Alameda terminated following Los Angeles County embezzlement charges, sources say
This story was updated at 1:30 p.m. on May 16th to include a statement from the City of Ojai and once again at 3 p.m. to include a statement from Mayor Andy Gilman.
Readers — Assistant City Manager Carl Alameda is terminated from his position with the City of Ojai as of Friday, May 16th, according to multiple City of Ojai sources.
UPDATED: Ojai Assistant City Manager Carl Alameda faces embezzlement charges, jail time
Readers — Ojai’s Assistant City Manager Carl Alameda has been charged by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office (L.A. DA) with stealing approximately $200,000 during his previous position as Assistant City Manager for the City of La Cañada Flintridge
The City of Ojai released a statement at approximately 1:15 p.m. May 16th regarding Alameda’s termination, a forthcoming special audit, and their concern over the lack of formal notification regarding Alameda’s arrest and felony charges.
“The City of Ojai is committed to maintaining the highest standards of fiscal responsibility and public trust. To that end, the City announces that the employment of Carl Alameda, Assistant City Manager, has been terminated, effective May 16, 2025.
“In conjunction with this personnel action, the City has initiated a special audit to ensure that all financial transactions have been conducted appropriately and that there has been no misappropriation of funds.
“It is also of concern to the City that no communication or formal notification regarding the investigation or charges brought were provided to City leadership by the agencies involved. Therefore, the City will be reaching out to the relevant agencies to understand why it was not informed of the pending investigation or charges brought against Mr. Alameda.
“The City understands that the public has questions and concerns during this time. The City is committed to transparency and will provide an update on the findings of the special audit as soon as it is complete and all information can be accurately and comprehensively reported.
“The City is taking these steps to uphold our commitment to accountability and to safeguard the public's resources.”
The City also confirmed that staff learned about the felony charges against Alameda the same way I did: via press release.
Alameda was arraigned May 14th in Los Angeles County Superior Court on 11 felony counts of of embezzlement and 23 counts of insurance fraud, according to court records and the Los Angeles County District Attorney (L.A. DA). Alameda pled not guilty.
An arrest warrant was requested in Alameda’s case April 3rd, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court records.
A preliminary hearing in Alameda’s case is scheduled for July 23rd in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Ojai Mayor Andy Gilman provided a statement at approximately 3 p.m. May 16th:
“As much as we prefer to advance on goals that improve our city, part of good governance requires responding to immediate and surprising negative circumstances as they present themselves. No one prefers this part of the work. Our Council and Staff will act in the ways we believe best protect Ojai’s interests and will strive, to the best of our ability, for equity and justice. I am shocked by the allegations, as we all are. We will respond carefully, and we will move forward.”
Now, how did Alameda make his way to Ojai? Here’s what I know:
Alameda’s first appearance at an Ojai City Council meeting came on July 11th 2023.
If you don’t remember, that’s understandable. It was former City Manager James Vega’s final City Council meeting, and it marked round one of Mayor Betsy Six’s effort to remove former Commissioner Jeffrey Starkweather from the Planning Commission.
Take a look at Alameda’s introduction to the Council:
Interim City Manager Mark Scott’s contract with the City was also approved that night. Scott began his work with the City some two weeks later. Critically, Scott resigned the Manager position November 14th 2023, stating he could not “tolerate the discord.”
BREAKING: Interim Ojai City Manager Resigns Due to “Discord”
This story was updated at 4:20 p.m. Nov. 14th to include statements from Mayor Betsy Stix and Councilwoman Rachel Lang.
Alameda took over the manager position until current Manager Ben Harvey came to the City of Ojai in late January 2024.
This story will be updated.
RE: Carl Alameda & the Ojai Cabin Village grant process
When I was following your reporting on the grant for Ojai Cabin Village, I kept wondering if the city entered into this grant because someone at city hall had been bribed. I noticed that the grant process seemed to be pushed ahead during a time when the city was between city managers, so I wondered who was keeping the process going. I was suspicious about who, on behalf of the city, was agreeing to things that many citizens might object to if they had been given proper notice. I wondered why Dignity Moves had been written into the grant as the entity that would construct the project. The whole thing seemed fishy to me.
Now Carl Alameda, who was acting city manager during some of the grant development process, has been fired for alleged financial misconduct at his previous employer.
You are the only one who has ever put together a timeline of the cabin village grant process. I know there were times during that process when Carl Alameda was acting city manager. Can you figure out from your data collection efforts what aspects of the Cabin Village process Alameda might have handled? I feel like someone should look into this and I fear the CPA audit of city finances in the wake of Alameda's termination will not investigate this angle.
I wonder if you think this worth looking into?