Santa Monica police chief announces he is resigning
Santa Monica police chief announces he is resigning
Santa Monica Police Chief Ramon Batista has announced his resignation, effective October 4.
SANTA MONICA, Calif. - The sudden resignation of Santa Monica Police Chief Ramon Batista is shocking several people across the city, including Mayor Lana Negrete.
"It came as a surprise, and the way it came, because the community was notified first, it’s surprising," said Negrete.
On Friday, Chief Batista announced his resignation after nearly four years leading the police force, shortly after a new city manager was brought in.
"I think where we’re at today with our new city manager is defining public safety as ‘clean and safe,’ which means we have to see our police officers on the streets," Negrete said.
FOX 11 has learned the chief is believed to have sent out two different versions of his resignation: one sent to the media Friday, with at least one paragraph missing, and another version sent to the city manager where the chief seems to blame city leaders for his exit. In that version, he says, "...the letter of the law, appear to be at odds from demands set by the new administration…"
"I don’t know why there are two versions," Negrete said. "You’d have to ask the chief that."
Former Santa Monica Mayor Phil Brock says the chief was well-liked among officers.
"Officers I’ve talked to continuously had great respect for him and believe, very importantly, that he had their back," Brock said.
Brock believes the two different versions of the letter could give insight as to the reasons behind Chief Batista’s resignation.
"He was being, in effect, forced out," Brock said. "Now the question would be, did the new city manager in Santa Monica want someone tougher on crime? Or in relation to the new city council, did they want someone more ‘woke?’ I don’t know the answer to that yet."
In a press release, Santa Monica City Manager Oliver Chi expressed gratitude toward the chief. "I am grateful to Chief Batista for his service to Santa Monica and commend him for his many contributions," Chi said. "His dedication, kindness and vision have shaped our Police Department in positive ways, and on behalf of the entire organization, we honor and thank him for his service."
The resignation goes into effect October 4, 2025. Deputy Chief Darrick Jacob will take over the position until a permanent replacement is announced. Jacob has been with Santa Monica Police Department since 2004.
FOX 11 reached out to Chief Batista for comment but so far hasn’t heard back.
Negrete says she hopes the city focuses on "clean and safe" moving forward.
"If you’re on drugs or you have mental health issues, that often turns into creating an environment that’s not clean and safe," Negrete said. "We need to get back to clean and safe."