The City Manager form of government shall be and the same is hereby established for the City of Torrance, a municipal corporation. The office of City Manager in and for the City of Torrance is hereby established.

Within sixty days after this amendment shall have become effective, the City Council shall appoint without reference to the provisions of any civil service ordinance rule or regulation, a City Manager, who need not be a resident at the time of his appointment. Said City Manager, however, shall become a resident of Torrance within six months from the date of his appointment. The City Manager must be a citizen of the United States, not less than thirty years of age, and shall be a person of demonstrated administrative ability, with experience in responsible executive positions and he shall be chosen by the City Council solely upon the basis of his executive and administrative qualifications.
The City Manager shall be appointed for an indefinite term and shall be removable at the pleasure of the City Council but only upon the adoption of a resolution by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the members of the City Council. The City Manager, however, shall not be removed until after the expiration of six (6) months after the date of his appointment except (1) for conviction of a felony or (2) for conviction of a crime prescribed by statute applicable to municipal officials or (3) upon the passage of a resolution adopted by the unanimous vote of all City Councilmen. After the expiration of said six (6) months period, said City Manager may be removed by the City Council for either of the two reasons set forth in exceptions 1) and 2) above, and/or in the manner set forth in said exception 3) last mentioned and/or in the manner following:
At a regular meeting of the City Council, it shall adopt a Resolution of Intention to remove said City Manager, which resolution shall be approved by a majority of the members of the City Council and shall set forth the grounds for such proposed removal. A certified copy of said Resolution of Intention shall then be served personally upon said City manager who shall have the right to defend himself against said charges before said City Council at a public hearing and at a time to be fixed by it, which shall be not less than two weeks after the service of said Resolution of Intention upon said City Manager and not more than thirty (30) days thereafter.
The City Council may thereupon, or within five (5) days thereafter, enact a resolution by an affirmative vote of a majority of the members of said City Council, either discharging said City Manager or retaining him in office, as it may by such resolution determine.
Pending such hearing and by said Resolution of Intention, the City Manager may be suspended from office, but shall be entitled to his salary during the time of such suspension, if reinstated.
The salary of the City Manager shall be not less than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) per month, payable in equal semi-monthly installments. Subject to the foregoing limitations, the salary of the City Manager shall be fixed by resolution of the City Council adopted by a majority vote and salary thus fixed cannot be reduced without notice to the City Manager and an opportunity to be heard thereon at a public meeting of the City Council prior to adoption of the resolution reducing his salary.
In case of absence, suspension, or disability of the City Manager, the City Council may designate some qualified person to perform the duties of the office during his absence, suspension or disability. In case of a vacancy in the office of City Manager, the City Council shall proceed immediately to appoint a new City Manager.
The City Manager shall be entitled to vacation periods and sick leave, with pay, but in no event shall the basis of such pay be less than the basis prescribed for such compensation by the civil service ordinance of the City of Torrance for heads of municipal departments. Subject to the foregoing limitations, the City Council shall determine the extent of such periods and the compensation to be paid the City Manager during the same. Vacation periods and sick leave shall not respectively accumulate in excess of thirty (30) days.

The City Manager shall be responsible to the City Council for the proper and efficient management of all the affairs of the City placed in his charge hereby or by the City Council.

Neither the City Council nor any member thereof, shall in any manner, direct or request the City Manager to appoint or remove any person to and/or from any office or position of employment of the City. Neither the City Council nor any member thereof shall give orders or instructions publicly or privately, to any person under the jurisdiction of the City Manager. No member of the City Council shall undertake to coerce the City Manager in respect to any of his duties and/or any municipal contract, and/or in connection with the purchase of any municipal supplies.

The City Manager shall have supervision and control over all heads of departments, except the City Attorney, and elective officials of the City, and shall have the power to direct and control the administrative and executive functions of such departments and shall have power to appoint from the civil service eligible list, all heads of departments except the City Attorney, and elective officials of said City, and shall have power to prefer charges against such heads of such departments as are appointed by him in the manner prescribed by and in accordance with the provisions of any civil service ordinance of said City applicable to suspension, discipline or removal of such heads of such departments, but any decision of the Civil Service Board or the Trial Board, as the case may be, upon any such charges may be overruled by an affirmative vote of four members of the City Council.
The City Manager may recommend to the City Council, setting forth reasons therefor, the abolition, suspension or consolidation of the duties and functions of any of the heads of departments, chief officials, subordinate officers and employees of the City. The City Council may thereafter, at any time, abolish, suspend or consolidate any such duties or functions in accordance with such recommendations or as it may determine, and thereafter remove the person or persons affected from the employment of the City, whose duties are thus abolished, suspended or consolidated.

The City Manager shall be specifically charged with the performance of the following duties and shall have the following powers, in addition to those enumerated above:

a) He shall enforce all municipal ordinances, franchises, leases, contracts, permits and privileges granted by the City.

b) He shall purchase all supplies, property or equipment needed or required by the City in accordance with such regulations as the City Council shall prescribe by ordinance.

c) He shall prepare and submit to the City Council an annual budget estimate at least two (2) months prior to the date when the annual tax rate must be established, and in this connection, the City Manager shall have plenary power to demand of the various executive departments and elective officials of the City a full and complete statement of the estimated expenditures of such departments and elective officials for the ensuing fiscal year, and the reasons for such expenditures. The City Manager may include or exclude such items from said budget estimate as he may deem advisable. Should any such head of such department or elective official fail to submit such a statement within thirty days after demand, the City Manager shall thereupon have the right to take possession of all books and fiscal records of such department or elective official and retain the same thereafter until such time as the City Council shall order them returned to such department head or elective official and the City Council may likewise engage the service of such subordinate employees as may be necessary to maintain such books and records.

The City Council shall hold at least two (2) public hearings upon said annual budget estimate and may increase the total estimated expenditures set forth therein only upon an affirmative vote of four (4) members of the City Council.

d) He shall make such recommendations to the City Council or the County Board of Equalization regarding taxes, assessments and/or the annual assessment roll as he may deem advisable.

e) He shall have general supervision and control over all City property, including public buildings, parks and playgrounds.

f) He shall advise the City Council concerning the financial needs, conditions, and requirements of the City, and may make such recommendations to the City Council in connection therewith as he may deem advisable.

g) He shall attend all meetings of the City Council or of the members thereof when public matters are under consideration or discussion, except when his suspension, removal or reduction of his salary is under consideration by the City Council.

h) He may examine, without notice, the official conduct or the official accounts or records, of any officer or employee of the City.

i) The City Manager shall devote his entire time to the interests of the City and shall not engage in any private business.

j) He shall perform such other duties and powers as may be conferred upon him by the City Council by resolution or ordinance.

k) The City Manager may delegate and/or redelegate any of the foregoing duties to any municipal department or to the head or chief official of any such department. (Ratified Gen. Mun. Election 4/13/48, Amend. No. 2; Approved by State Legislature Concurrent Res. No. 8 1/6/49) (Ratified Spec. Mun. Elec. 11/5/74, Filed with Sec’y of State on 1/9/75)

All ordinances or parts of ordinances of the City of Torrance and all sections, subsections or parts of sections of this Charter, in conflict herewith, are hereby amended or repealed as the case may be.