Residents press Fullerton council for answers after reports City Manager Levitt will leave for San Bernardino

FULLERTON — During public comment at a June 5 closed-session meeting of the Fullerton City Council, residents pressed the council for clearer notice about the meeting and sought answers after reports that City Manager Levitt is leaving for a position in the City of San Bernardino.

"I just heard about it in the last three hours — only because of Nextdoor," said Rick Sanchez, a Fullerton resident of 42 years, who asked why the meeting had not been more widely publicized. Council staff told speakers the item could not be discussed at length during the closed session and directed the public to speak at the next regular meeting, referred to in the session as "the seventeenth."

Several speakers addressed Levitt directly or spoke about his performance. One attendee read a prepared statement praising City Manager Levitt for answering emails, engaging with the public and using so-called "soft cuts" during recent departmental budget reductions to avoid layoffs. "You have done a wonderful job managing our city in Fullerton," the speaker said.

Another attendee said they had seen a news article reporting a pending resignation and a new role in San Bernardino for Levitt and questioned whether Levitt had been asked to leave or been forced out. The speaker criticized the council majority for what they described as ignoring public speakers and minority council members and asked whether a replacement might be "handpicked by your favorite donor." The council did not make announcements resolving those questions during public comment.

An attendee who addressed someone named Eric thanked him for his service and lamented what the speaker described as a "dirty campaign" and turmoil on the council majority.

Presiding officials opened the meeting for public comment on the closed-session item and said they would attempt to answer questions "if we can by law" either that evening or in the days ahead. No formal votes, motions or council decisions about staffing were recorded during the public-comment portion documented in the transcript.

The meeting record shows the clerk conducted roll call early in the session; four members responded present and Council member Valencia was noted as nearby. Speakers were repeatedly informed the closed-session subject could not be debated publicly at length and were invited to raise issues at the next regular meeting.

Fullerton officials did not provide immediate confirmation in the session about the terms of Levitt’s departure or the timeline for naming an interim or permanent replacement.