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Sacramento City Council vows to conduct a 'true national search' for next city manager

Jennah Pendleton, The Sacramento Bee on

Published in News & Features

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento City Council set a new timeline to find a permanent city manager Tuesday, establishing a plan to hire a recruitment firm by March.

Following a national search, whomever takes the job will be tasked with leading the city’s roughly 6,000 employees, overseeing an annual operating budget of more than $1.6 billion and implementing policy directed by the City Council.

A recruitment firm will be chosen from one of the five the city has preapproved contracts with. Councilmember Rick Jennings, who chairs the Personnel and Public Employee Committee which is tasked with interviewing and recommending a recruitment firm, presented a proposed timeline that would secure a firm by the end of next month.

The entire recruitment process is estimated to take anywhere from six to eight months, with Leyne Milstein serving as the interim city manager during that time.

“This is a very important process … and we need to make sure that we are open, we are transparent and we are public about this process,” Jennings said.

Jennings said that the five city-contracted vendors have until Wednesday to submit cost proposals. Two or three firms will be invited to council chambers for a live interview on Feb. 18. The committee will then recommend a preferred firm and a backup firm to the City Council, who will then discuss and vote to approve the firm at the Feb. 25 council meeting.

After six straight weeks of discussions surrounding the former City Manager Howard Chan and his replacement Milstein, Mayor Kevin McCarty said that Tuesday night’s discussion was the first step forward to naming a new top city staff member.

“We’re going to be interviewing the finalists for the search process and making sure that we are thorough and we scour the country if necessary to find the best and brightest one to help Sacramento move forward,” he said.

City council members urge ‘true national search’

 

The council did not discuss the qualities or qualifications they are seeking in a candidate or recruitment firm specifically, but did agree that they wanted to search across the country for applicants.

“The first and most important (task), from my point of view, is to undertake a true national search, not one in appearance or name only, but to look across the country for the very best person that we can recruit to take this position,” Councilmember Roger Dickinson said.

Councilmember Caity Maple agreed, saying that she wants to see candidates from places that have dealt with similar issues to Sacramento. Councilmember Lisa Kaplan suggested the council hold a future discussion or workshop during which they can publicly discuss what they are seeking in a new city manager so that prospective applicants can understand the city’s priorities.

Residents urged the council to prioritize transparency and community input following Chan’s controversial final year on the job.

Chan’s eight-year run as city manager ended Dec. 31, after the council voted 6-3 not to extend his contract. His final months on the job were mired in controversy as residents criticized Chan’s pursuit of raises and contract benefits despite already being the second-highest paid city manager in California at the time, earning $593,240 in total wages in 2023.

A 2019 provision added to his contract has allowed Chan to stay on city payroll as an assistant city manager for a term of at least 12 months, earning a salary of $340,812.60. Longtime city staffer Milstein has taken over as interim city manager until the candidate search is completed.

“Because we know that the city manager holds such strong power over the city, we really need to hear the voices of the community,” resident Betty Williams said in a public comment.

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©2025 The Sacramento Bee. Visit at sacbee.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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