🏛️ MVM Civics 101 — Mayor

What Does the Mayor Do?

The short answer

Moreno Valley’s Mayor is elected by voters across the city. The Mayor provides citywide leadership, represents the City and leads City Council meetings.

The Mayor is also one of the five voting members of the City Council.

However, Moreno Valley does not have a “strong mayor” form of government. The Mayor does not personally run City departments or manage daily City operations. That is the City Manager’s job.

How is Moreno Valley’s government organized?

Moreno Valley uses a council-manager form of government.

Residents elect:

One Mayor through a citywide election
Four Councilmembers from separate districts

Together, the Mayor and four district Councilmembers make up the five-member City Council.

The Council sets City policy and makes major decisions. It also hires and formally appoints a professional City Manager to run daily City operations and direct City departments.

What does the Mayor do?

The Mayor:

Votes on matters before the City Council
Leads Council meetings
Calls special Council meetings when needed
Represents the City at public events and before other government agencies
Serves as the City’s main representative on citywide issues
Chairs the City’s Disaster Council
Signs ordinances, resolutions, contracts and other official City documents
Coordinates the reviews of the City Manager, City Attorney and City Clerk
Nominates members of City boards and commissions, with Council approval
Helps create Council committees and recommends committee assignments, with Council approval

The Mayor may place an item on a Council agenda with the support of at least one other Councilmember.

When the Mayor is absent, the Mayor Pro Tem leads the Council meeting and performs certain mayoral duties. The City Council selects the Mayor Pro Tem each year from among the four district Councilmembers.

Does the Mayor have more power than the other Councilmembers?

The Mayor has added duties but still has only one vote on the City Council.

The Mayor cannot cast another Councilmember’s vote. The Mayor also cannot approve an item alone when Council approval is required.

Many important Council actions require at least three yes votes.

What can’t the Mayor do alone?

The Mayor cannot act alone to:

Pass a City law
Adopt the City budget
Approve most major contracts
Change the General Plan or zoning
Approve a development project when the decision belongs to the Council, Planning Commission or City staff
Hire or fire the City Manager
Direct City departments
Supervise regular City employees
Decide how another Councilmember will vote
Make most board or commission appointments without Council approval

These decisions belong to the full City Council or to another City official or board that has been given that authority.

Who runs City departments?

The City Manager—not the Mayor—runs Moreno Valley’s daily operations.

The City Council sets City policy and appoints the City Manager. The City Manager directs departments, oversees City operations and makes sure Council policies are carried out.

The Mayor or a Councilmember may ask questions, raise concerns and push for action. But elected officials generally work through the City Manager instead of giving orders directly to City employees.

Authority and influence are not the same thing

The Mayor may have a great deal of influence even when the Mayor cannot act alone.

The Mayor may:

Speak for or against a policy or project
Meet with businesses, residents and other officials
Try to persuade Councilmembers
Build support for a proposal
Use the attention given to the office to shape public discussion

That can be important political influence.

But influence is not the same as legal authority. Each Councilmember is responsible for their own vote. When Council approval is required, the decision belongs to the Council as a whole.

If the Mayor signs something, did the Mayor decide it?

Not necessarily.

The Mayor signs City laws, resolutions, contracts and other official documents as part of the job.

In many cases, the signature records or carries out a decision the City Council has already approved. Signing a document does not mean the Mayor made the decision alone.

Is Mayor a full-time City job?

No.

The Mayor and Councilmembers hold paid, part-time elected positions. They are not volunteers.

They may still spend a great deal of time preparing for meetings, helping residents and attending City and regional events. However, they are not the City’s full-time administrative staff.

As of 2026:

Each Council member, including the Mayor, receives base pay of $1,762 per month.
The Mayor receives an additional $600 per month for the added duties of the office.

The Mayor’s total City Council pay is therefore $2,362 per month.

This amount does not include authorized benefits, repayment of work-related expenses or possible pay for serving on certain regional boards.

The key point

Moreno Valley’s Mayor is elected citywide, leads City Council meetings and has one of the Council’s five votes. The Mayor has added duties and may have a great deal of political influence. However, the Mayor cannot control the City Council, run City departments or make most City decisions alone.

Next in MVM Civics 101

The Mayor is one member of Moreno Valley’s five-member City Council.

Next, we’ll explain what the City Council does as a whole, how many members must take part and why one elected official usually cannot make a City decision alone.

Read: What Does the City Council Do? →

Official sources

About MVM Civics 101

MVM Civics 101 explains how Moreno Valley local government works in plain language. It is intended to explain governmental roles and processes—not to support or oppose any candidate, official, project or political position.

This article provides general educational information based on official records and authoritative sources. It is not legal advice. Moreno Valley Matters® is not affiliated with or endorsed by the City of Moreno Valley.

If you identify a possible factual error, please send us the specific statement and an authoritative source supporting the correction. Documented errors will be corrected transparently.

Last reviewed: August 31, 2026