Calabasas Names New Interim City Manager

CALABASAS, CA — The City of Calabasas announced Monday that it has hired Don Penman, a retired city manager for a number of Southern California communities, to take over as interim city manager. Penman is filling in for Ray Taylor, a former Westlake Village city manager who has served the city since May.

Penman, a Northridge resident, served as city manager for the City of Arcadia until 2012, when he retired. Since then, Penman has served as interim city manager for the cities of San Fernando, Temple City, Azusa, Covina, and Ventura.

Taylor was approved on May 28 to take over until mid-November, and Penman will fill in while the city searches for a permanent city manager. It has been a tumultuous year for Calabasas city managers. In May, long-time City Manager and former Chief Financial Officer Gary Lysik resignedafter a number of allegations over conflict of interest, misuse of city funds, and professional standards.

According to a report in The Acorn, Lysik, who had served since 2018, came under fire for a personal blog post that appeared to make light of domestic violence. The report also claimed that Community Services Director Jeff Rubin alleged that Lysik created a hostile work environment after Rubin reported instances when he believed the city had violated state and local laws.

In 2019, an anonymous letter circulated by a city employee alleged various city fund mismanagements, including former Media, Library, and Information Services Director Deborah Steller continuing to draw her full salary of more than $200,000 for 14 months while she telecommuted from Northern California.

Rubin and other city officials also voiced concern about an allegedly $50,000 holiday party put on by the city just months after the Woolsey Fire in January 2019. According to the Acorn, Lysik planned the event and hired his wife and sister-in-law to help plan the evening, and paid them with city funds. Lysik was also criticized for spending $35,000 on a promotional night at Dodger Stadium, and for paying his son $60,000 for various City Hall positions for which he was reportedly not qualified.

Lysik did not reply to Patch's calls for comment.

Upon his depature, Lysik said that he was proud to have helped secure the city an AAA credit rating from Moody's Financial Services and save the city millions of dollars through financing efforts used for the construction of the City Hall, library, and senior center.

"The city is and remains financially sound," said Lysik. "While leaving presents its own unique emotions, I am happy to be leaving the City financially sound … As I step away from public life in Calabasas to take this time with my family, I will miss my work here, but will do so wishing the city the best in the coming years."

Outgoing Councilmember Fred Gaines told the Acorn that he credits Lysik for the city's successes. "He is a true expert in municipal finance, and I, for one, will miss his advice and counsel," Gaines said.

Upon Lysik's departure, Robert Yalda, head of the city's Public Works Department, took over for a few weeks before being replaced by Taylor.

"We are excited to welcome Mr. Penman to Calabasas, and thank Ray Taylor for his outstanding service during this time of transition," said Mayor Alicia Weintraub.

* Correction: An earlier edition of this article stated that an anonymous letter alleged Deborah Steller continued to draw her salary for 14 months after she stopped working for the city of Calabasas. The letter in fact took issue with Steller drawing her full salary while she worked remotely. Patch regret the error.