By Jorge Casuso

July 28, 2021 -- The City Council on Tuesday approved a five-year contract with incoming City Manager David White that pays a base salary of $340,000 a year.

In addition to health and retirement benefits, the contract pays fo a number of perks to help with White's relocation from Berkeley, where he currently serves as Deputy City Manager.

These include paying for White's moving costs and providing a $3,000 monthly housing allowance for up to seven months and making a home loan available of up to $1.5 million.

At White's request, the contract also provides a City vehicle for his personal use for the first six months.

In addition to the vacation time and sick leave under the City's Executive Pay Plan, White will begin with 14 days of vacation time and 10 days of sick leave already accrued.

The contract does not require White to live in Santa Monica, although it states that both parties "prefer" that he live in the city he will run beginning on October 11.

White was hired after Montebello City Manager René Bobadilla rejected the City's offer to take over the City's top post.

White will become Santa Monica's first permanent city manager since Rick Cole resigned in April 2020 after coming under increasing pressure for his handling of the coronavirus emergency.

Cole was replaced on an interim basis by then City Attorney Lane Dilg, who left the post one month ago to relocate with her family to Washington D.C.

John Jalili -- who was hired on an interim basis when Bobadilla was selected -- will continue running the City where he served as city manager from 1984 until his retirement in 1999.

As Santa Monica city manager, White will oversee a current budget of $705.5 million and a workforce of 1,923 in the city of some 93,000.