CITY OF PACIFICA
COUNCIL AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT
7/13/2026
1 SUBJECT:
Resolution Appointing Raymund Donguines as Interim Deputy Director of Public Works – Field Services and Engineering / City Engineer Pursuant to Government Code Section 21221(h) RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Adopt a Resolution appointing Raymund Donguines as Interim Deputy Director of Public Works - Field Services and Engineering/City Engineer as a CalPERS retired annuitant pursuant to Government Code Section 21221(h), effective July 13, 2026, while the City completes recruitment for the permanent position.
STAFF CONTACT:
Zach Harris, Human Resources Manager
650-339-3461
[email protected]
Marisol Gomez, Administrative Services Director
650-501-0257
[email protected]
Yulia Carter, Assistant City Manager
650-501-6004
[email protected]
BACKGROUND:
The position of Deputy Director of Public Works - Field Services and Engineering / City Engineer became vacant on June 27, 2026, following the departure of the incumbent. The City authorized recruitment for a permanent replacement on June 12, 2026. The recruitment is currently underway and is scheduled to close on July 17, 2026.
During this transition, the City remains responsible for critical public works, engineering, infrastructure, regulatory compliance, capital improvement, and asset management functions that require continuous professional engineering oversight.
Most significantly, the City is responding to emergency damage at the Pacifica Municipal Pier.
The damage requires immediate engineering leadership to oversee structural assessments, coordinate with regulatory agencies and engineering consultants, evaluate public safety risks, advance emergency repair planning, and ensure timely implementation of response efforts.
These activities require experienced engineering oversight and continuity in leadership during a period when the Deputy Director of Public Works - Field Services and Engineering / City Engineer position is vacant.
Government Code Section 21221(h) authorizes the appointment of a CalPERS retired annuitant to fill a critically needed vacant position requiring specialized skills while recruitment for a Pacifica City Council 2
July 13, 2026
permanent replacement is underway, provided all statutory requirements are satisfied.
City of Pacifica retiree, Raymund Donguines, possesses extensive municipal engineering and public works experience and is qualified to provide the leadership necessary to maintain continuity of operations during the recruitment period.
DISCUSSION:
The Deputy Director of Public Works - Field Services and Engineering / City Engineer serves a critical role in ensuring the City's engineering, infrastructure, and public works responsibilities continue without interruption. The vacancy occurs at a particularly challenging time, as the City is actively managing emergency response and recovery efforts associated with the Pacifica Municipal Pier, in addition to overseeing ongoing capital improvement projects, regulatory compliance obligations, development review, utility coordination, asset management, and routine public works operations.
Immediate engineering oversight is essential to support emergency response activities, coordinate with state and federal regulatory agencies, manage engineering consultants and contractors, review and approve technical documents, and provide licensed professional engineering direction necessary to protect public health, safety, and critical infrastructure.
Delaying the appointment until completion of the recruitment process would create operational risks, reduce the City's ability to respond effectively to the pier emergency, and impact delivery of other essential public infrastructure projects and services.
Pursuant to Government Code Section 21221(h), the City has determined that the appointment of a retired annuitant is appropriate due to the specialized expertise required for the position and the need for uninterrupted engineering leadership while recruitment for a permanent Deputy Director of Public Works - Field Services and Engineering / City Engineer is in process.
The proposed appointment satisfies all applicable requirements of Government Code Section 21221(h), including:
• The appointment is interim and will remain in effect only until a permanent appointment is made or June 26, 2027, whichever occurs first.
• Recruitment for the permanent position is actively underway. • Raymund Donguines has not received, and will not receive, any retirement incentive or "Golden Handshake."
• Compensation is limited to an hourly rate of $85.81, which falls within the publicly adopted salary range for the position.
• Raymund Donguines will receive no additional benefits or compensation beyond the authorized hourly rate.
• The City has determined that no other qualified employee is immediately available to provide the specialized professional engineering expertise and leadership necessary to perform the duties of the vacant City Engineer position while recruitment for a permanent appointment is underway.
• The appointment will not exceed the statutory 960-hour limit during the fiscal year.
Approval of the proposed resolution will provide the City with experienced engineering leadership during a critical transition period, ensure continuity of essential public works operations, support the City's emergency response efforts at the Pacifica Municipal Pier, and maintain progress on capital improvement and infrastructure projects while recruitment for a permanent Deputy Director of Public Works - Field Services and Engineering/City Engineer is completed.
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July 13, 2026
ALTERNATIVE ACTION:
Do not adopt the resolution. This action may result in reduced engineering oversight during the recruitment period and could impact the City's ability to effectively manage emergency response efforts, capital improvement projects, and other essential public works functions.
RELATION TO CITY COUNCIL GOALS AND WORK PLAN:
This action supports Strategic Goals 1 and 2.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The retired annuitant will be compensated at an hourly rate of $85.81, which falls within the adopted salary range for the position. Funding is available within the existing Public Works personnel budget for the vacant position. No additional budget appropriation is required.
ORIGINATED BY:
Human Resources
ATTACHMENT LIST:
Attachment A: AGREEMENT FOR TEMPORARY EMPLOYMENT OF RETIRED ANNUITANT
FOR LIMITED DURATION WORK (PDF)
Pacifica City Council 4
July 13, 2026
RESOLUTION NO. _______
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PACIFICA
APPOINTING RAYMUND DONGUINES AS AN INTERIM DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC
WORKS - FIELD SERVICES AND ENGINEERING/CITY ENGINEER PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 21221(h)
WHEREAS, Government Code section 21221(h) of the Public Employees' Retirement Law permits the governing body to appoint a CalPERS retiree to a vacant position requiring specialized skills during recruitment for a permanent appointment, and provides that such appointment will not subject the retired person to reinstatement from retirement or loss of benefits so long as it is a single appointment that does not exceed 960 hours in a fiscal year; and
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Pacifica desires to appoint Raymund Donguines as an interim appointment retired annuitant to the vacant position of Deputy Director of Public Works - Field Services and Engineering/City Engineer for the City of Pacifica under Government Code section 21221(h), effective July 13, 2026, and WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Pacifica, the City of Pacifica, and Raymund Donguines certify that Raymund Donguines has not and will not receive a Golden Handshake or any other retirement-related incentive; and
WHEREAS, an appointment under Government Code section 21221(h) requires that the retiree be appointed into the interim appointment during recruitment for a permanent appointment; and
WHEREAS, the City has authorized recruitment for the permanent position of Deputy Director of Public Works - Field Services and Engineering/City Engineer, with the recruitment process commencing on June 12, 2026, and concluding on July 17, 2026; and WHEREAS, this Government Code section 21221(h) appointment shall only be made once and therefore will end on June 26, 2027, or upon the appointment of a permanent Deputy Director of Public Works - Field Services and Engineering/City Engineer, whichever occurs first; and
WHEREAS, the entire employment agreement between Raymund Donguines and the City of Pacifica has been reviewed by this body and is attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference; and
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WHEREAS, the compensation paid to retirees cannot be less than the minimum nor exceed the maximum monthly base salary paid to other employees performing comparable duties, divided by 173.333 to equal the hourly rate; and WHEREAS, the salary range for the position of Deputy Director of Public Works - Field Services and Engineering/City Engineer complies with Government Code section 21221(h), and the hourly rate paid to Raymund Donguines falls within the publicly adopted salary range for that classification; and
WHEREAS, the hourly rate paid to Raymund Donguines will be Eighty-Five Dollars and Eighty-One Cents ($85.81) per hour; and
WHEREAS, Raymund Donguines has not and will not receive any other benefit, incentive, compensation in lieu of benefits, or other form of compensation in addition to this hourly pay rate; and
WHEREAS, the position became vacant on June 27, 2026, due to the departure of the incumbent City Engineer; and
WHEREAS, the City has several ongoing and critical public works, engineering, infrastructure, regulatory compliance, capital improvement, and asset management responsibilities that require continuous professional engineering oversight, including oversight of the Pacifica Municipal Pier and other significant public infrastructure projects; and WHEREAS, an immediate interim appointment is necessary to ensure continuity of operations, engineering oversight, regulatory compliance, project management, and public safety functions while the City completes recruitment and selection of a permanent replacement; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Pacifica hereby certifies the nature of the employment of Raymund Donguines as described herein and detailed in the attached employment agreement, and finds that this appointment is necessary to fill the critically needed position of Deputy Director of Public Works - Field Services and Engineering/City Engineer for the City of Pacifica beginning July 13, 2026, because the position became vacant on June 27, 2026, and the City requires uninterrupted engineering leadership and oversight of critical infrastructure, regulatory, capital improvement, and public works functions while recruitment for a permanent replacement is conducted. • • • • •
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PASSED AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Pacifica, California, held on the 13th day of July 2026, by the following vote:
AYES, Councilmembers:
NOES, Councilmembers:
ABSENT, Councilmembers:
ABSTAIN, Councilmembers:
_________________________________
Christine Boles, Mayor
ATTEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM:
______________________________ _________________________________ Sarah Coffey, City Clerk Michelle Kenyon, City Attorney