Sources: City Council plans to fire city manager

City Manager Gilbert Livas has been in his current position since 2011. (City of Downey photo)

DOWNEY — In a major shakeup, the Downey City Council is poised to fire longtime city manager Gilbert Livas and bring in a new person to run city operations, according to sources at City Hall. 

Council members met in closed session Dec. 7 where a majority of council members said they intended to fire Livas as early as this week, according to sources not authorized to speak publicly. 

The council members in favor of Livas’ dismissal are Sean Ashton, Mario Trujillo and Catherine Alvarez, the sources said. 

Mayor Claudia Frometa and Mayor Pro Tem Blanca Pacheco are said to favor keeping Livas.

News of Livas’ potential firing was met with negative reaction at City Hall, where officials feared an exodus of department heads.

“It could destabilize our city,” said one high-ranking city official who spoke on condition of anonymity. “You’re going to see Trujillo and Alvarez bring in their own person who will answer directly to them.”

Livas joined Downey as community development director in 2007 and was promoted to assistant city manager in 2010. He took over as city manager following the retirement of Gerald Caton in 2011.

Downey has had only two city managers over the last 32 years and that stability has worked to Downey’s benefit, officials said. 

“We have two freshmen council members and their goal is not to bring fresh ideas, it is to bring someone that they can control,” said another person inside City Hall who works closely with the city council. They asked that their name not be used out of fear of retribution. “Sean has been on the city council for seven years and always gave Gilbert glowing reviews. Why is he all of a sudden voting to remove him?”

Ashton, Trujillo and Alvarez did not return messages seeking comment. Frometa and Livas declined to comment.

Alex Saab, who served on the City Council for eight years and worked alongside Livas, said it would be a mistake to fire him. 

“I have personally known and/or worked with the last 14 Downey city council members which have worked directly with Mr. Livas,” said Saab. “And while we may not have agreed on some issues, the one constant was the confidence we all shared in Mr. Livas’ ability to lead Downey and provide sound and ethical leadership.”

Saab cautioned against the ramifications of firing a city manager “during a time of great political turmoil.”

“Institutional knowledge is lost, seasoned staff members will seek employment elsewhere where there is more stability and finding a suitable replacement is extraordinarily challenging because there is currently a shortage of qualified city managers in the region,” said Saab. “In addition, most qualified people would not want to work for an instable city council that fails to value its leadership.

“If the rumors are true that Mr. Livas is being let go, I hope the current city council pauses and thinks hard about the long-term effects this will cause the residents of our great City of Downey.”