Riverside has hired two retired public administrators to temporarily fill leadership vacancies in its Community and Economic Development Department, which is undergoing broader changes following an investigation into its former leadership.
The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to appoint Bill Gallardo and Steven A. Mendoza as interim deputy community and economic development directors. No council members discussed the appointments, and no members of the public spoke, before the unanimous vote.
Gallardo served as Brea’s city manager from July 2015 until his retirement in December 2024. He later served as San Bernardino’s interim city manager from February to July 2025, according to public affairs database LegiStorm.
Mendoza joined Santa Ana in May 2018 as executive director of its Community Development Agency and became assistant city manager in 2020. He served twice as acting city manager — from December 2018 to May 2019 and beginning again in October 2023 — according to the city of Santa Ana and public records platform Transparent California.
“It is imperative to fill the two vacancies with highly qualified individuals and candidates that can provide the necessary level of support,” Deputy Human Resources Director Mariana Gonzalez told the council.
The city is working with an executive recruitment firm to conduct a nationwide search for permanent deputy directors, a process officials expect could take several months.
Gallardo and Mendoza will each earn $128.43 an hour under contracts capped at $123,292.80, for a combined cost of up to $246,585.60 using money already budgeted for the vacant positions.
Both are retired members of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System. State law allows cities to temporarily appoint CalPERS retirees with specialized skills while recruiting permanent replacements, but generally limits them to 960 hours of work per fiscal year across all CalPERS employers.
Riverside recently used the same process to appoint retired public administrator Tom Hatch as interim city manager. Hatch began work July 31 while Riverside searches for a permanent replacement for former City Manager Mike Futrell.
Gallardo and Mendoza’s agreements run through Sept. 2, 2027, unless ended earlier. They will serve as at-will temporary employees and will not receive health insurance, paid leave, retirement contributions or most other city employee benefits.
The two deputies will report to Community and Economic Development Director Miranda Evans, who oversees the department’s several divisions.
Evans served as interim director beginning in February before being named the department’s permanent director earlier this year.
The appointments come as the department continues responding to a 14-month investigation that found former director Jennifer Lilley created a hostile workplace and retaliated against employees who complained. The investigation also found that Futrell discouraged complaints and failed to adequately address employees’ concerns.
Lilley denied the core allegations during interviews with investigators, while Futrell publicly disputed many of the report’s findings. Lilley left the city in March, and Futrell resigned in June.
Following the report’s release, city officials called for an independent assessment of the department’s staffing, workplace culture, management practices and organizational structure. Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said experienced interim leadership would be important to implementing immediate corrective actions and laying the groundwork for longer-term reforms.
