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The finance director resignation that people in Los Banos and the wider Central Valley still talk about happened in the fall of 2024, not in 2025 or 2026. Finance Director Vanessa Portillo gave notice in September 2024, and her departure became public in October 2024 when a city councilmember mentioned it during a regular council meeting. The effects of that departure carried into 2025, when the city introduced a new finance director, and in the records available for 2026 that new director is still leading the department. In other words, the searches for a 2025 or 2026 resignation usually point back to the 2024 event and the leadership changes that followed it.
Why the Finance Director Role Matters in Los Banos
Los Banos is a general law city in Merced County, California, and it runs under a council-manager form of government. The finance director sits near the top of the city’s management team and reports to the city manager. According to the job announcement the city used when it recruited for the position, the finance director leads both the Finance and IT departments and oversees accounting, revenue, purchasing, payroll, budgeting, debt, investments, and internal controls. The advertised salary range was $157,560 to $201,180 per year, depending on experience, and the city asked for a bachelor’s degree in accounting, business administration, or a related field, with a CPA certification and local government accounting experience listed as desired qualifications.
Because this person prepares the budget and presents it to the council and the public, a sudden change in the role can raise real questions for residents about who is watching the city’s money and how steady the process is.
The Vanessa Portillo Resignation Explained
Vanessa Portillo started as finance director in May 2024. She took over from Brent Kuhn, who had served the city as a contract finance director for more than a year and who stayed on with the city after she arrived. Her time in the job turned out to be short. Local reporting says she gave notice to the city manager on September 18, 2024, and agreed to remain through October 18, 2024.
The news did not come from an official city announcement. It came out during the council meeting held on October 2, 2024, when Councilmember Deborah Lewis said she had received a phone call the night before informing her that the finance director was leaving. Lewis said she spoke up because she wanted the public to know the city was losing another top manager and because she wanted to understand why the situation had not been shared openly. Reports from that week also said the city manager reacted angrily in a closed session after the disclosure, an account that came from Lewis and was reported as an allegation. Portillo did not publicly explain her reasons for leaving, so no confirmed reason has been shared.
The Bigger Picture: Staff Turnover Under a Troubled Leadership Period
To understand why one resignation received so much attention, it helps to look at what was happening at city hall at the time. Josh Pinheiro was first hired as city manager in October 2021, dismissed by the council in June 2022, and rehired by a new council majority in January 2023. During his second period in the job, local reports described the departure of roughly half of the city’s workforce, along with the exits of several department heads, including the fire chief, police chief, public works director, and two finance directors. In October 2023, the city’s five employee groups also delivered a letter of no confidence in his leadership.
The finance department had seen turnover even before Portillo. Finance Director Sonya Williams left in July 2022 after more than twelve years with the city, and she said her reason was personal. A local newspaper analysis published in 2024 counted about 90 employees who had left the city over the previous two years, which gave residents a clear sense of how much experience was walking out the door.
Public frustration showed up at the ballot box. In November 2024, voters recalled two councilmembers, Doug Begonia Jr. and Brett Jones, and the sitting mayor, Paul Llanez, lost his race to Michael Amabile. Portillo’s resignation came to light just weeks before that election, which is one reason it was covered as a sign of deeper trouble.
What Happened After the Resignation
After Portillo left, the finance department was led on an interim basis by Brent Kuhn, who answered council questions about the city’s checkbook and investment approach in the weeks that followed. Records from March 2025 still list Kuhn as the city’s finance director when state officials sent review letters about the city’s former redevelopment obligations.
Meanwhile, the larger leadership picture changed quickly. On January 11, 2025, Pinheiro resigned effective immediately, just three days after the council held a closed session to discuss his performance. Under the contract signed by the earlier council, the city owed him a one-year payout of roughly $217,000. The new mayor said the city had to honor the contract, and Councilmember Lewis called for a full audit and financial review so residents could understand where the city stood after several years of heavy spending.
A New Finance Director Arrives in 2025
The city advertised the finance director job through a public-sector recruitment firm, Koff & Associates, and the search ended with a new hire. At the April 2, 2025 city council meeting, the city formally introduced Minerva “Minnie” Moreno as its new finance director. She was described as a longtime Central Valley resident with more than 25 years of experience in public finance, and she told the council she wanted to focus on transparency and collaboration. The mayor praised the finance team that evening and said the city was working to make departments whole again.
Los Banos Finance Department in 2026
Records from 2026 show a steadier picture for the department. At the February 18, 2026 council meeting, the finance department received recognition for its eleventh year of a Government Finance Officers Association Certificate of Achievement, and Moreno presented a mid-year budget review for the 2025–2026 fiscal year. The mayor pro tem praised how clearly the process was explained and noted that sales tax revenue was up.
During the city’s State of the City address, Moreno reported that Los Banos ended the 2024–25 year with a surplus of about $4.7 million and expected another surplus of about $4.2 million for 2026, while keeping a reserve of roughly 30 percent. In June 2026, she presented the proposed budget for the 2026–27 fiscal year at a public hearing, and the council adopted it on June 17 as a $165 million citywide plan that includes about $29.5 million in general fund revenue and a capital program of about $71 million.
The council also voted on June 17 to place a measure on the November 3, 2026 ballot asking voters whether the city treasurer should be appointed rather than elected. City staff explained during that discussion that the elected treasurer receives only a small stipend, while most bookkeeping, reconciliations, and reporting work is handled by the finance director and department staff. This shows how central the finance director’s job has become to the way the city manages public money.
Quick Timeline of Key Events
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| July 2022 | Finance Director Sonya Williams leaves after more than 12 years |
| May 2024 | Vanessa Portillo starts as finance director |
| Sept. 18, 2024 | Portillo reportedly gives notice, agreeing to stay through Oct. 18 |
| Oct. 2, 2024 | Resignation becomes public at a city council meeting |
| Nov. 2024 | Voters recall two councilmembers; Michael Amabile wins the mayor’s race |
| Jan. 11, 2025 | City Manager Josh Pinheiro resigns |
| April 2, 2025 | Minerva “Minnie” Moreno is introduced as the new finance director |
| Feb. 2026 | Finance department is recognized for its GFOA Certificate of Achievement |
| June 17, 2026 | Council adopts the 2026–27 budget and places the treasurer measure on the ballot |
Why This Story Matters for Residents
A finance director resignation might sound like an internal staffing matter, but it affects the public in practical ways. The finance director prepares the budget, helps the council understand where tax dollars are going, and keeps the city’s reporting on track. When the person in that seat changes often, projects can slow down, institutional knowledge can disappear, and trust between residents and city hall can weaken. The Los Banos story is a useful reminder that how openly a city shares leadership changes can matter almost as much as the changes themselves.
How to Check for New Updates
Because local government news can change quickly, the best way to confirm who currently leads the finance department is to look at the agendas and minutes posted on the City of Los Banos website, which list staff members who present at each meeting. Local newspapers that cover Merced County also report on council meetings and personnel changes as they happen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who resigned as finance director in Los Banos?
Vanessa Portillo resigned in the fall of 2024, a few months after she started the job in May 2024.
Why did the Los Banos finance director resign?
No official reason has been made public. Portillo did not publicly explain her decision, and the city did not issue a detailed statement at the time.
Did a Los Banos finance director resign in 2025 or 2026?
Based on the records available at the time of writing, no new finance director resignation has been reported in 2025 or 2026. The resignation tied to those years in search results is the 2024 departure, whose effects carried into 2025.
Who is the current finance director of Los Banos?
Minerva “Minnie” Moreno was introduced as finance director in April 2025 and was still presenting budget reports to the council in mid-2026.
How much does the Los Banos finance director earn?
The city’s recruitment announcement listed a salary range of $157,560 to $201,180 per year, depending on experience.
What is the city’s budget for 2026–27?
The council adopted a $165 million citywide budget on June 17, 2026, including a capital program of about $71 million and a 30 percent reserve.
Final Thoughts
The Los Banos finance director resignation was a small event on its own, yet it became a symbol of a stressful period at city hall that included staff losses, a recall election, and a change in leadership. Since then, the city has brought in new leadership, received recognition for its financial reporting, and reported budget surpluses. Residents who want to stay informed should keep an eye on council meetings, especially as the November 2026 ballot measure on the city treasurer approaches.
Disclaimer: This article is for general information only and is based on publicly available local news reports and city records available at the time of writing. Statements about reasons, motives, or private conversations come from reported accounts and have not been independently confirmed. Staffing, titles, and city finances can change at any time, so readers should check the official City of Los Banos website or contact the city directly for the most current information. This article does not provide legal, financial, or political advice.
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Stephen D. Schmitt is the founder and lead writer at Her Net Worth Journey. He created the site to make personal finance easier to understand and easier to act on, without the jargon that makes most money advice hard to follow. Stephen focuses on practical, number-driven guidance — the kind of advice a reader can apply the same day they read it. He writes about budgeting, investing, saving, and debt from a simple starting point: track the number, then make decisions that move it in the right direction. Stephen lives in Maitland, Florida, and manages Her Net Worth Journey directly, from the content to the free tools on the site.
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