Dozens urge Clearlake council to retain City Manager Alan Flora ahead of closed‑session review

Dozens of residents, business owners and city employees packed Clearlake City Council chambers at a special meeting to urge the council to retain City Manager Alan Flora as the council prepared to meet in closed session for his performance evaluation.

The public comments came at the start of the Oct. not specified special meeting (agendized as a personnel evaluation). Speakers credited Flora with a range of city improvements — from road repaving and park renovations to stronger code enforcement and partnerships that, they said, helped attract a reported $50,000,000 investment tied to Adventist Health — and warned that removing him could disrupt ongoing projects and the city’s access to funding.

Supporters included longtime residents, local business owners and a large contingent of city staff who spoke directly about working with Flora. Several public employees and outside partners recounted specific projects they said Flora helped advance: reopening or improving park facilities, securing grant-funded abatements for nuisance properties, and working with school and health partners to site clinics and child‑care services. City staff and outside speakers repeatedly described a shift in city momentum since Flora’s tenure began.

"Discontinuity hurts your credit rating. It hurts your borrowing ability. It hurts your credibility," said Chris Ingles, citing his experience in public finance and urging continuity for the sake of the city’s borrowing profile.

Steve Felder, identified as senior code enforcement officer and vice president of the Police Officers Association, said, "I consider Alan a friend," and described a cooperative working relationship that he said led to more property abatements and improved neighborhoods.

Several speakers specifically highlighted a planned health‑care project and the role of Adventist Health in local investment. Laurie Allen read excerpts attributed to Chuck Cassis of Adventist Health Clearlake and said the hospital system is an "anchor" of a Highway 53 project and has invested significant capital in the community. Speakers said that collaboration with Flora helped unlock those partnerships.

Not all comments were uniformly supportive. Brett Freeman and at least two others raised concerns about financial losses tied to litigation and actions involving Highlands Water, and urged the council to ensure that the city manager is constrained by elected direction. Freeman said the city manager had "lost tons of money fighting Highlands Water," and that council members must ensure staff follow council direction.

The city attorney clarified the process before the council moved to closed session, saying in part, "The city council is not conducting a personnel evaluation in public. They are going to conduct the evaluation in closed session as is always done. However, the public does have a right under the Brown Act to make public comment on any agendized item, and that's what's occurring right now." That statement underscored that public comment was limited to the agendized personnel evaluation.

Council members did not take any public action during the meeting. The mayor then adjourned the public session and the council convened in closed session to conduct the personnel evaluation.

The record also shows the clerk received multiple written letters in advance (the clerk said eight letters were provided to council members) and that numerous city employees attended and spoke in support of Flora. The meeting agenda listed a single item — a personnel evaluation — and the council followed Brown Act procedures by hearing public comment and then adjourning to closed session for the evaluative discussion.