California City has a new city manager - - Michele Martinez, the seventh city manager within the past three years.
This comes on the heels of 23 ABC’s report of the frequent city manager turnover amid recovery efforts from a 2021-22 Kern County grand jury report which described that council as being in “crisis mode.”
Martinez agreed in principle to be California City’s Interim City Manager with potential approval of a contract during an open session at a city council meeting at a later date, Mayor Kelly Kulikoff said on Saturday. Cal City has a city council meeting on Tuesday, but the city manager contract approval is not on the agenda.
Cal City Council reported out of a closed session on Saturday and approved Martinez 4-0 with councilmember Karen Macedonio absent from the meeting, Kulikoff said.
Joe Barragan was named Cal City’s Acting City Manager last month. He told 23 ABC that he did not want to be the permanent city manager last week. On Saturday, Barragan said that he wasn’t a “good fit,’ as city manager.
Kulikoff said last week that the city had been working on finding a permanent city manager.
“City Council continues to push forward through all obstacles on a path toward fiscal sustainability, economic development, and strategic planning,” Kulikoff said in a statement. “Our problems won't be fixed overnight. However, if we continue to take small steps in the right direction, we will arrive at a destination filled with big opportunities. An Interim City Manager contract can potentially be on the agenda by the City Council meeting on Nov. 14. At which time, the public will have an opportunity to weigh in before City Council takes any final action.”
Martinez serves on the California Transportation Commission. Among the CTC’s responsibilities are programming and allocating funds for the construction of highway, passenger rail, transit and active transportation improvements throughout California.
Prior to her role as a CTC member, Martinez served for 12 years as councilmember for the City of Santa Ana (2006-2018). During that time, she became the first councilmember to serve as president of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) and the first councilmember to serve as president of the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). She is also the youngest woman to serve as the Mayor Pro Tem for Santa Ana.
