Santa Monica's already-challenging effort to fill volunteer board positions has become more difficult after two commission members resigned this month, citing internal conflicts and disagreements with city leadership.
Deborah Lynch submitted her resignation from the Housing Commission on Oct. 15, following what she described as an unprofessional confrontation with Chair Gail Gordon during a commission meeting. Ann Bowman resigned from the Recreation and Parks Commission shortly after four City Council members voted to terminate an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement with Revitalization Partners Group for the Civic Auditorium project.
The resignations add to existing vacancies across the city's standing boards and commissions, which together comprise over a hundred seats covering areas including planning, arts, housing and public safety. City officials have already advertised openings on multiple commissions this fall, including the Arts, Housing and Airport commissions.
Lynch's resignation followed a heated exchange during the Housing Commission's Oct. 14 meeting. In her resignation letter to staff members Thomas Philbin and Natalie Verlinich, Lynch described Gordon's behavior as "unwarranted, almost staged, and patently unprofessional."
During the meeting, Lynch wanted to know how many individuals on the City’s affordable housing list were already qualified for housing and during a debate over the question, Lynch took issue with Gordon rephrasing the question.
“You’re changing my question, and I thought I was handling this. So if you want to deal with it, you handle it,” said Lynch to Gordon.
That prompted Gordon to respond.
“I would like to make a note that I'm having problems with Commissioner Lynch,” she said. “I cannot continue without being interrupted and being verbally abused.”
Lynch wrote that she avoided escalating the confrontation "primarily in the interest of allowing the meeting to continue with Commission business." She accused Gordon of being unable to handle dissent and attempting to control commission members' statements.
"I will never allow anyone to attempt to place their words in my mouth," Lynch wrote. "Her insistence at rewording my comments to what is acceptable to her was abominable."
Lynch also criticized Gordon for allowing a member of the Disabilities and Ageing Commission to speak on Housing Commission agenda items outside the public comment period, noting that Gordon had previously opposed such participation.
Bowman's resignation came in the wake of an early morning council vote that ended negotiations with Revitalization Partners Group. Council members Jesse Zwick, Natalya Zernitskaya, Caroline Torosis and Dan Hall supported the motion to terminate the agreement and directed staff to explore options for the entire Civic Center site.
In her resignation letter, Bowman criticized the decision and the manner in which it was made.
"No mention was made of the Civic Center Specific Plan, the governing planning document for the area," Bowman wrote. "No respect was shown to RPG or the principal of RPG who was present in Council chambers."
Bowman described the behavior of the four council members and City Manager Oliver Chi as "embarrassing and a discredit to our City." She also called for the city to address what she characterized as a conflict of interest involving Zwick related to housing development matters.
"I do not want to give my volunteer time going forward to an organization where a majority in leadership so clearly do not share any of those core values," Bowman wrote, referring to her priorities including community input, adherence to planning documents and protection of public land.
Council will address both resignations next week adding them to the existing vacancies.
The city's boards and commissions exist to bring community expertise and public input into local government decisions. By law, most commissions act in an advisory capacity to the City Council on their respective issues, enabling specialized policy development and civic oversight.
However, filling all the seats can be challenging. Many commissions have specialized requirements that limit candidate pools. The Building & Fire-Life Safety Commission seeks members with engineering or contractor credentials, while the Disabilities Commission requires at least six members who have disabilities.
City officials regularly advertise vacancies and accept applications through an online portal. As of late 2025, some commissions report current vacancies awaiting appointments, with the City Clerk indicating upcoming council appointments for open seats on multiple boards.
The city's board structure has evolved over time. In 2022, Santa Monica consolidated the Commission on the Status of Women, Commission for the Senior Community and Social Services Commission into a single Human Services Commission. New bodies have also been created, including the seven-member Sustainability Commission and the 11-member Public Safety Oversight Commission, both established in 2021.
Each board typically has between five and 11 members, with the Council appointing volunteers as terms expire and new vacancies arise.