By Jorge Casuso

September 3, 2025 -- In a letter sent to neighborhood groups over the weekend, City Manager Oliver Chi provided some initial insights into recent public safety decisions that have spurred community-wide speculation.

The 1,100-word letter came in response to calls from five neighborhood groups that requested that the City Council and City Manager reject Police Chief Ramon Batista's surprise resignation last month.

In the letter, Chi notes the City Charter gives the City Manager sole authority over "personnel related situations" and that he has the Council's backing to develop "new law enforcement programs."

Chi also said he is "supremely confident" that Acting Chief Darrick Jacob and the Police Department team "will be able to build upon the current public safety baseline that Chief Batista helped achieve."

"(T)he public safety operational analysis that Acting Chief Jacob and I have engaged in reviewing during the past week has me convinced that we will be able to notably expand our public safety efforts in the City moving ahead."

Chi opened his letter by noting that under the City Charter, "the City Council has no authority to either remove or appoint any individual who works for the City" except for the City Attorney, City Clerk and City Manager.

He added that the "prohibition on intervening in personnel matters extends to the position of Police Chief. The authority –- and responsibility – for all personnel related situations in the City falls ultimately to me, in my capacity as City Manager."

Chi, who assumed the City's top administrative post on July 24 after running four other cities, acknowledges the challenges Santa Monica faces "are unique – and in some ways more complex – than I have experienced in other jurisdictions."

"However, I am encouraged that every member of our City Council in Santa Monica has shared with me that public safety is a top priority," Chi wrote.

"I would also note that our elected officials have given me complete support when it comes to my observation that we need to look to invest additional resources to develop new law enforcement programs that expand upon on our current safe and clean efforts."

Chi did not elaborate on the strategies being considered to curb a persistent homeless problem that accounts for more than one quarter of the calls for service and some two-thirds of the arrests made. But he outlined his experience tackling tough public safety issues.

"My observations and opinions regarding where I think we are headed in the future under Acting Chief Jacob’s leadership are grounded in my lived-experience of having seen and addressed very challenging law enforcement issues throughout the course of my career."

In his letter, Chi notes that he has served as City Manager of Irvine, "which has been recognized as the safest large city in the country for the past 17 years," where he launched crime-fighting efforts similar to those in Santa Monica.

"During my time there, we built and started operating an expansive real-time crime center; installed and operationalized an expansive city-wide camera network; and deployed the first drone as a first responder program in Orange County."

Chi notes that he also served as City Manager of Huntington Beach, "a beach community with a large pleasure pier, an active downtown, and a significant homeless population."

While Huntington Beach has a population more than double the size of Santa Monica and a police force of similar size, "across nearly all law enforcement public safety metrics, Huntington Beach outperforms Santa Monica," Chi wrote.

"I share this background information with you only to provide context regarding why my observations and thoughts about the law enforcement situation in Santa Monica might merit consideration."