Steve Simonian, a long-time member of the La Habra City Council, has submitted his resignation effective April 5 of this year, citing a “desire to address minor medical issues and spend more time with family,” according to a press release issued by the city.
Simonian was first elected to the La Habra council in in 1998 and served on the body until 2010. He was elected again in 2020. The city council will decide later this month whether to fill the vacancy by appointment or by holding a special election. City councils typically opt for the former method.
“I was not the No. 1 candidate when I was selected in 1998, but I offered the council solutions to the problems they were having,” Simonian told the OC Register. “And, they saw that as a benefit, selected me and started us off on bringing several big box, tax-producing companies to La Habra. Turning that downward spiral into a positive was a very good sense of accomplishment.”
Professionally, Simonian pursued a career in law enforcement, joining the City of Bell Police Department in 1966 and rising to the rank of chief of police, a post in which her served from 1987 to 1998. He was Assistant City Manager and Interim Police Chief for the City of Bell Gardens from 1998 to 2000, whereupon he took the job of Chief of the Bureau of Investigations for the LA County District Attorney’s Office until 2006. In 2008, he returned to Bell Gardens as City Manager until finally retiring in 2011.
Simonian’s successor will have to run for election in his or her own right in November 2024. Whomever takes the seat will have to grapple with the serious fiscal issues facing La Habra in the wake of past council decisions regarding pension obligations and generous agreements with city employee unions.
