LOS BANOS – Kenneth Lambert – the last remnant of the Los Banos city council that rehired Josh Pinheiro as city manager and sparked two years of citywide turmoil – resigned unexpectedly Wednesday.
The shocking departure left two empty seats on the dais – Lambert’s and Pinheiro’s.
Lambert’s resignation caught most by surprise. His departure was announced by Mayor Michael Amabile as he read a letter in which Lambert wrote that health issues had become his top priority.
“Ken came to my restaurant two hours before the council meeting,” said Mayor Amabile. “And I was very surprised.”
Lambert had been part of the four-member majority that had given Pinheiro a $1.8 million payment from the city’s general fund in January 2023, a contract that required a 5-0 vote to fire him and virtual free rein in dealing with city employees.
But those moves angered the overwhelming majority of city residents. In November, they voted out the other three members of the majority and barely re-elected Lambert in a close election.
On Saturday, just three days after the city council had regained full strength with five members, Pinheiro resigned his position.
While many in the city celebrated the development, it was costly. Under a contract agreed to by the previous city council, the city must pay Pinheiro a full year’s salary of around $217,000, and medical benefits for up to a year.
Lambert’s abrupt departure could also end up costing the city. City attorney Bill Vaughn told the council Wednesday night that state law requires that the majority of any city council must be elected. Since Evan Sanders and Marcus Chavez were appointed last week to fill the unexpired terms of Brett Jones and Doug Begonia Jr. – who were voted out of office in November – Lambert’s replacement will have to be elected.
Depending on when and how the election to replace Lambert is conducted, it could cost the city up to $100,000.
Regardless, many members of the public seemed relieved to see Lambert’s seat empty with so many important decisions in the city’s immediate future.
The council’s first major decision – on a 4-0 vote — was to appoint Fire Chief Paul Tualla as acting city manager.
Among those who had been watching developments closely was Greg Wellman, a former Merced County CEO and interim Los Banos city manager before Pinheiro’s rehiring in 2023.
“I’m a happy man,” said Wellman, who hired Tualla to be fire chief in 2022. “The city’s heading in the right direction.”
Asked about his upcoming goals for the city, Amabile said he intends to schedule two budget sessions that will be open to the public – a stark departure from the previous council, which formulated its budget behind closed doors. And he said a full audit would be coming soon.
