Opinion ID: 1305042
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: The cause must be remanded for joinder of the city officers charged with the duty of computing and paying wages and salaries of city employees.

Text: As we have noted, the trial court mandated performance of the ministerial acts of computing and paying the salaries as fixed by the judgment. The court's writ, however, was directed only to the city and its councilmen; plaintiffs failed to join as additional defendants the city officials entrusted with the administrative duties of computing and paying salaries. The trial court judgment and mandate thus suffer from a procedural defect similar to that discussed by the Court of Appeal in Martin v. County of Contra Costa (1970) 8 Cal. App.3d 856 [87 Cal. Rptr. 886]. In Martin, plaintiffs sued the county and its board of supervisors to mandate payment of uniform allowances. The trial court rendered judgment only against those named defendants, and not against the county officers responsible for payment of the allowances. In remanding the cause for further proceedings, the Court of Appeal stated that The only defect in proceedings and judgment is the failure to join the proper ministerial officers of the county government. Plaintiffs should be permitted to join the proper parties.... Since the county is the real party in interest and has been represented throughout, those ministerial officers should not be permitted to assert any laches or limitations upon being joined, but should be bound by the findings made against the county and its board of supervisors which have been approved in this opinion. (8 Cal. App.3d at p. 866.) Following the reasoning of the Court of Appeal, we hold that the present judgment in favor of plaintiffs must be reversed and remanded to permit joinder of the appropriate city officials. These ministerial officers should not be permitted to assert any defense of laches or limitations, and will be bound by the findings of the trial court made against the city.