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Committee weighs timelines, removal rules and community role in hiring for top city positions
Summary
Members proposed adding fixed timelines for filling vacancies, clarifying removal thresholds and inviting community participation in hiring top appointed officials such as city manager, controller and city attorney.
The Charter Review Committee debated whether to add explicit timelines and clearer removal rules for senior appointed positions and how to involve the public in hiring.
Commissioners recommended adding a deadline for filling vacancies in appointed offices (a 30-day timeline was suggested for the city attorney). Several members asked the committee to clarify whether the charter’s language that removal requires “three affirmative votes” applies to all appointed positions or only specific ones and whether ‘‘affirmative’’ should be defined relative to parliamentary rules. Staff cautioned that some matters are intertwined with ongoing litigation and that legal counsel could not comment on specific past incidents during today’s meeting.
Commissioner Marquez urged a publicly transparent, community-engaged interview process for high-level hires so residents could see qualifications and vetting criteria; several commissioners supported a “roundtable” or community panel to increase trust and potentially reduce turnover. The committee asked the HR director to explain timelines, meet-and-confer implications and any constraints on setting statutory requirements at the July 6 meeting.
The chair summarized recommendations to add timeline language for vacancies, to explicitly include the city attorney among appointed officers in section 703, and to clarify removal and appeal procedures for appointed officials.
