Sacramento appoints interim city manager following Howard Chan’s resignation

Sacramento’s city government has a new top executive: Leyne Milstein. 

The City Council on Tuesday appointed Milstein as interim city manager following Howard Chan’s resignation from that post last month. 

Interim City Manager Leyne Milstein.Courtesy City of Sacramento

Milstein has served as the city’s finance director since 2008 and has held the title of assistant city manager since November 2017. She has worked in local and state government for more than two decades, according to her biography on the city’s website. 

Mayor Kevin McCarty said at Tuesday’s meeting he has full confidence in Milstein’s ability.

“It’s important to have one individual at the helm and I have full confidence in Leyne Milstein, who I met as a young council member,” he said. “But this city is bigger than one person. It’s bigger than Leyne, it’s bigger than the mayor, it’s bigger than all of us.” 

According to Transparent California, Milstein received roughly $263,500 in base pay and nearly $356,000 in total compensation in 2023. 

The council did not disclose Milstein’s salary in her new role, but the city’s updated salary schedule states that the minimum salary for a city manager is roughly $248,500 and the maximum is roughly $400,000 — which is what Chan was receiving.  Vice Mayor Karina Talamantes noted that the council will discuss the terms and conditions of her contract during its upcoming Jan. 14 meeting. 

A city staff report said  Milstein will have the authority of a city manager “and receive all the benefits of employment to which the city manager is entitled.” It added that the salary for the position is already fully funded within the city’s budget. 

McCarty said the city is working with a search firm to find the next permanent city manager but had no update on the process. 

Jennifer Singer, a city spokesperson, detailed more about Milstein’s background. She noted Milstein has been responsible for “oversight of the financial management of the city.”  

“Prior to joining the city of Sacramento,” Singer added in an email, “Ms. Milstein worked for the state of California as director of the Information Technology and Support Management Division for the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing; as an analyst at the California Department of Finance; and as staff to the State Public Works Board.” 

Councilmember Caity Maple said the council anticipates the search for a permanent city manager to take six to eight months and called it one of the most important issues in front of the council, along with the city’s impending budget deficit. 

“It is going to be a very challenging year, more challenging than last year, and we need someone who really knows what they’re doing with the budget,” she said. “I have my utmost respect to Leyne for her 20-plus years at the city of Sacramento [and] her work with budgets and negotiations.” 

Councilmember Roger Dickinson abstained from the vote because he believed that “a different path would be superior” in filling the vacancy. However, he did not explain what that path was. 

Councilmember Mai Vang voted against appointing Milstein due to concerns that the community was not involved in the process. 

“I think it’s really important that we foster a healthy culture at City Hall with community, with working families and with our city staff, and I don’t believe that’s currently happening,” she said. “I think this is an opportunity for us to actually do a reset and I look forward to actually working with our new mayor and council to find a permanent city manager who is committed to working with us, to implement mayor and councils’ policies and directions, to ensure that we uplift all of our neighborhoods.” 

The council voted 7 to 1 with one abstention from Dickinson to appoint Milstein. It will discuss the terms and conditions for her contract during its upcoming Jan. 14 meeting.