Who's your standby?
The East Bay Times looks at an issue some call a "shadow government", the practise of naming stand in/fill in officers as authorized in California Government Code:
To provide for the continuance of the legislative and executive departments of the political subdivision during a state of war emergency or a state of emergency or a local emergency the governing body thereof shall have the power to appoint the following standby officers:
(a) Three for each member of the governing body.
(b) Three for the chief executive, if he is not a member of the governing body.
In case a standby office becomes vacant because of removal, death, resignation, or other cause, the governing body shall have the power to appoint another person to fill said office.
The EB Times says "It's hard to know how many of California's 482 cities and towns do have standby elected leaders and top administrators; neither the League of California Cities nor the state Office of Emergency Services tracks this," but looks at several cities that do and do not name such fill ins.
Take a read here.