Milpitas Police Chief Jared Hernandez, a long-time city employee, is now acting city manager following the exit of Deanna Santana, who left the position after a dispute with a councilmember over a potential violation of the Brown Act.
“Police Chief Hernandez has dedicated his career to serving Milpitas with integrity, professionalism, and a strong sense of community,” said Mayor Carmen Montano in a statement released Wednesday “His leadership experience, collaborative approach, and lifelong connection to our City make him exceptionally well suited to guide the organization during this transition period.”
Hernandez, who was born and raised in Milpitas, has been with the city since 1991 – when he began as a volunteer for the police department at age 15 – and ascended through the ranks until he became police chief five years ago.
While city councils frequently opt for long-time government administrators to fill city manager roles, Hernandez said he was ready to take on his new role with the “same principles” as his prior role: “superior customer service, collaboration, community engagement and relationship building.” Hernandez managed about a third of the city’s employees as police chief. Even so, Hernandez acknowledged there would be “a learning curve,” but that he would draw on the expertise of city staff. “We’ve got challenges ahead, but we will work collaboratively.”
In a brief item taking two minutes, the City Council voted unanimously to approve the appointment Tuesday night.
“I look forward to serving the residents of Milpitas, just in a different capacity, and I also look forward to supporting our city staff, who do fantastic work every single day,” said Hernandez.
With the appointment, Hernandez joins a growing list of appointees who have taken on the role as chief executive of the city in recent years.
Santana’s initial decision to resign came in August after an incident involving Councilmember Evelyn Chua, who reportedly nearly violated the Brown Act – California’s open meeting law – by improperly trying to schedule a meeting of the City Council. The situation led to a disagreement between Santana and Chua, and Santana subsequently said she would resign, with her last day set for October 31. Though Santana later extended her tenure after many on city staff – including Hernandez – vouched for her publicly, Santana left her position on January 1 of this year.
Santana was brought on as interim city manager last April, after Ned Thomas resigned from the position that March following an 18-month stint with the city. His predecessor, former City Manager Steve McHarris left in 2023, and later sued the city over alleged misconduct by the current and former mayors. Before McHarris, City Manager Julie Edmonds-Mares resigned in 2019 with little explanation after less than two years in the position.
“I’m having trouble keeping track of who the city manager is because there’s so much turnover,” said Milpitas resident Rob Means at Tuesday’s meeting. “We’ve had a lot of really, really good people come through that role, but they don’t seem to stick around for long, and I have yet to hear really good reasons for why they’re moving on.”
Montano did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the transition or efforts to stabilize the city manager’s role.
Later in the meeting, the City Council took steps towards permanently filling the city manager’s role – setting a salary range of $320,000-$400,000 for the position. Assistant City Manager Matt Cano said the city hoped to have the position posted within weeks and filled in the coming months. Hernandez announced that Assistant Chief of Police Frank Morales would take over as police chief during Hernandez’s time at City Hall.
Hence then, the article about milpitas chooses police chief as acting city manager after predecessor resigns was published today ( ) and is available on mercury news ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Milpitas chooses police chief as acting city manager after predecessor resigns )
Also on site :