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Atherton Councilmember Diana Hawkins-Manuelian resigned from her position on the council effective Sept. 1 without providing a reason after being elected to the council in 2020.
Hawkins-Manuelian emailed town manager George Rodericks and her colleagues on the council on June 25 to tell them she planned to leave the council on Sept. 1. The town updated its website on Sept. 2.
In her resignation letter, Hawkins-Manuelian told her colleagues: “Serving the residents of Atherton over the past four years— including the honor of one term as Mayor— has been a great privilege and learning experience. Working alongside such dedicated council colleagues, committed city staff, and engaged community members has deepened my respect for local government and strengthened my belief in the power of civic collaboration.”
“Though it is time for me to step away from this role, my commitment to Atherton remains steadfast. I look forward to supporting the council and our community
in new ways, and I have every confidence that our city’s leadership will continue to guide us toward progress and shared prosperity,” she added.
This is not the first time a councilmember has resigned mid-term: Mike Lempres resigned in 2021 to move to Paris for work after seven years on the council. In 2014, Councilmember Jim Dobbie resigned after six years on the council due to health issues.
Following Dobbie’s resignation, the town adopted a new ordinance to give the council more options to deal with a resignation from council.
The council can either call a special election for the June 2026 statewide primary or appoint a new councilmember to face election in either June 2026 or November 2026.
Hawkins-Manuelian was elected in November 2020 and was reappointed to another four-year term in November 2024 that expires in 2028 since she was running unopposed. She was the town’s mayor in 2024.
The town council will have a special study session on 4 p.m. today to provide direction on how to fill her seat.
When she first ran, Hawkins-Manuelian’s priorities were to keep Atherton part of the Menlo Park Fire Protection District, supporting the town’s efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic and addressing climate change.
Hawkins-Manuelian is a media researcher and social scientist.
“Her work as a member of the Council has helped shape important decisions and vision for the Town. I extend our gratitude for her years of service and wish her the very best as she continues her involvement with the community in new ways,” Town Manager George Rodericks said in a statement.
Hawkins-Manuelian did not respond to requests for comment.
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There are some significant issues facing Atherton and unfortunately the council members are in a thankless, non-paying job, and are not up to the task.
The affordable housing issue is one that will affect property values in a major way. Instead of coming up with innovative ideas such as repurposing the boondoggle town center for housing, or putting portable housing (trailers) in the park to try to wait out the crazy law until it’s rescinded, the existing council is rezoning properties within Atherton’s residential zones. Once your home is adjoining the next property that gets rezoned, you’re SOL.
The town also is grappling with property crime that its police department cannot effectively provide a deterrent against because of its tiny size and the historical insistence of the town council that Atherton must have its own police department based on purely nostalgia, instead of contracting with the sheriff and using private security to patrol the streets at much cheaper rates to keep our residents safe.
Believe it or not, when I asked about just biting the bullet and doing the private security anyway, on top of the APD, a council member (I won’t name him out of respect for his honesty) said the APD would be very much against that (as if that should factor into his decision making!!!). The reason being, once everyone saw how well it worked, they would be out of their cushy jobs being paid Oakland police rates incorporating full hazard on the job with no actual hazard in Atherton.
We need council members who can call a spade a spade. I have no idea whether Diana Manuelian could, did, or can, but that’s what we need in order to get what residents need.
Did you not read that she ran on addressing climate change? Why would she lower herself to work on the pedestrian issues you and other residents care about?