims, some of whom were my school teachers. I will always cherish my time here and am grateful for the support I have received from the residents and my staff.”
City Manager Steve McClary reacted to Mollica’s resignation announcement, stating, “We are deeply grateful for Mr. Mollica’s contributions and his leadership in planning and development has left an enduring impact on our community.”
The city’s press release announcing Mollica’s departure noted that he joined the City of Malibu in 2004. The communique stated that he brought “a wealth of experience and a dedicated commitment to our community’s planning services. His vision and expertise, particularly in environmental and coastal management, have been instrumental in supporting the vision and sustainability of our city.”
Mollica is one of the city’s longest-term employees. He worked in the planning department for 15 years before being named the assistant planning director in 2019, and then as acting planning director in 2020. His pay and benefits totaled $244,006.16 in 2022, according to Transparent California.
Mollica’s resignation surprised many. Although his decision to leave could simply be attributable to his achieving twenty years of service with the city, a hallmark milestone with regard to retirement benefits for public employees, notably, it follows several recent developments in the city’s planning department. First, in recent years, there has been high turnover in the city’s planning department. Second, Mollica has resisted efforts to combine the planning and building safety departments back into a single administrative unit, as recommended by Baker Tilley, an outside consultancy firm hired by the City.
Finally, Assistant City Planner Adrian Fernandez recently sent a letter to the city describing staff dysfunction, which city councilperson Bruce Silverstein read at the last city council meeting on June 24.
Fernandez’ letter stated, “I bring to light the abuse and dysfunctioning experience by planning staff and the root cause of it. My hope is that it will bring positive change.” Fernandez’ letter further alleged personal harassment from two city council members and from members of the public during a council meeting concerning an application to build a property in mid-Malibu right across from the Malibu Pier called The Malibu Inn. Indeed, his letter stated that he had experienced death threats, public attacks, and private verbal abuse from many sides.
Interim City of Malibu attorney Trevor Rusin would not comment concerning Fernandez’s statements, citing the city’s policy of not commenting regarding personnel matters. Deputy City Manager Alexis Brown also cited such privacy policies when asked to comment on Mollica’s resignation.
The City’s next steps toward finding a new planning director
The City’s announcement regarding Mollica’s resignation stated, “The City is committed to ensuring continuity of planning operations during this transition period. All services and counter hours remain open, and we will keep the community informed on updates to the operations.”
For further inquiries concerning how one applies for the vacancy Mollica’s departure has created, readers can contact the city’s human resource department or the city manager’s office at 310-456-2489.