Watsonville Municipal Code Art. V The Mayor

SECTION 500 APPOINTMENT OF MAYOR.

Commencing at the same City Council Meeting in which the City Council approves the resolution confirming and approving the canvass of returns and result of the 2014 General Municipal Election and after the swearing in of any newly elected Council Members, the Mayor shall be appointed from among the seven (7) Council Members, to serve until a successor has been appointed.

The first Mayor to be appointed under the new process shall be selected from the respective numbered City Council District which has gone the longest amount of time since a Council Member from said District has served a complete one year term as Mayor.

Thereafter each succeeding Mayor shall be appointed in a sequential order based upon the numerical prefix designated to each respective City Council District. (Ex. if the first Mayor is from District 1, the next appointed Mayor shall be from District 2.)

After the initial appointment of Mayor, as earlier defined in this section, all future Mayors shall be appointed at a Council Meeting in which the City Council approves the resolution confirming and approving the canvass of returns for the General Municipal Election as designated in City Charter Section 1300 and after the swearing in of any newly elected Council Members or in the case of non-election years, the appointment for Mayor shall be made at the first Council Meeting held in December.

At the same Council Meeting for the appointment of the Mayor, a Mayor Pro Tempore shall be appointed from the seven (7) Council Members. The Mayor Pro Tempore shall be appointed from the next sequentially numbered District after that of the Mayor’s respective numbered District. (Ex. if the Mayor is from District 1, the Mayor Pro Tempore shall be from District 2.)

A Council Member from the respective Council District that is next in line to become Mayor reserves the right to delay becoming Mayor until the next appointment process by alternating with the next in line Mayor Pro Tempore, so that the next in line Mayor becomes Mayor Pro Tempore and the next in line Mayor Pro Tempore becomes Mayor with the positions being alternated at the next appointment process.

A Council Member from the respective Council District that is next in line to become Mayor or Mayor Pro Tempore reserves the right to refuse to take the position. In the case of a Council Member who refuses to become Mayor, the Council Member next in line to become Mayor Pro Tempore shall be appointed as Mayor. In the case of a Council Member who refuses to become Mayor Pro Tempore, the Council Member next in line to become Mayor Pro Tempore shall be appointed as Mayor Pro Tempore.

The Mayor Pro Tempore shall assume the duties of Mayor during the absence or disability of the Mayor. [§ 500 Amended by voter petition initiative on 6/3/14. Measure I]

SECTION 501 POWERS AND DUTIES.

The Mayor shall be recognized as the official head of the City for all political, representative and ceremonial purposes, by the Courts for the purposes of serving civil processes, and by the Governor for military purposes. In time of public danger or emergency, the Mayor may direct the administration of the City government through the City Manager.

The Mayor shall be charged with the duty of making recommendations to the Council on all matters of policy and program which require Council decision, provided, that if the Mayor recommends any increases in the City budget, the Mayor shall recommend the method of financing such expenditures; and provided further, that if the Mayor proposes such recommendations and the reasons therefore shall be specific. The Mayor shall have the primary, but not exclusive, responsibility for interpreting the policies, programs and needs of the City government to the community. The Mayor may also inform the community on any matters of policy or program which is believed to be for the welfare of the community. It shall be the duty of the Mayor to represent the Council in its relationships with civic groups within the City, and by direction of the Council, shall represent the City in its relationships with other governmental agencies on matters of policy and program.

The Mayor shall preside at meetings of the Council and shall have a vote as a member of the Council, but shall have no power to veto any ordinance or resolution adopted by the Council.

The Mayor shall have authority to preserve order at all Council meetings and to move or cause the removal of any person from any meeting of the Council for disorderly conduct, to enforce the rules of the Council, and to determine the order of business under the rules of the Council.

The Mayor shall exercise such other powers and perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the Council, not inconsistent with this Charter.

Nothing in this Section shall be construed in any way as an infringement or limitation on the powers and duties of the City Manager as chief administrative officer and head of the administrative branch of the City government as prescribed in other sections of this Charter. The Mayor shall possess only such authority over the City Manager and the administrative branch as one member of the Council. [§ 501 Amended by voter petition initiative on 11/5/24. Measure W]

SECTION 502 SALARY.

In addition to the renumeration authorized by Section 405, the Mayor shall receive an additional 25% of that amount as compensation for services as Mayor. [§ 502 Amended by voter petition initiative on 11/5/24. Measure W]

SECTION 503 DELETED PER "GOMEZ VS. CITY OF WATSONVILLE ORDER" 1989

SECTION 504 VACANCY.

If a vacancy occurs in the office of Mayor, the Mayor Pro Tempore shall become Mayor for the completion of the unexpired term as provided in Section 500.

The provisions of Section 1770 of the Government Code of the State of California as they now exist or may hereafter be amended shall govern the events which shall cause the existence of a vacancy.

If a vacancy occurs in the office of Mayor Pro Tempore, the Council shall forthwith appoint by resolution a Council Member to fill such vacancy who shall serve for the unexpired term. Such appointment shall be made from the next sequentially numbered Council District that is in line to become Mayor Pro Tempore as defined in Section 500.

In either case of a vacancy occurring in the office of Mayor or Mayor Pro Tempore, the Council Member that fills the vacant position maintains the right to serve a full term as Mayor or Mayor Pro Tempore, if that same Council Member is in line to serve either of said positions when the regular annual appointment process date occurs as established in Section 500. [§ 504 Amended by voter petition initiative on 6/3/14. Measure I]