Cliff Maurer is out as Public Works director for the City of Santa Barbara, Noozhawk has learned.

His last day will be Wednesday. Maurer was hired in June 2021.

“It is not easy for me to deliver you this news,” Maurer wrote in an email to his Public Works staff obtained by Noozhawk. “My last day as your director and member of the City of Santa Barbara will be Wednesday, 2/12.”

The email goes on to say: “The public works profession is both noble and unheralded, but rest assured, I know the complexity of services and depth of responsibility each of you carry and fulfill in the execution of your duties.”

Multiple sources told Noozhawk that Maurer’s exit was negotiated between him and City Administrator Kelly McAdoo amid a series of issues in the Public Works Department. Maurer’s announcement that he was leaving came as a surprise, sources said.

McAdoo declined to comment on any specific details related to Maurer’s departure, including whether there was a compensation package tied to his departure. Maurer earns about $255,000 annually. She said he “resigned” to pursue other opportunities.

“I will not discuss anything else out of respect for Cliff’s right to privacy as an employee,” McAdoo said.

The Public Works Department in the past few years has wrestled with a series of challenges related to extensive delays with the Santa Barbara Library Plaza, accessibility issues on State Street, a controversial paid public parking proposal, public safety concerns related to outdoor dining on State Street, and the installation of chicane calming devices in areas of the city that surprised fire department officials.

It is unclear whether, or to what degree, those factors played in the change, but sources told Noozhawk that morale was low in the department.

Maurer did not respond to questions from Noozhawk on Monday.

When Maurer was hired in 2021, he said: “I am excited and honored to have the privilege to join the City of Santa Barbara team. I look forward to working with the dedicated men and women of Public Works in delivering world-class services to the residents, businesses and guests of this iconic city.”

However, a year later, he told the City Council in a public meeting that the department was struggling to hire people and that there were 40.5 vacancies, most of them mid- and entry-level jobs.

“We are experiencing a lot of personnel turnover,” Maurer said at the time. “It takes two weeks to lose someone, and it takes, literally, months to onboard a new candidate.”

According to Maurer and his staff at the time, the inability to hire new employees and retain others meant capital project delays, decreased productivity because of a focus on recruitment and training, and limited capacity to respond to urgent requests.

Maurer was selected from a pool of 55 candidates in 2021. He previously worked as director of Public Services & Engineering for the City of Coronado. He oversaw the city’s largest department with about 300 employees and a total budget of $152 million.

In Maurer’s email to his staff, titled “Cliff’s Departure from City of Santa Barbara,” he also said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed leading our great team. It has been a pleasure to get to know many of you on a personal level. In my 3.5 years here, I’ve asked a lot of you, and without exception, you’ve delivered.”

Maurer’s departure is the latest change for the City of Santa Barbara during recent years. McAdoo replaced a retiring Rebecca Bjork at the start of 2024, former City Attorney Ariel Calonne was fired in 2022 and Airport Director Henry Thompson left in December 2021. Police Chief Kelly Gordon started in Santa Barbara in 2022.

Library Director Jessica Cadiente has been on paid administrative leave for nearly a year amid a series of dust-ups over construction delays at the downtown Santa Barbara Public Library. Molly Wetta, the Library Services director, was put on leave at the same time as Cadiente. Wetta last year left the City of Santa Barbara and moved out of the area.

The city has not released any public details about the reasons behind Cadiente’s paid leave. Noozhawk wrote about the situation last year. That story can be read here.

In response to a Noozhawk question on Monday, McAdoo said: “The investigation expanded in scope based on interviews of witnesses, which is the reason that it has taken some time. I hope to have resolution on this soon.”

The Santa Barbara City Council is expected to discuss several matters in closed session beginning at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. One of those items is to discuss “removal of a public employee.” California’s Ralph M. Brown Act allows elected officials to meet in private to discuss personnel matters.

Also on Monday, the City of Santa Barbara confirmed that Human Resources Director Wendy Levy has taken a job in Camarillo, which is closer to where she lives. Her last day will be Feb. 28, but before she departs will be making a presentation to the City Council on classification and compensation for city employees.

In an email to the City Council and some employees obtained by Noozhawk, McAdoo said of Levy: “I am very disappointed to lose her from the city organization. She had been a tremendous asset and has helped to move many key initiatives forward.”

The email also states that Assistant City Administrator Rene Eyerly will serve as interim HR director.