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San Bernardino appoints Tanya Romo as acting city manager; council questions procurement signing authority
Summary
In a closed session, the San Bernardino mayor and city council unanimously appointed Tanya Romo as acting city manager effective immediately. The meeting included elected officials raising questions about whether a consultant contract had required public council approval and who holds signing authority under the city's procurement policy.
The San Bernardino mayor and city council unanimously appointed Tanya Romo as acting city manager, effective immediately, during a special closed session. The council recorded a motion by Councilmember Ortiz, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Figueroa, and the clerk reported the vote as unanimous.
Council members spent part of the session discussing procurement procedure and whether a consultant would attend the closed meeting. Several council members questioned whether a consultant contract should have been brought to open session for public approval and who on staff has authority to sign contracts of the size discussed.
A city attorney advised the council against discussing the substance of the closed-session matter in public and recommended limiting the closed-session participants at the start. "We're getting into the substance of what was discussed in closed session so I don't want us to go any further — because we should not be talking about that unless the full council votes to waive privilege and to talk about it openly," the city attorney said. The attorney added later, "It is my legal opinion that no missteps have been made. And to ease your concern, when we go into closed session, we can start just us, the counsel — myself and the clerk — without any consultants. And we can talk about it further then."
City staff told the council that the city's procurement policy gives certain positions signing authority for contracts below a threshold. During the discussion, one staff member characterized that threshold as "under $50,000" for the city clerk's signing authority; another councilmember recalled that the threshold for bringing a contract to council is "over a hundred thousand," indicating confusion among members about the applicable dollar limits and who had been delegated authority.
After the closed session, a city official reported the council's action to appoint Tanya Romo and summarized the motion and vote. "The mayor and city council has decided to appoint a new acting city manager effective immediately. That person is Tanya Romo. There was a motion made by councilman Ortiz; it was seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Figueroa. And the vote was unanimous," the clerk reported.
The meeting record shows members raised procedural questions about procurement and signing authority leading up to the appointment; the city attorney advised council that these procurement-related details could be discussed further in closed session without the consultant present. The council adjourned and set its next regular meeting for Feb. 19, 2025, at the Feltime Central Library, 555 West Sixth Street, San Bernardino, California 92401.
