Fairfield’s City Council has moved quickly to fill its abruptly vacated top job, voting 5-1 on Tuesday night to tap former Vice Mayor Rick Vaccaro as acting mayor after Catherine “Cat” Moy’s sudden resignation earlier this month. Vaccaro, who was not at the meeting, would serve until voters choose a new mayor in the Nov. 3 election if he decides to accept the council’s nomination.
Council names acting mayor
The decision came at the council’s first gathering since Moy stepped down. According to CBS Sacramento, the 5-1 vote followed a brief stint in which Vice Mayor Pam Bertani had been carrying out the mayor’s duties while city leaders weighed their options.
Bertani cast the lone no vote and used her comments to argue that voters, not the council, should decide who wears the mayor’s sash next. “The last time they voted for mayor, they voted for Catherine Moy. We’ve got five months until an election. Let’s do the right thing, Fairfield,” she told her colleagues, per CBS Sacramento.
Mayor's abrupt exit
Moy resigned earlier this month after a lengthy dispute over whether she actually lived in Fairfield and what she described as political attacks that took a toll on her family and health. As reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, she stepped down ahead of a council session scheduled to discuss an outside investigation into her residency. In a written resignation statement, Moy said she had reached her limit. “I won’t spend another day fighting because my family and friends are much more important, as is my health,” she wrote.
What happens next
State law gives the council a tight timeline to respond when the mayor’s chair suddenly opens up. Under California Government Code § 36512, city leaders must either appoint a replacement or call a special election within 60 days of the vacancy. If no action is taken in that window, additional procedural steps kick in to set an election date.
Who is Rick Vaccaro
Vaccaro is a long-serving Fairfield councilmember and former vice mayor with roots in local education and juvenile services. According to the City of Fairfield’s official biography, he was first appointed to the council in 2008 and has previously held the vice mayor role. The city notes that he has worked as a school principal and with the Solano County Office of Education.
Why it matters for voters
The appointment helps set the tone for a high-stakes November in a city already on edge over public safety and political infighting. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Moy’s resignation followed heightened tensions after a June 3 shooting near a graduation and a bitter fight over her residency review. Those flashpoints are likely to hang over the fall mayoral race, giving Fairfield voters plenty to sort through before they cast their ballots.
