Mike Malone to step down as Vallejo city manager

VALLEJO – Vallejo City Manager Mike Malone will retire from the city government at the end of his contract in April, Malone announced in an email distributed to city employees on Thursday and obtained by the Vallejo Sun.

Malone wrote that his last day of work will be April 19. “I hope the excellent work of city staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”

Malone was previously the city’s water director and stepped into the city manager role with the departure of previous City Manager Anne Cardwell, who became the city of Napa’s finance director. Malone was appointed interim city manager in October 2021 and took the role permanently in April 2022.

Malone’s contract expires on April 18. It requires him to give six months notice that he is retiring. 

Malone came into the job amid scandals in the city’s police department and housing division. He faced persistent staffing shortage, with about a third of city jobs going unfilled during most of his tenure.

In recent months, Malone drew the ire of the city’s public employee unions after he and finance department director Rekha Nayar suggested cutting nine public safety positions to provide tax relief for Mare Island residents. 

The unions blasted Malone’s proposal in a letter and vehemently opposed a proposed 3% raise for Malone in September, months after the city council had declared a state of emergency because of low police staffing. Malone declined the raise and it was never voted on.

In his letter, Malone acknowledged the city faced many problems, but said to employees, “I am proud of how hard you have worked to turn things around in the short time I have worked with you as city manager.”