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San Diego council unanimously confirms Rolando Charvel as chief financial officer
Summary
The City Council voted 9-0 on Oct. 20, 2025, to confirm Rolando Charvel as chief financial officer; speakers and councilmembers praised his decades of city finance experience and emphasized priorities of transparency, internal controls and earlier engagement in budget planning.
San Diego City Council unanimously confirmed Rolando Charvel as the city's chief financial officer on Oct. 20, 2025.
Mayor Todd Gloria introduced Charvel's nomination and thanked outgoing CFO Matt Vespe for his service. Mayor Gloria said the CFO role "demands integrity, discipline, knowledge and foresight" and called Charvel a leader who would manage taxpayers' dollars "wisely and transparently."
Charvel, who has worked in city finance for more than two decades, told the council his priorities would include improved communication with council offices, leveraging technology to strengthen internal controls and early engagement in the budget process. "My goal is to reduce surprises, provide clarity, and create space for shared problem solving," Charvel said.
Union representatives and labor groups spoke in support during the public-comment period. Michael Zukat of the San Diego Municipal Employees Association said Charvel has fostered "constructive and functional communication" with city employees and urged council approval. Connor Robbins, a Teamsters steward representing San Diego lifeguards, also offered the association's endorsement.
Councilmembers praised Charvel's record and emphasized the scale of the city's finances. Councilmember Foster, chair of the budget committee, asked for a willingness to "keep nothing off the table" in addressing the city's structural deficit and signaled expectations that Charvel work collaboratively with the council on reserve policy, vacancy savings and budgeting approaches.
Councilmember Von Wilpert pressed Charvel about an October audit on contracting that she said showed millions in unauthorized changes and asked whether the department had fixed the procurement system. Charvel responded that the issue had been tied to systems and controls spanning 2017 to 2023 and that "those systemic issues were resolved through our system" and "since 2023 and moving forward, that issue has not occurred again." He pledged to be transparent and to use technology and internal controls to prevent repeat problems.
The council voted to confirm Charvel by roll call, with Von Wilpert voting "yes" from a teleconference location in Jackson, Mississippi; the motion passed 9-0. The council also publicly thanked Matt Vespe for his years of service to the city.
Next steps: Charvel assumes the duties of CFO as arranged by the mayor's office; councilmembers said they expect continued engagement as the city moves into a challenging budget cycle.
