Councilman Greg Morena has resigned from the Santa Monica City Council effective June 24 to focus on his family restaurant business.
Morena’s family owns the Albright restaurant on the Santa Monica Pier. In a statement he said he has to renegotiate the lease for the business or face closure and as the Pier is owned by the City of Santa Monica, he cannot manage the business interests at this time while sitting on Council.
“Like so many small independent businesses, I have struggled over the last three months to protect my family and my employees and their families who work at my restaurant on the Pier. I have taken out loans and gone into the red to feed them, keep up their health insurance, and do everything possible to have jobs waiting for them once this crisis is over. But unless I am able to renegotiate my lease for July and onward, I will no longer be able to remain in business,” Morena said.
Morena has lived in Santa Monica for 37 years, lives on the same street he grew up on and is married to his former next-door neighbor whose family owned the restaurant. Prior to joining the restaurant, Morena started his own financial management consulting company and worked for several fashion brands including Undefeated, The Hundreds and Bleach Group USA Holdings. He graduated from CSUN with a degree in Business Administration.
Before joining council, he was a member of the City’s audit commission, Transit Management Board, Pier Lesse Board and the Chamber of Commerce Board. He said he plans to remain involved with civic matters and at the forefront of the City’s recovery efforts.
