Who Is Aaron Busch? Lodi’s New Interim City Manager

Who Is Aaron Busch? Lodi’s New Interim City Manager Comes Out of Retirement to Steady a City in Crisis

A Vacaville veteran steps in as Lodi navigates leadership turmoil, a permanent search, and the fallout from the Carney affair

February 19, 2026 · Lodi411 / LodiEye

The City of Lodi has appointed Aaron Busch, the recently retired city manager of Vacaville, CA, as its interim city manager — the latest chapter in a leadership crisis that has consumed City Hall for nearly a year and cost taxpayers over $1 million. The City Council discussed the interim recruitment in closed session on February 11 and is expected to formalize the appointment at its February 19 meeting. Busch replaces James Lindsay, a retired Saratoga city manager who served as Acting City Manager beginning in May 2025 but was constrained by CalPERS’ 960-hour annual work cap for retired annuitants. With the permanent city manager search underway and a February 23, 2026 filing deadline, Busch is tasked with bridging Lodi to its next permanent leader while stabilizing an organization still reeling from months of turmoil.

A 37-Year Career in California Municipal Government

Aaron Busch is a Fresno State University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in geography and an emphasis in urban planning. His career arc spans nearly four decades across California cities, building deep expertise in community development, housing, economic development, and organizational management.

• City of Rancho Mirage — Six years as Assistant/Associate Planner in Community Development
• Cities of Roseville, Yuba City, and Rancho Cordova — Key leadership roles managing community development, housing, code enforcement, redevelopment, and economic development
• City of Vacaville (2017–2025) — Joined as Assistant City Manager overseeing Community Development and Parks & Recreation; promoted to City Manager in 2020; retired effective May 23, 2025

Upon his retirement, U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson placed a statement in the Congressional Record honoring Busch’s service. His wife Laura and their blended family of five children and four grandsons reside in the region.

Vacaville Tenure: Stepping Into Chaos, Leaving on a High Note

Busch’s path to Vacaville’s top job was itself forged in crisis. He was serving as Assistant City Manager in March 2020 when the Vacaville City Council unanimously terminated his predecessor, Jeremy Craig, with no public explanation. Craig departed with nearly $200,000 in severance, salary, and accrued leave. Busch stepped in as acting city manager and was subsequently appointed permanently — just as the COVID-19 pandemic arrived.

Key Accomplishments

Over five years at the helm, Busch compiled a record heavy on economic development and long-range planning:

• Biotechnology & Advanced Manufacturing Initiative — Launched a strategy that attracted nearly $68 million in private investment, anchored by Lonza, one of the world’s largest biotech manufacturing facilities
• COVID-19 Recovery — Led the distribution of over $12 million in federal ARPA funds to support community recovery
• COV Connect Community Engagement Program — Created the Vacaville Neighborhood Association and “Make a Difference Day” civic engagement initiatives
• Major Capital Projects — Advanced the Lower Lagoon Valley development, Fire Station 76, and critical public infrastructure improvements
• Master Planning — Completed the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, Centennial Park Master Plan, Housing Element, and Green Tree Specific Plan
• Police Accountability — Oversaw the OIR independent audit of the Vacaville Police Department

Challenges Under His Watch

Busch’s tenure was not without friction. Several persistent issues defined Vacaville’s political landscape during his time:

• Affordable housing shortfall — Vacaville remains significantly behind on state-mandated RHNA housing requirements, an issue that intensified in the final months of Busch’s tenure and continues to generate scrutiny
• Homelessness — Encampments strained police, fire, public works, and code enforcement, requiring regional coordination with Solano County
• Lower Lagoon Valley controversy — This long-debated development polarized residents over open space preservation, wildlife habitat, and infrastructure costs
• Downtown revitalization — Ongoing efforts to activate East Main Street with shops, eateries, and housing while preserving historic character
• Fiscal pressures — Managing Measure M local tax revenues for public safety, parks, and streets amid growing demand

Why He Left Vacaville

Busch’s departure was officially framed as a voluntary retirement after 37 years of public service, and the city gave him a warm farewell. Mayor John Carli praised his “dedication and exemplary service” and his ability to navigate “unprecedented challenges.” No reporting suggests he was pushed out.

However, Vacaville’s council had shown a willingness to abruptly sever ties with city managers — Craig’s termination in 2020 being the clearest example — and the growing political heat over housing mandates and the Lagoon Valley project created an increasingly demanding environment. Busch departed having completed several major planning milestones, a common “on a high note” exit strategy for city managers. His successor, Savita Chaudhary, previously Assistant City Manager of Fairfield, was hired through a formal recruitment.

Why Lodi Needed Busch: A Year of Leadership Turmoil

The circumstances that brought Busch to Lodi are rooted in a crisis that has consumed City Hall since April 2025 — a saga of whistleblower allegations, costly investigations, and institutional dysfunction.

The Carney Affair

On April 1, 2025, City Manager Scott Carney — who had only been on the job since June 2024 — went before the City Council with allegations that city staff were misappropriating public funds, using city credit cards for personal purchases, and that the city attorney and city clerk had edited staff reports without his approval. Mayor Cameron Bregman cut short his presentation, citing Brown Act violations for discussing non-agendized items. Eight days later, on April 9, the Council voted 3–2 to place Carney on paid administrative leave, with Councilmembers Lisa Craig-Hensley and Alan Nakanishi opposed.

Investigations, Audits, and Mounting Costs

What followed was months of escalating expense and diminishing clarity:

• Meyers Nave, the outside law firm hired to investigate, exceeded its original contract by nearly double — from $265,000 to over $600,000 — before Council retroactively approved additional funding
• The Moss Adams Internal Controls Review (June 2025) categorized the city’s Cal-Card oversight as “high-risk” and found inconsistent application of procurement policies and failure to enforce reconciliation timelines
• The LSL Audit (July 2025) cited material weaknesses in internal controls, including $1.2 million in unreconciled utility customer deposit funds that had gone unaddressed for nearly a decade
• Financial assessor Kevin Harper found no evidence of fraud but determined the utility deposit account needed full reconciliation and that many procurement card transactions were “questionable”
• Multiple Public Records Act requests for credit card statements and travel reimbursements filed in April 2025 remained unfulfilled months later

Total cost to taxpayers: Over $1 million in legal fees, Carney’s continued salary during leave, interim management expenses, and the salary share of department heads filling leadership gaps.

Removal and Aftermath

On October 6, 2025, the Council voted to begin formal removal proceedings against Carney. He was formally removed in November 2025 and subsequently filed a claim against the city — the first step toward potential litigation. In December 2025, the Council began exploring changes to the city charter governing how city managers can be removed.

The Interim Manager Treadmill

After Carney’s suspension, Christina Jaromay, Director of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services, briefly served as acting city manager before the Council hired James Lindsay, the retired Saratoga city manager, at $140 per hour for up to six months. But Lindsay’s CalPERS retired-annuitant status capped him at 960 hours annually, and by fall 2025, those hours were running thin. The city needed yet another interim — someone without the same constraints who could serve through the permanent recruitment.

Why Busch Was the Right Fit

Busch checked nearly every box Lodi’s situation demanded:

• Crisis-tested stabilizer — He stepped into the Vacaville city manager role under nearly identical circumstances in 2020, after Jeremy Craig’s abrupt termination, and successfully steadied the organization
• Recently retired and available — Having left Vacaville just nine months earlier, he could mobilize quickly without a lengthy recruitment
• Relevant expertise — Lodi’s permanent job posting calls for someone experienced in “organizational realignment,” strengthening internal systems, financial oversight, and navigating politically sensitive environments — all hallmarks of Busch’s Vacaville track record
• Geographic proximity — Vacaville is roughly 60 miles from Lodi, making the assignment practical
• Credibility signal — His appointment signals to staff, residents, and potential permanent candidates that Lodi is serious about professional governance during the transition

How Vacaville and Lodi Compare

The two cities share DNA as inland California communities wrestling with growth, housing mandates, and infrastructure needs, but they differ meaningfully in scale and economic composition.

Dimension	Vacaville	Lodi
Population	~102,000	~70,000
County	Solano	San Joaquin
Median Household Income	$108,580	$78,468
Per Capita Income	$46,988	$35,345
Poverty Rate	Lower	14.3%
Economic Base	Biotech/pharma (Lonza), advanced manufacturing	Agriculture, wine, distribution
Government Structure	7-member council + direct-elect mayor	Council-manager form
Housing Pressure	Higher cost, behind on RHNA	Median home ~$439,400, similar RHNA pressures

Vacaville vs. Lodi: Key Economic Indicators

The Cost of Lodi’s Leadership Crisis

Estimated Costs of the Carney Affair (2025)

What to Watch

• The permanent search — The filing deadline is February 23, 2026, just days away. The job posting emphasizes a leader with “steady hands” and “the courage to assess operations honestly” — language that clearly reflects lessons from the Carney episode. The previous salary was $291,200.
• Carney’s legal claim — A potential lawsuit looms over the city, adding legal exposure to the already substantial costs of the crisis.
• Internal controls remediation — The material weaknesses identified by Moss Adams and LSL remain only partially addressed. Whether Busch can accelerate the hiring of a Finance Director and implementation of new procedures will be an early test.
• Staff morale and retention — Nearly a year of leadership instability has taken a toll. Busch’s ability to restore confidence inside City Hall may be his most consequential contribution.
• Chamber and community expectations — The business community has been clear: the next leader must be empowered to challenge the status quo and professionalize city operations. Busch’s interim tenure will set the tone for whether that mandate survives the transition.

Editor’s Note: Lodi411 will continue to follow this story as the permanent city manager recruitment advances and Aaron Busch begins his interim role. For updates, visit lodi411.com.

Sources & References

1. City of Vacaville, “City Manager Aaron Busch Announces His Retirement” (Jan. 14, 2025) — cityofvacaville.gov
2. Stocktonia, “Lodi council moves to remove city manager amid audit findings” (Oct. 7, 2025) — stocktonia.org
3. Lodi411, “Lodi’s Leadership Crisis: City Moves to Remove Carney” (Oct. 7, 2025) — lodi411.com
4. CBS Sacramento, “Lodi city manager placed on leave after alleging misappropriation of funds” (Apr. 10, 2025) — cbsnews.com
5. Lodi Area Chamber of Commerce, “City Manager Update — Council Moves to Dismiss Scott Carney” (2025) — lodichamber.com
6. Yahoo News, “Another interim city manager in Lodi?” (Feb. 17, 2026) — yahoo.com
7. California City Manager Association, “City of Lodi, City Manager” job posting (Jan. 13, 2026) — cacitymanagers.org
8. U.S. Congress, “Honoring Vacaville City Manager Aaron Busch” — congress.gov
9. California City News, “Vacaville City Manager Terminated” (Apr. 2020) — californiacitynews.org
10. PublicCEO, “Trackdown Management’s Picking up the Pieces” (May 28, 2025) — publicceo.com
11. Stocktonia, “Lodi council set to vote on interim city manager” (May 5, 2025) — stocktonia.org
12. Yahoo News / Lodi News-Sentinel, “Lodi Council exploring changes to how city managers are removed” (Dec. 19, 2025) — yahoo.com
13. John Carli for Vacaville, “The Issues” (2022) — carliforvacaville.com
14. Data USA, Vacaville, CA Profile — datausa.io
15. City of Vacaville, Demographics — cityofvacaville.gov
16. National Economic Education Delegation, “Lodi, California” Report — needecon.org

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