**Milpitas Interim City Manager Deanna Santana to Resign Following Controversy Involving Councilmember Evelyn Chua**
Milpitas Interim City Manager Deanna Santana announced she will be resigning at the end of this month, following a clash with Councilmember Evelyn Chua over an alleged attempt to hold a secret meeting that may have violated the Brown Act, according to newly released city documents.
“I came to Milpitas to help fix the organization, not to fight or be disrespected,” Santana wrote in an August email announcing her resignation. “Unfortunately, over the last two weeks, both have happened with Councilmember Chua.”
Santana was appointed interim City Manager in April, after Ned Thomas resigned from the position in March. Her resignation marks the latest in a series of brief tenures among Milpitas city managers, including the unexplained departure of Julie Edmonds-Mares in 2019 and former City Manager Steve McHarris, who filed a lawsuit against the city alleging misconduct by current and former mayors.
Prior to this recent controversy, Santana had faced her own share of challenges. She was once the second-highest paid city manager in California, earning $765,152 in compensation while employed by Santa Clara. In 2022, she was ousted by the majority of the Santa Clara City Council, who cited a “lack of confidence” in her job performance. Later that year, Santana sued Santa Clara over clawbacks of benefits and alleged retaliation.
According to city documents released as part of a staff report ahead of this week’s city council meeting, Santana’s decision to resign stemmed from an incident involving Councilmember Evelyn Chua nearly violating the law by requesting a City Council meeting without properly announcing it to the public.
Under California’s open meetings law—known as the Brown Act—public body meetings must be announced to the public, typically three days in advance, even if held behind closed doors.
In late August, Chua requested a staff member arrange an interview with a candidate for city attorney. When the staff member asked if the City Manager should be involved, Chua specified that “this is only for elected officials and no staff involved,” according to text messages included in the report.
Despite this, the staff member alerted Santana, who contacted Chua and informed her that holding such a meeting would be illegal. Chua disagreed, according to an email from Santana included in the city documents.
“The conversation got worse and I stated that if she wasn’t happy with my work that I would resign,” Santana wrote in her August 29 email, referencing growing “tension” with Chua over previous weeks and announcing her two-month notice of resignation.
The meeting was later scheduled through official channels, and the incident was reported to the Santa Clara County District Attorney.
“Fortunately, the system worked as it should, and the city manager was able to avert the violation,” said Deputy District Attorney John Chase in a letter included in the documents. “Had the interviews been conducted in violation of the Brown Act, any subsequent appointment of a new city attorney would have been subject to nullification, and the individual councilmembers potentially subject to criminal prosecution.”
In addition to the legal near-miss, Councilmember Chua’s actions violated the City’s codes by directly requesting action from staff without going through the City Manager, as noted in the staff report.
The Milpitas City Council was scheduled to decide at their meeting tonight whether to censure Chua or formally express disapproval of her actions.
City Manager Santana, Milpitas Mayor Carmen Montano, and Councilmember Chua did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/10/21/milpitas-city-manager-resigns-brown-act/
