Yuba City Mayor Dave Shaw, elected in 2018, is a U.S. Air Force veteran, tax expert and local business leader. He is known for his focus on public safety, transparency and supporting small businesses through both civic and professional work. Photo courtesy of City of Yuba City 

YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) - Since January, the City of Yuba City has seen the departure of several key department heads, prompting questions from some residents about leadership stability and the city’s direction. But according to Mayor Dave Shaw, the timing of these exits is more coincidence than crisis.

“If you want to call it the perfect storm for things to line up, we had retirements, we had moving, personnel matters, it’s just been part of the normal business cycle,” said Shaw. “A lot of our E-team all-kind of came in together and are all kind of going out about the same time, so we kind of knew it was coming and that year hit.”

Departures from city leadership include City Manager Diana Langley, Director of Public Works and Development Ben Moody, Police Chief Brian Baker, Human Resources Director Natalie Springer and Financial Director Spencer Morrison.

For some background, Shaw said that Langley had already planned to relocate to Colorado at the end of the year and stumbled upon a position in her field near where she was moving. Moody, a Sutter County native, opted to accept a city manager position in Live Oak closer to home rather than apply for the top job in Yuba City.

Several interim leaders have since stepped in to help guide the city through this transitional period.

These departures come amid broader concerns about recruitment and retention in the region. In past years, Sutter County has struggled to compete with neighboring agencies on wages and benefits, a point that drove last year’s failed Measure D tax proposal. However, Shaw said these recent resignations were less about compensation and more about personal transitions.

“This isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison,” Shaw said. “It’s more about personal career advancement or lifestyle choices.”

Shaw emphasized that the city is taking proactive steps to stay on track, despite the leadership shakeup.

“We went into this situation with a little over 300 employees, I call them team members, and it’s very important to us to maintain the 300 coming out the backside.”

The city has initiated a soft hiring freeze and Yuba City Council members are now working closely with Interim City Manager Robert Bendorf to form a plan moving forward.

Shaw also clarified that the City Council only hires two roles directly: the city manager and the city attorney. It’ll be up to the city manager to make departmental appointments, including whether to promote from within or hire externally.

“Stay tuned, because whatever our course of action is going to be, it should be forthcoming in the weeks and months ahead,” added Shaw.

Even in transition, Shaw said that there is room to be optimistic. Rather than seeing the leadership shuffle as a loss, some might view it as a new wave of opportunity with room to progress on the proverbial “corporate ladder.”

“As far as I’m concerned, the glass is always half full,” said Shaw.