by John Glidden | glid24@protonmail.com | September 10, 2026
VALLEJO – Nearly a year after the city’s longtime finance director, Rekha Nayar, left to take a similar role with the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District, Vallejo City Hall has begun the search for a new finance director.
The new director will earn between $179,950 to $218,730 while overseeing various elements within the city’s finance department including “budgeting, treasury, accounting, collections, utility billing, management information systems, purchasing, and risk management,” according to a hiring brochure released by the executive search firm Peckham & McKenney.
The search will close on Monday, September 14.
Assistant City Manager Nalungo Conley has been serving as acting finance director while Florita Cruz continues to serve as the department’s assistant finance director. Cruz has served in her current position since 2019, according to her LinkedIn profile.
The city has faced mounting financial problems, which caused the Vallejo City Council to cut 54 staff positions, including 44 unfilled city positions, in June. The cuts were made to balance the city’s 2026-2027 fiscal year budget.
Since arriving in Vallejo in mid-May, City Manager Harry Black has permanently filled numerous top-level positions in his administration.
In July, Black appointed Lance David as the city’s permanent IT director after Vallejo’s longtime Chief Innovation Officer & IT Director Naveed Ashraf left to become the city of Fairfield’s IT director in August 2025.
Prior to that, in June, Black appointed Jonathan Goulding as the city’s permanent fire chief. Goulding’s hiring took place after the city experienced a failed recruitment to fill the position at the end of 2025.
Originally hired as interim city manager, Black was appointed Vallejo’s permanent chief executive officer in late July. Black was hired as interim city manager following the sudden resignation of Andew Murray in early April.
Late last month, the city closed its recruitment for a new economic development director.
Vallejo has been without a permanent economic development director after Michael Nimon accepted a similar position with the city of Walnut Creek in early 2025. A year after Nimon left, Brad Paul was hired as interim economic development director. Paul continues to serve as interim, although as a retired annuitant he is only allowed to work 960 hours per fiscal year, per state retirement rules. Vallejo’s fiscal year run from July 1 to June 30.
Black is also expected to fill a vacancy in one of the city’s assistant city manager positions. Longtime City Hall employee Gillian Haen left Vallejo in mid-August to accept the Chico city manager position.
Vallejo’s Public Information Officer Robert Briseño said in August that Black had not named an interim appointment for Haen’s position.
“Instead, he plans to conduct a formal hiring process in the future. City Manager Black and Assistant City Manager Conley will work together to cover the responsibilities of the role for the time being,” Briseño added.