ORDINANCE O2026-XX
ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MANTECA, STATE OF CALIFORNIA, AMENDING CHAPTER 2.08 “CITY MANAGER”, SECTION 2.08.070 “POWERS AND DUTIES” TO GRANT CITY MANAGER THE SOLE AUTHORITY TO APPOINT AN ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER WHEREAS, the Manteca Municipal Code (MMC), Chapter 2.08 “CITY MANAGER” establishes the powers and responsibilities governing the office of the City Manager within the City of Manteca (“City”); and WHEREAS, MMC Section 2.08.070(C) sets forth who the City Manager may appoint or remove, including the power to appoint an Assistant City Manager subject to the approval of the City Council; and WHEREAS, the approval requirement in Section 2.08.070(C) is anomalous within that section, which otherwise grants the City Manager broad, independent authority to appoint, remove, and demote all officers and employees of the City, with the sole exception of the City Attorney. The Assistant City Manager is not distinguished from other department heads or executive staff in any functional way that justifies different treatment, and singling out this one position for Council confirmation is inconsistent with the organizational structure Section 2.08.070 otherwise establishes and with council‐manager governance principles applicable to California general law cities; and WHEREAS, under standard council‑manager governance, the City Council sets policy direction and the City Manager administers day‑to‑day operations, including personnel decisions. Requiring the governing body to approve a single direct‑report position creates unnecessary overlap and blurs operational authority; and WHEREAS, executive‑level hiring often requires timely decision‑making. Eliminating a council‑approval requirement reduces administrative delay and allows the City Manager to assemble and manage the executive team efficiently; and WHEREAS, the Assistant City Manager role supports the City Manager in managing citywide operations, implementing Council policy, and supervising department heads. Direct appointment authority better reflects the working relationship needed between the City Manager and Assistant City Manager; and WHEREAS, this Ordinance also clarifies that the City Manager shall have authority to appoint more than one Assistant City Manager when operationally necessary to support citywide administration, consistent with the City Manager’s general authority over personnel structure and organizational design.
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MANTECA DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1: Chapter 2.08, “CITY MANAGER”, Section 2.08.070(C) is hereby amended as follows, with all other subsections of Section 2.08.070 remaining in full force and effect without modification:
§ 2.08.070. Powers and duties.
It shall be the duty of the city manager and he or she shall have the power to appoint, remove and demote any and all officers and employees of the city, except the city attorney. The city manager shall also have the power to appoint an assistant city manager or assistant city managers.
SECTION 2: Findings Incorporated. The findings set forth in the recitals above are incorporated into this Ordinance as legislative findings.
SECTION 3: Severability. If any section, sub-section, subdivision, paragraph, clause or phrase in this Ordinance, or any part thereof, is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining sections or portions of this Ordinance or any part thereof. The City Council hereby declares that it would have passed each section, sub- section, subdivision, paragraph, sentence, clause or phrase of this Ordinance, irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections, subdivisions, paragraphs, sentences, clauses or phrases may be declared invalid or unconstitutional.
SECTION 4: Effective Date. This Ordinance shall become effective thirty (30) days following adoption.
City of Manteca, a municipal corporation
MAYOR: __________________________
GARY SINGH
ATTEST: __________________________
CASSANDRA CANDINI-TILTON
CITY CLERK
STATE OF CALIFORNIA
COUNTY OF SAN JOAQUIN SS:
CITY OF MANTECA
I, Cassandra Candini-Tilton, City Clerk of the City of Manteca, do hereby certify that the foregoing Ordinance had its first reading and was introduced during the public meeting of the City Council on the ___ day of ______, 2026, and had its second reading and was adopted and passed during the public meeting of the City Council on the ___ day of _______, 2026, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
ATTEST: __________________________
CASSANDRA CANDINI-TILTON
City Clerk
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