#city-government

#city-government

Director Dan Garodnick informed Mayor Zohran Mamdani that he would be stepping down from the role "in the coming weeks," according to an email shared with staff earlier this morning, City Limits first reported. Under Gardonick, the agency passed the first major citywide rezoning since 1961-"City of Yes"-an effort to create more housing in every neighborhood amid a citywide housing shortage that has pushed rents higher.

It appears as if that input from the public, boards, commissions and even the council is largely disregarded," Councilman Pat Burt said. "Then we get a product at the end that inadequately reflects a lot of the input that is based upon context knowledge and not just the important domain expertise of the consultants. And we'll get a product that we disagree with fundamentally at the end even though we've put in a year or two and hundreds of thousands of dollars.

"In this case, Oakland is offering $27 million over three years with options for a pair of one-year extensions to provide security guards at city facilities."

The former director of the Economic Development Department authorized grant awards that violated city code restrictions, permitting the overlap of funding for arts organizations.

"The request prompted unified opposition among the police chief, mayor, city manager and several city council members who argued that preserving the integrity of criminal investigations was paramount."

The emergency declaration has resulted in homelessness decreasing for the first time in years, bucking statewide and nationwide trends.

"I've seen the backroom deals, the shady contracts, the sketchy vendors, the fraud, the waste, the abuse. I've had enough."

Hanson's termination potentially hinders the city's defense in a lawsuit involving former police chief LeRonne Armstrong, complicating matters for the city.