UPDATE: My sources have confirmed that Standiford has quit. Good riddance! Don’t let the door hit you on the way out…
I am hearing rumors that Assistant Santa Ana City Manager Catherine Standiford is on the way out – she is, as the chisme goes, either resigning or getting the boot.
If true, that likely means she has lost her power struggle with Jill Arthur, who also assists Santa Ana City Manager Dave Ream.
So does this mean that Arthur is now the heir apparent to the doddering Ream?
Or is Standiford bailing before her reputation tanks as Santa Ana’s city budget collapses into a black hole?
And if true does this mean that poor Jill Arthur will now have to change all of Ream’s Depends instead of splitting the duty with Standiford?
I guess we will have to wait and see…I am awaiting confirmation from my city hall pajaritos.
UPDATE: I had a few calls and emails today indicating that Standiford did good work on the budget cuts this year. Apparently she will be missed by many at City Hall.
Fiscal matters are her area of expertise so this is no surprise. I was offended by one of her first actions when she arrived here – the ridiculous fines for barking dogs. Her M.O. at past jobs has been to raise money through such fees.
At any rate, I am now hearing that Cindy Nelson is on the fast track to replace Dave Ream, perhaps as soon as next year. Apparently a great many department heads have quit so Standiford’s exit was not a surprise to many. She got off a sinking ship.
Standiford is a sharp woman, with high level experience in Garden Grove and Santa Ana that I know of. There are some key City Manager openings in other cities occurring, and I would not be surprised to see her land one of those top jobs.
#1,
Her last job was in Stanton. Now she is in Santa Ana. Why does she keep taking jobs in such cities? What’s next? Cudahay? Compton?
Standiford is known for raising fees and taxes. If she leaves it will be to go to yet another desperate mess of a city…
Standiford inherited a huge mess, and must have felt like she was banging her head against the wall trying to get anything done and having to deal with resistance from Dave and company.
The mess that is Santa Ana was a long time in the making. Remember that the previous assistant city manager was in the position for 15 years, and that Dave has been there for 23.
http://actionalameda.org/actionalamedanewsblog/tag/alameda-city-manager/
#3,
Is she going to the City of Alameda? We should warn them…
Debra Kurita is the former city manager of Santa Ana who left to become city manager of alameda.
Art, you’re a douchebag. Before you start spouting off about nonsense, you should get your facts straight first. Cathy did not come to Santa Ana from Stanton. She was the city manager in La Palma…a position she held for several years and was well-regarded in that city and beyond. Cathy is bright, energetic, and extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of local government. She is considered to be a top local government manager and the city of santa ana is lucky to have her. If she is planning to leave, it’s because Santa Ana has become a completely unmanageable third-rate corrupt bannana republic, thanks to Ream and his complete mismanagement of the city. If the politics of the city were to change, she has the right stuff to turn that fetid cesspool of a city around. Your bitter bile and fundamental lack of understanding of how local government works clouds your ability to think rationally.
Either way, the city is still in a hot mess. Ream and Arthur are still around to content with. The city is still screwed….
#6,
LOL! Sure, La Palma is right up there with Irvine and Newport.
Standiford is known for raising fees and taxes. That is why cash-strapped cities hire her.
Good riddance. She did not do anything to help the people of our city.
I WOULD ALSO QUITE!!! THIS CITY IS A DUMP !!
THERES IS NO HOPE IN SANTA ANA ………
Dear Pulido:
Doin’ hecka of a job! Hey, how do you feel?
I can’t log on to OJ from my home computer. I’m getting some other site.
#11,
Your IP address is not on any of our blocked lists. Not sure what is up. Try clearing your computer cache files.
Sounds like a sacrificial lamb to me. People should focus on the real problem.
Cindy Nelson will now ease into the top position. Jill Arthur is Pulido’s go to girl but does not have the experience to do anything else. She’s an “at will” employee and can be fired without union help whenever Pulico/Ream walk away.
Nice booking foto of Standiford!
14 is right. Cindy Nelson was brought back to take over for Ream whenever we find ourselves so lucky to have him retire. She’s got a lot of talent and energy so that is a good thing. I guess Dave Ream is similar…oh wait…except for the fact that he has no talent and no energy!!