All appointments and promotions in the classified service of the City shall be made according to merit and fitness, to be ascertained, so far as practicable by competitive examination. The civil service system existing on April 10, 1962, whether created or amended in whole or in part by ordinances adopted by vote of the People or by ordinances adopted by the City Council shall continue in full force and effect; provided, however, that the City Council may amend, delete or replace any provisions of said ordinances by ordinance or ordinances by a five-sevenths vote of the City Council after consideration thereof by the Civil Service Commission. The City Council shall not have the authority to withdraw any departments, appointive officers or employees from the operation of such system, either by outright repeal of the civil service ordinances or otherwise, unless and until the withdrawal thereof shall have been submitted to the qualified electors of said City at a regular or special municipal election held in said City. Nothing contained in this Section 1300 shall repeal or modify any of the provisions of Article 9 of this Charter which established the City Manager form of government. (Ratified Gen. Mun. Elec. 4/10/62, Amend. No. 3; Approved by State Legislature Concurrent Res. No. 21, 4/13/62).

Appointive officers of the City shall be a City Attorney, a City Engineer, a Street Superintendent, a Park Superintendent, a Transportation Superintendent, a Chief of Police, a Chief of the Fire Department, a Building Inspector. The City Council may also provide by ordinance for such additional appointive boards, commissions, officers, assistants, deputies and employees as it deems necessary. The Council may also provide for the holding by one (1) person of several offices, providing that such offices are not incompatible with one another.
The City Council shall have the power of appointment of all appointive officers with the exception of such deputies as it may provide for in the office of the City Clerk and City Treasurer, as to which deputies the heads of the respective departments shall have the power of appointment.

Compensation of all appointive officers and employees of the City, other than those serving gratuitously, shall be fixed or charged by the City Council. No officer or employee shall be paid by the City any fee or emolument in addition to, or save as embraced in, the salary or compensation fixed by the Council and all fees received by such officer or employee for the performance of any of his official duties shall be paid by him into the City Treasury.

All elective officers and all members of all appointive boards and commissions, excluding those composed of employees of the City of Torrance, shall be residents of the City of Torrance. (Ratified Gen. Mun. Elec. 4/11/50, Amend. No. 3; Approved by State Legislature Concurrent Res. No. 32 on 3/15/51) (Ratified Gen. Mun. Elec. 3/2/76, Amend No. 4; Filed with Sec’y of State 4/2/76)