* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. HERE, COMMISSIONER [00:00:01] OONA. PRESENT RIGHT WITH THAT. UH, KAREN BALDWIN WILL, UH, FROM THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE, WILL GI UH, GIVE US THE FLAG SLATE. IF YOU'RE ABLE TO PLEASE STAND AND SALUTE OUR REPLY. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. THANK YOU. PUBLIC COMMENT. THIS IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION ON AGENDA ITEMS. DO WE HAVE ANY REQUESTS? SEEING NONE. CONSENT CALENDAR ARE ITEMS ONE THROUGH SEVEN THERE ANY REQUEST TO PULL AN ITEM FOR SEPARATE CONSIDERATION? SEEING NONE, WE HAVE A MOTION. A SECOND ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR, PLEASE. CASTRO UP. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. RIGHT. THAT GETS US TO THE REGULAR AGENDA. UH, ITEM EIGHT, UH, RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH, 2023. SEE A MOTION? NO SECOND. ANY DISCUSSION? NOT PLEASE [REGULAR AGENDA] CAST YOUR VOTE. [8. 23-25685 Recommendation to approve the minutes of the Civil Service Commission Regular Meeting on Wednesday, November 8, 2023.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] COMMISSIONER, LOVE. THANK. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. ITEM NINE, RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE NON-CAREER HOURS FOR LINDA WARREN, POLICE INVESTIGATOR. AND IF WE CAN HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. OKAY. UM, COMMUNICATION WAS RECEIVED FROM ELSA RAMOS POLICE DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATOR. STAFF REPORT IS PREPARED BY MARIA CONNO AND LEVI SINKLER WILL MAKE THE PRESENTATION THIS MORNING. [9. 23-25757 Recommendation to approve non career hours for Linda Warren, Police Investigator – NC.         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] I RIGHT. GOOD MORNING COMMISSIONERS. UM, THIS IS, UH, CHRISTINA SA CORRESPONDENCE HAS BEEN RECEIVED FROM ELSA RAMOS POLICE DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATOR REQUESTING CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION APPROVAL TO EXTEND THE NON-CAREER HOURS FOR LINDA WARREN. UM, CURRENTLY EMPLOYED AS A POLICE INVESTIGATOR NON-CAREER, UM, WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. UM, STAFF HAS REVIEWED THIS REQUEST AND RECOMMENDS APPROVAL IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE FIVE, SECTION 49 OF THE CIVIL SERVICE RULES AND REGULATIONS AND CIVIL SERVICE POLICY 2.32. UM, ARTICLE FIVE, SECTION 49 OF THE CIVIL SERVICE RULES AND REGULATIONS DOES ALLOW FOR AN APPOINTING AUTHORITY TO, UM, REQUEST AN EXTENSION OF NON-CAREER, UM, EMPLOYEES, UH, APPOINTMENT, UM, IF THE EXTENSION IS DEEMED NECESSARY IN ORDER FOR THE APPOINTING DEPARTMENT TO FUNCTION AND OR PROVIDE THAT PERMANENT APPOINTMENTS TO THOSE POSITIONS WHICH ARE IN FACT PERMANENT OR BEING PURSUED. UM, MS. LINDA WARREN WAS HIRED AS A POLICE, UH, RECRUIT ON JANUARY 18TH, 1993, AND SHE BECAME A POLICE OFFICER ON JUNE 12TH, 1993 AND GAINED, GAINED PERMANENT STATUS AS A POLICE OFFICER ON JULY 29TH, 1994. MS. WARREN LEFT THE DEPARTMENT ON MAY 14TH, 1999. ON JANUARY 29TH, 2007, SHE WAS HIRED AS A POLICE INVESTIGATOR, NON-CAREER IN THE SUPPORT BUREAU SHE'S CURRENTLY ASSIGNED. WITH THE BACKGROUND SEC, UH, BACKGROUND SECTION IN THE COMMUNITY SERVICES BUREAU. MS. WARREN IS TASKED WITH PROCESSING PRE-EMPLOYMENT BACKGROUND INVESTIGATIONS, AND SHE'S CURRENTLY WORKING ON PRE-EMPLOYMENT BACKGROUND INVESTIGATIONS FOR POLICE RECRUIT CLASS 98, UM, WHICH IS ANTICIPATED TO START IN FEBRUARY OF 2024. UH, MS. WARREN HAS WORKED 1,372 UM, HOURS AS OF OCTOBER 20TH, 2023. AND GIVEN THAT THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT STAFFING, UM, IMPACTS DUE TO CRITICAL STAFFING LEVELS IN THE POLICE, UH, OFFICER POSITION, THE EXTENSION OF MS. WARREN'S, UH, NON-CAREER HOURS WILL ALLOW HER TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE CRITICAL SUPPORT TO THE PRE-EMPLOYMENT BACKGROUND PROCESS. THE DEPARTMENT IS WORKING ON IT, UM, HIRING ADDITIONAL STAFF TO BOLSTER SUPPORT FOR THE BACKGROUND DIVISION, UM, AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT REQUESTS, UM, AN EXTENSION OF AN ADDITIONAL 259 CAREER HOURS TO CARRY, UH, MS. WARREN THROUGH HER ANNIVERSARY DATE OF JANUARY 29TH, 2024. UM, STAFF DOES RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THIS REQUEST IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE FIVE, SECTION 49, CIVIL SERVICE RULES AND REGULATIONS AND CIVIL SERVICE POLICY 2.32. AND WE DO HAVE, UM, REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE DEPARTMENT TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. UH, YOU ALL MAY HAVE. [00:05:01] THANK YOU, COMMISSIONERS. ANY QUESTIONS? I HAVE? YES, COMMISSIONER LEFT. UM, IT SAYS THAT THIS IS A NON-CAREER POSITION AND THERE'S NOT A REQUISITION IN IN PROCESS FOR THIS. AND SHE'S BEEN DOING THIS SINCE 2007. IS THAT RIGHT? ONE SECOND. SO THESE, THESE, UM, POSITION, I CAN'T SPEAK TO THAT, BUT IN GENERAL, THE PHYSICIANS IN THE BACKGROUND UNIT ARE NON-CAREER. ALL OF 'EM ARE. HOW MANY ARE THERE? I DO NOT KNOW. I DON'T KNOW IF THE DEPARTMENT HAS, WE, WE CURRENTLY HAVE A 1212, CURRENTLY HAVE 12. 12 NON-CAREER BACKGROUNDERS CURRENTLY ASSIGNED TO BACK TO OUR BACKGROUND TEAM. CAN I ASK WHY THOSE, THESE ARE NON-CAREER POSITIONS? UH, SO CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW, BASED ON THE HISTORY OF THE BACKGROUND TEAM, IT WAS, THERE WAS NO NEED TO HAVE A PERMANENT, UH, GROUP TO UNDERTAKE ALL THE BACKGROUNDS THAT WE WERE HAVING FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AS FAR AS RECRUITS AND BACK AND, UH, PROFESSIONAL STAFF. THERE WASN'T A NEED TO HAVE ANYBODY THERE PERMANENTLY ASSIGNED. UM, AND THIS IS HOW WE FILLED THAT NEED AT THE TIME. LATELY, WE'VE BEEN SEEING THAT THE NEED OF BACKGROUNDERS, ESPECIALLY IN THE PROFESSIONAL STAFF, HAVE INCREASED, AND WE ARE ALSO LOOKING INTO SEEING THAT WE NEED TO MAYBE MAKE A CRITICAL CHANGE IN MAKING THAT A PERMANENT, UH, PERMANENT POSITION INSTEAD OF NON-CAREER. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR IN THE NEXT YEAR TO AVOID HAVING TO COME UP HERE AND ASK FOR, FOR ADDITIONAL HOURS. YEAH, THAT SOUND LIKE A GOOD IDEA? YEAH, DEFINITELY MAY. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. JUST A FRIENDLY REMINDER IF, IF ANYONE'S UP AT THE PODIUM TO SPEAK INTO THE MICROPHONE, PLEASE. ALL RIGHT. ANYTHING FURTHER, UH, PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU, LEVI. RIGHT, RECOMMENDATION TO EXTEND NON-CAREER HOURS FOR STEVEN ALVAREZ. UH, JESUS REJO, UM, DAVID CHAMBERLAIN, GABRIELLE GUIRO, UH, JOHNNY MACIAS, UH, CHRISTIAN MACIAS, LAURA MALDONADO. JORGE MARTINEZ, MAURICIO MENDOZA GONZALEZ, ALLEN MORONES, UH, [10. 23-25741 Recommendation to extend non career hours for Steven Alvarez, Jesus Bautista-Araujo, David Chamberlain, Gabriel Guerrero, Johnny Macias, Kristian Macias, Laura Maldonado, Jorge Martinez, Mauricio Mendoza Gonzalez, Allen Morones, Nayeli Ramirez, John Ramos, Juan Romero, Mike Rubalcava, Alonso Sedano, Isaiah Steward, Adam Stirewalt, Luis Suarez, Water Utility Worker – NC.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] NALA, UH, RAMIREZ. JOHN RAMOS. JUAN, I'M ROMERO. UH, MIKE ROBERT ROBOTIC. ROBERT KAVA. UH, ALONSO SEDANO. UM, ISAIAH STEWART, ADAM ALD, UH, LUIS SUAREZ, WATER UTILITY WORKER, NON-CAREER. I APOLOGIZE IF I GOT ANYONE'S NAME WRONG NOW. DID WE HAVE A MOTION? AND A SECOND? ALRIGHT. OKAY. AND, UM, COMMUNICATION WAS RECEIVED, RECEIVED FROM DIANA TANG, ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER AT THE UTILITY. UM, LONG BEACH UTILITY AND LEVI WILL PRESENT THE STAFF REPORT. ALRIGHT, YES. UH, CORRESPONDENCE HAS BEEN RECEIVED FROM DIANA TANG, ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER OF THE LONG BEACH UTILITIES DEPARTMENT, REQUESTING CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION APPROVAL TO EXTEND THE NON-CAREER HOURS FOR STEVEN ALVAREZ, JESUS BATISTA ARUJO, DAVID CHAMBERLAIN, GABRIEL G**O, UM, JOHNNY MACIAS, CHRISTIAN MACIAS, LAUREN MAL MALANO MALDONADO, UM, JORGE MARTINEZ, MAURICIO MENDOZA GONZALEZ, UM, ALAN MANONE, UM, NAYELI, UM, RAMIREZ, JOHN RAMOS, JOHN ROMERO, MIKE AVA, ALONZA SEDANO, ISAIAH STEWART, ADAM DYAL, AND LUIS SUAREZ, UM, WHO ARE CURRENTLY, UH, EMPLOYED AS WATER UTILITY WORKERS, UH, IN THE NON-CAREER CAPACITY WITH THE DEPARTMENT. UM, STAFF HAS REVIEWED THIS REQUEST AND RECOMMENDS APPROVAL IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE FIVE, SECTION 49 OF CIVIL SERVICE RULES AND REGULATIONS AND CIVIL SERVICE POLICY 2.32. UM, ARTICLE 49, OR EXCUSE ME, ARTICLE FIVE, SECTION 49 DOES STATE THAT AN APPOINTING AUTHORITY, UM, CAN, UH, CAN REQUEST AN EXTENSION OF NON-CAREER EMPLOYMENT, UM, APPOINTMENT IF THE EXTENSIONS ARE DEEMED NECESSARY IN ORDER TO, UH, FOR THE APPOINTING DEPARTMENT TO FUNCTION, UM, AND OR PROVIDED, UH, PERMANENT APPOINTMENTS TO THOSE POSITIONS WHICH ARE IN FACT PERMANENT AND ARE BEING PURSUED. UM, THE EMPLOYEES, UH, WERE HIRED ON VARIOUS DATES IS OUTLINED IN THE CHART, UM, ATTACHED TO YOUR REPORT TO JOIN THE SEWER OPERATIONS, WATER CONSTRUCTION, WATER SERVICES AND WATER [00:10:01] TREATMENT DIVISIONS. UM, DAVID CHAMBERLAIN, UH, JORGE MARTINEZ AND MIKE UBA CAVA ARE CURRENTLY ASSIGNED TO THE SEWER OPERATIONS DIVISION. THEIR DUTIES ARE TO CONDUCT OPERATIONS AND, UH, MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES. UH, UNDER THE DEPARTMENT'S SEWER SYSTEM MANAGEMENT PLAN IS REQUIRED BY STATE LAW, UM, INCLUDING, UH, SEWER INSPECTIONS, CLEANING AND REPAIR. UM, EXCUSE ME. UH, JOHNNY MACIAS, JUAN ROMERO, ISAIAH STEWART ARE CURRENTLY ASSIGNED TO THE WATER CONSTRUCTION DIVISION. THEIR DUTIES ARE TO PERFORM OPERATIONS AND CONSTRUCTION MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES OF THE WATER DIVISION SYSTEM, FACILITIES, EQUIPMENT AND COMPONENTS. UH, CHRISTIAN MACIAS, NAYELI RAMIREZ AND ALONZO SANO ARE CURRENTLY ASSIGNED TO THE WATER SERVICES DIVISION, AND THEIR DUTIES ARE TO REPLACE WATER METERS, INSTALL AUTOMATIC, UH, METERING INFRASTRUCTURE AND PROGRAM METERS. UM, THESE THREE DIVISIONS CORRESPOND WITH THE WORK OF THE WATER UTILITY MECHANIC. UM, THE RECRUITMENT WAS POSTED FROM OCTOBER 13TH, UH, THROUGH OCTOBER 27TH OF THIS YEAR. UM, CURRENTLY CIVIL SERVICE STAFF IS CLOSING OUT THE WATER UTILITY MECHANIC RECRUITMENT TO ESTABLISH AN ELIGIBLE LIST, UM, WHICH IS ANTICIPATED FOR MID-DECEMBER. UM, THERE ARE CURRENTLY SIX VACANCIES WITHIN THAT CLASSIFICATION. STEVEN ALVAREZ, JESUS , GABRIEL GUERRO, UH, LAURA MALDONADO, UH, MAURICIO MENDOZA GONZALEZ, ALLEN MARONE, UH, MARONE, JOHN RAMOS, ADAM STYAL AND LUIS SUAREZ ARE CURRENTLY ASSIGNED TO THE WATER TREATMENT DIVISION. AND THEIR DUTIES IN, UH, INCLUDE TREATMENT, PLANT MAINTENANCE AND GROUNDWATER TREATMENT PLANT, OR AT THE GROUNDWATER TREATMENT PLANT, EXCUSE ME. UM, WELL SITE FACILITIES, DRINKING WATER STORAGE RESERVOIRS, AND OTHER RELATED, UM, DUTIES. UH, THE WATER TREATMENT DIVISION CORRESPONDS TO THE WORK OF THE WATER TREATMENT OPERATOR ONE THROUGH, UH, FOUR, UH, WHICH IS, UH, WAS APPROVED BY COMMISSION ON NOVEMBER 8TH, UM, OF 2023. UM, AND THERE ARE CURRENTLY SEVEN VACANCIES, UM, IN THE CLASSIFICATION. UM, THE RECRUITMENT HAS AN INITIAL FILING PERIOD OF NOVEMBER 10TH THROUGH NOVEMBER 24TH. UM, AND WE ANTICIPATE A LIST, UH, LATE DECEMBER OR EARLY JANUARY FOR THAT ONE. UM, THE INCLUDED CHART OUTLINES THE EMPLOYEE'S CURRENT HOURS, UM, EXPANDED AS OF OCTOBER 20TH, 2023. UM, AND THE REQUEST, UH, FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL, UM, GRANTING THESE ADDITIONAL HOURS TO THE NON-CAREER EMPLOYEES WILL ALLOW THIS, UH, LONG BEACH UTILITIES DEPARTMENT TO MAINTAIN CONTINUITY OF ITS WATER OPERATIONS, WHILE PROVIDING, UH, SUFFICIENT TIME TO INVITE, INTERVIEW AND ONBOARD SELECTED CANDIDATES UPON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FORTHCOMING ELIGIBLE LISTS. UM, THE EMPLOYEES HAVE BEEN INFORMED IF THIS ITEM IS ON TODAY'S AGENDA, AND WE DO HAVE A MEMBER, UH, MEMBERS FROM THE LONG BEACH UTILITIES DEPARTMENT TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU ALL MAY HAVE. THANK YOU. FURTHER QUESTIONS. SEEING NONE, PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ITEM 11, RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE REPORTS FROM CIVIL SERVICE MANAGERS. WE'LL HAVE A MOTION SECOND ON THAT. THANK YOU. SO, UM, FIRST I WILL GIVE CAPRICE MCDONALD OUR EMPLOYMENT SERVICES OFFICER, THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE UPDATES WITH YOU, . EXCUSE ME. SO, GOOD MORNING. IT FEELS LIKE IT'S BEEN QUITE A WHILE, LIKE AT LEAST A, A MONTH. OCTOBER 11TH, I THINK WAS MY LAST MANAGER REPORT. SO A LOT HAS HAPPENED SINCE THEN. UM, SINCE MY LAST REPORT STAFF ATTENDED THE NEIL GOV CONFERENCE, WHICH WAS THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 16TH THROUGH THE 20TH. AND THAT WAS, THAT WAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR STAFF TO GO OUT AND GET SOME LEARNING, UM, NETWORKING WITH OTHER INDIVIDUALS IN THE INDUSTRY. BUT MY BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FROM THE CONFERENCE WAS BEING ABLE TO ATTEND, UM, THE USER TRAININGS, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY TO HAVE AN A AS AN AGENCY TO HAVE AN IN-PERSON, ONE-ON-ONE SESSION WITH THE DEVELOPERS IN NEO GOV. AND ADDITIONALLY, STAFF WAS ABLE TO EXPLORE SOME INTEGRATIONS AMONGST THE, WITH THE TESTING COMPONENTS WITHIN NEO GOV AND LEVI SINKLER. HE'S CURRENTLY WORKING WITH CRITICAL SEEKING OPPORTUNITY TO UTILIZE AN INTEGRATION TO IMPROVE THE CITY'S PUBLIC SAFETY DISPATCHER TESTING PROCESS. SO, UM, HE'S STILL, UH, EXPLORING THAT WITH THE VENDOR. SO WE'LL SEE HOW, UH, THAT WORKS OUT. SO, UM, BILINGUAL TESTING PROJECT THE WEEK [00:15:01] OF OCTOBER 23RD, UM, STAFF IS WORKING ON IMPROVING A CITY'S BILINGUAL TESTING PROCESS. SO RECENTLY THE BILINGUAL ASSESSMENT PROCESS HAS BEEN TRANSFERRED FROM RECRUITMENT AND OUTREACH TO EMPLOYMENT SERVICES AND ASSIGNED TO SAL BARAJAS, AND SAL'S NOW THE COORDINATOR OF THE BILINGUAL ASSESSMENT PROGRAM. AND, UH, GIVEN THAT EMPLOYMENT SERVICES, UM, OUR CORE DUTY IS TEST DEVELOPMENT ASSESSING CANDIDATE SKILLS SET. SO IT MADE MORE SENSE TO CHRISTINA TO TRANSFER THAT OVER TO OUR DIVISION AND STAFF HAS BEEN TASKED WITH UTILIZING THE CAPABILITIES IN OUR NEIL GOV APPLICANT TRACKING SYSTEM TO MANAGE THE PROGRAM. SO, SAL, AS SERVING AS THE LEAD OF THIS PROJECT, HE'S WORKING PRIMARILY WITH STEPHANIE HERRERA, MARIA CONNO, AND SINKLER, UH, LEVI SINKLER TO BUILD THE PROCESS IN NEIL GOV. SO I JUST WANNA THANK STAFF AND S FOR KICKING OFF THAT PROJECT. UM, THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 30TH, MYSELF AND THREE OF OUR TEAM LEADS CONNO, HERRERA AND SINKLER. WE ATTENDED A PASSPOINT SETTING TRAINING, WHICH HOSTED BY REPAC, WHICH IS A PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION WHICH WE HOLD MEMBERSHIP. SO WE, WE EXPECT TO, YOU KNOW, SHARP, WE WANNA KEEP SHARPENING OUR, OUR SKILLSETS AND BE ABLE TO DEFEND THE WORK THAT WE DO. AND HOW WE DO THAT IS TO, UH, CONTINUE TO GO TO THE PROFESSIONAL TRAINING THAT IS, UM, HOSTED WITHIN OUR PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS WITHIN THE INDUSTRY. AND TO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON STAFF'S EXAM ACTIVITY AND THE WORKLOAD, CURRENTLY THERE ARE A TOTAL OF 81 RECRUITMENTS ASSIGNED TO STAFF. AND OF THAT NUMBER, WHICH I ACTUALLY GAVE TO YOU, UM, 28 ARE ACTIVELY OPEN FOR FILING WHILE 20 HAVE ALREADY CLOSED. AND THE SCREENING ASSESSMENT AND TESTING PROCESS HAS BEGUN. AND DURING THE LAST MONTH, INCLUDING THIS WEEK, SOME OF THE EXAMS THAT HAVE BEEN ADMINISTERED ARE PORT SECURITY SYSTEMS OPERATOR, HARBOR MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR ADMINISTERED BY SAL BARRA. I DON'T KNOW, I HAVE THE SNIFFLE, SORRY. PUBLIC AFFAIRS ASSISTANT PERSONNEL. ALISON TREE TREMOR WAS ADMINISTERED BY TARSHA MOSES, UH, LIBRARY ASSISTANT TIFFANY JAMES, SAFETY SPECIALIST, UH, LEVI SINKLER. AND THEN WE HAVE RECRUITMENTS UNDERWAY AND STILL ONGOING. DANELLE RUSSELL CONTINUES TO MANAGE OUR HARD TO FILL, UH, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. INSPECTOR RECRUITMENTS AND STEPHANIE HERRERA HAS BEGUN, HAS BEEN WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WITH THE EXAM DEVELOPMENT FOR FIRE CAPTAIN, AND NOW MOST RECENTLY, FIREBOAT PILOT. AND MARIA CONNELL HAS PROVIDED THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WITH A TIMELINE TO BEGIN THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS FOR POLICE SERGEANT, WHICH WILL BE IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY A POLICE LIEUTENANT. AND STAFF EXPECTS TO RECEIVE A READING LIST FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT BY THIS FRIDAY, WHICH IS GONNA ADD GAS AND GET THE PROCESS MOVING QUICKLY MOVING FORWARD WITH FOR POLICE SERGEANT. AND THEN LAST, I WANT TO UPDATE YOU ON SOME CHANGES IN STAFFING. OKAY. SO SINCE MY LAST REPORT TO COMMISSION EMPLOYMENT SERVICES HAD EXPERIENCED ADDITIONAL CHANGES IN OUR, UH, STAFFING LEVEL, SO OUR, MY LAST REPORT, UM, IN OCTOBER WAS WHEN I ANNOUNCED THAT NATALIE WOOD HAD PROMOTED TO AN ADMINISTRATIVE ANALYST POSITION IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WHICH, UH, CREATED OUR ADMIN AID VACANCY IN OUR DIVISION. SO THIS WEEK, UH, STAFF HAS CONDUCTED INTERVIEWS FOR THE VACANCY AND WE HOPE TO HAVE A BODY IN THE SEAT BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS ARE OVER. AND THEN LASTLY, TWO WEEKS AGO, UH, THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 31ST, ONE OF OUR DIVISION ANALYSTS, SHARON HAMILTON, ANNOUNCED HER RETIREMENT PLANS. SO AFTER 25 YEARS OF SERVICE, UH, SHARON MADE A DECISION THAT SHE WAS READY FOR WHAT HER NEXT CHAPTER WAS GOING TO OFFER HER. SO FOR ME, UH, HAVING WORKED FOR WITH HER SIDE BY SIDE, UM, OVER THE LAST 24 YEARS, IT, UM, IT'S A PERSONAL LOSS FOR ME, BUT I'LL GET OVER IT BECAUSE I'M HAPPY FOR HER. UM, AND WE ARE ALL HAPPY FOR HER. BUT ALTHOUGH WHENEVER THERE'S STAFFING TURNOVER, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO REACT QUICKLY TO BE ABLE TO, UM, MAKE SURE THAT, UM, WE'RE NOT SEVERELY IMPACTING AND ABSORB SOME OF THE ASSIGNMENTS. SO UNTIL WE HIRE ANOTHER ANALYST, UH, ASSIGNMENTS HAVE BEEN ABSORBED BY EXISTING STAFF, AND THE STAFF HAD BEEN GREAT STEPPING UP TO COVER DEPARTMENTS THAT SHE WAS ASSIGNED TO. SO DANELLE RUSSELL HAS ACQUIRED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND LEVI SINKLER ACQUIRED DISASTER PREPAREDNESS. AND IN NOW, IN ADDITION TO LEVI'S ROLE AS OUR LEAD NEO GOV ADMINISTRATOR, HE HAS TAKEN ON [00:20:01] THE USER MANAGEMENT, UM, WHICH WAS HANDLED BY SHARON. AND ONE THING I WANNA ADD, SINCE, UM, UH, HE HAS TAKEN ON, LEVI HAS TAKEN ON THE USER MANAGEMENT, HE'S BEGAN WORKING ON IMPROVEMENT PROCESS ON HOW CIVIL SERVICE RECEIVES A REQUEST FOR OUR USERS OF THE APPLICANT TRACKING SYSTEM. AND THAT'S FOR INSIGHT AND ONLINE HIRING CENTER. SO IT'S NOT THE USERS OF ALL THE OTHER PRODUCTS, BUT JUST THE ONES THAT MANAGE THE APPLICANT TRACKING SYSTEM. AND THIS NEW PROCESS WILL INVOLVE, UM, AN INTERACTIVE FORM, WHICH I ANTICIPATE WILL PROBABLY BE ROLLED OUT BY THE END OF THE MONTH, OR AT LEAST BY NEXT MONTH. AND LEVI PROVIDED US A DEMONSTRATION YESTERDAY, AND IT'S LOOKING GREAT. SO WANNA THANK YOU LEVI, FOR TAKING ON THAT PROJECT. AND THAT CONCLUDES MY UPDATE FOR THE LAST MONTH. THANK YOU. RIGHT, COMMERS? YES. THANK YOU. UM, FIRST I WOULD LIKE TO THANK CRYSTAL WHO IS NOT HERE, IF SHE'S SITTING IN AT THE DEPARTMENT HEAD MEETING FOR ME, BUT SHE SAT IN LAST AT OUR LAST MEETING LAST WEEK. I CAME UP WITH A FEVER IN THE MORNING AND I THOUGHT, I DO NOT WANNA GET EVERYBODY SICK. SO, UM, THANK YOU TO CRYSTAL AND I KNOW THAT WE CONTINUE TO HAVE, UM, OUR GROWING PAINS WITH OUR NEW SYSTEM. SO THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU. I THINK IT'S SO FAR SO GOOD SMOOTHLY THIS MORNING, UM, IN TERMS OF GIVING EVERYBODY TIME TO, TO DO EVERYTHING THAT THEY NEED TO DO. THAT'S, THAT'S A COMMAND CENTER OVER THERE IF YOU SEE IT. SO, UM, CONTINUED THANKS TO THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE AS WELL TO CONTINUE TO BE HERE WITH US. UM, AS A FOLLOW UP TO CAPRICE, UM, MENTION OF THE NEO GOV CONFERENCE, UM, THERE'S THIS GREAT PUBLICATION THAT CAME, UM, WITH THE CONFERENCE AND IT'S CALLED THE QUIET CRISIS IN 2023. I DON'T THINK THE CRISIS IS SO QUIET, . UM, BUT THERE IT WAS TALKING ABOUT, UM, THE HIRING TIME TO HIRE AND THE CHALLENGES OF HIRING. AND SO I WANTED TO BRING THIS TO YOUR ATTENTION BECAUSE AS WE KNOW, UM, WE ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES EXPERIENCING THIS. IT IS EVERYWHERE. AND SO THERE WERE A FEW GOOD POINTS THAT I'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU. I CAN ALWAYS SHARE THE REPORT WITH YOU IF YOU'RE INTERESTED. UM, BUT A FEW, A FEW POINTS I WANTED TO SHARE. UM, FIRST OFF, THEY USED 45 MILLION OF THEIR, UM, APPLICATIONS THAT THEY HAVE IN THEIR SYSTEM. SO THAT WAS THE BASIS OF THEIR ANALYSIS. UM, SO IN 2022, THERE WAS A 20% INCREASE IN JOB OPENINGS AND A 15% DECREASE IN APPLICANTS PER JOB. SO WE'VE SEEN THAT IN THE EXAM RESULTS. I THINK YOU'VE SEEN THAT THE DATA SHOWS THIS TREND TO CONTINUE INTO 2023, WHICH WE'RE ALMOST DONE WITH 2023. AND I THINK WE HAVE BEEN SEEING THAT PUBLIC SECTOR HAS MORE OPENINGS THAN EVER COUPLED WITH FEWER APPLICANTS WHO MAY NOT BE QUALIFIED. I KNOW A LOT OF TIMES A COMMISSION WILL SAY, WHY DO WE HAVE SO MANY IN THE DID NOT QUALIFY SECTION ON OUR EXAM RESULTS? AND I THINK, UH, AND WE HAVE EXPLAINED TO YOU, IT'S THE EASE OF BEING ABLE TO PRESS A BUTTON IF YOU HAVE AN APPLICANT IN NEOGA ALREADY HAVE AN APPLICATION IN NEOGA, IF YOU CAN PRESS APPLY TO ANY POSITION WITHOUT MAYBE READING THE MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS. BUT THIS WAS GOOD VALIDATION THAT WE'RE NOT THE ONLY ONES EXPERIENCING THAT. AND, AND PEOPLE ARE APPLYING FOR JOBS THAT THEY CERTAINLY AREN'T ALWAYS QUALIFIED FOR. UM, SOME OF THE CITED REASONS FOR THE OPENINGS ARE RETIREMENT, UM, AND VOLUNTARY TURNOVER. SO TODAY WAS AN EXAMPLE OF, UM, A RETIREMENT, EVEN IN OUR OWN DEPARTMENT. IT'S HAPPENING. UM, THEY HAVE A STATISTIC ABOUT THE NUMBER OF BOOMERS THAT ARE, ARE RETIRING, AND BY 2030 IT'S, IT'S GONNA CONTINUE TO GET PROGRESSIVELY CHALLENGING. UM, THE OTHER PIECE ABOUT, UM, VOLUNTARY TURNOVER IS A POST PANDEMIC, UM, EVENT WHERE PEOPLE ARE REASSESSING. AND SO THE VOLUNTARY TURNOVER MAY BE AN, A DECISION TO RETIRE WHEN YOU WEREN'T GONNA RETIRE. UM, IT MAY BE A, A WORK-LIFE BALANCE, UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY HAD TIME TO BREATHE DURING THE PANDEMIC AND GET OFF THE HAMSTER WHEEL, SO TO SPEAK. AND THEN THE REALIZATION OF, DO I REALLY WANNA DO THIS JOB? DO I REALLY WANNA TRAVEL SOMEPLACE EVEN IF I DO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HY HYBRID OR SOME, SOME, UM, JOBS AREN'T HYBRID, AND SO YOU DO HAVE TO GO IN EVERY DAY. SO THERE'S A LOT OF REASSESSMENT THAT HAS GONE ON. SO THEY'RE, THEY'RE LABELING THAT VOLUNTARY, UM, [00:25:01] TURNOVER. SO, UM, THE OTHER THING THEY, THEY THEN RESEARCH IS, WELL, WHAT DO JOB SEEKERS WANT? AND THERE WERE FIVE THINGS THAT THEY IDENTIFIED. IT WAS JOB SOURCING, SO HOW DO WE FIND OUT ABOUT THE JOBS? UM, CERTAINLY, UM, ONLINE PRESENCE, WHICH IS A, A NOD TO NEO GOV, WHICH IS A MAJOR GOVERNMENT, UM, SECTOR ACCESS POINT. UM, BUT WE ALSO HAVE, SO, AND WE'RE ON THAT AND USE THAT AND HAVE MANY OTHER ONLINE PLATFORMS THAT WE REACH OUT TO. UM, BUT WE ALSO HAVE THE BONUS OF A RECRUITMENT AND OUTREACH DIVISION THAT IS GOING OUT IN OUR, UM, COMMUNITY AND SPEAKING ONE-ON-ONE WITH PEOPLE. AND WE RECENTLY HAD A HUGE SUCCESS AT THE LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE JOB FAIR THAT YOU ALL PROBABLY SAW ADVERTISED QUITE A BIT, UM, AND STAFF, UM, WAS VERY, VERY BUSY AT THAT EVENT. SO WE HAVE THAT BONUS THAT WE'RE DOING. WE ARE SOURCING, WE'RE, WE'RE GETTING THE WORD OUT. UM, JOB APPEAL, SALARY BENEFITS, WORK-LIFE BALANCE. IT, IT'S, UM, EVERY ROLE IS DIFFERENT IN THE CITY. SO IT DEPENDS ON THE ROLE. BUT I THINK I, THE POSITIVE THING THAT I CAN SAY FOR THE CITY OF LONG BEACH IS WE DO HAVE QUITE A FEW HYBRID OPPORTUNITIES SO PEOPLE CAN WORK, UH, REMOTELY. AND SO WE'RE, I KNOW THERE ARE SOME PLACES, SOME AGENCIES THAT THAT'S NOT EVEN AN OPTION. SO WE DO HAVE THAT OPTION IN TERMS OF JOB APPEAL, DESIRED BENEFITS, WE DO HAVE GREAT BENEFITS. SO THAT'S SOMETHING WORKING IN OUR FAVOR. AND THEN THEY LISTED THE HIRING PROCESS, UM, AND HOW, HOW ARE THEY BEING COMMUNICATED WITH, HOW DO THEY HAVE ACCESS TO THE INFORMATION? AND SO THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE CAN ALWAYS CONTINUE TO LOOK AT AND, AND IMPROVE OUR PROCESSES TO SEE HOW WE'RE, UM, COMMUNICATING WITH OUR CANDIDATES. AND THEN THE FIFTH ONE WAS JOB DESCRIPTIONS. DO OUR JOB DESCRIPTIONS REALLY SAY WHAT THE JOB IS. AND I THINK THAT YOU WILL SEE THAT OUR, UM, ANALYSTS, EVERY TIME THEY'RE BRINGING A, A NEW BULLETIN TO YOU, THEY HAVE HAD DISCUSSIONS WITH THE DEPARTMENTS AND THEY'RE WORKING ON THOSE, UM, DESCRIPTIONS AND ARE THEY, DO THEY REFLECT THE CURRENT JOB? SO, UM, SOMETIMES IT TAKES A LITTLE MORE WORK TO DO THAT, BUT, UM, I THINK THIS REPORT KIND OF VALIDATES THE NEED TO DO THAT, TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO PUSH US AHEAD QUICKER THAN TO JUST PUT SOMETHING OUT THAT IS, IS NOT, UM, CURRENT OR UP TO DATE. AND SO, UM, WITH THOSE FIVE THINGS, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT, UM, THE, THE COMMISSION UNDERSTAND THAT THE DEPARTMENT, WE ARE INVESTED IN ALL OF THESE AND WE ARE LOOKING CONTINUOUSLY AT PROCESS IMPROVEMENT. I THINK YOU HEARD, UM, CAPRICE MENTION ALL THE, THE PROCESS IMPROVEMENT. AND SO JUST WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU THIS, THE REPORT, UM, REALLY VALIDATED A LOT OF THE ANECDOTES THAT WE'VE HEARD. UM, BUT WHEN THERE'S THE, THE DATA THAT THEY LOOKED AT 45 MILLION APPLICATIONS, I THINK THERE'S, THERE'S A LITTLE MORE, UM, TO JUST ANECDOTAL INFORMATION WITH THIS DATA. SO, UM, WITH THAT, UM, WE WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP YOU UP TO DATE ON PROGRESSES FOR STREAMLINING THAT WE DO AND IMPROVE PROCESSES. AND, UM, CERTAINLY THE, THE VOLUME THAT, UH, THE OUTREACH IS OUTREACH, UH, RECRUITMENT AND OUTREACH SERVICES TEAM IS DOING, I THINK, UM, ARE HELPING US LOCALLY AT LEAST, UM, IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF CANDIDATE SO THAT WE ARE MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT CIVIL SERVICE IS ABOUT HAVING EQUAL ACCESS AND FAIRNESS TO THE JOB OPPORTUNITIES THAT COME FROM THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. SO, UM, WITH THAT, UM, THAT CONCLUDES MY REPORT TODAY. THANK YOU. I SEE A QUESTION. YES. I LOVE DATA. DATA TELLS US A STORY AS THIS HAS, AND I'M GLAD THERE'S SOME INFORMATION AS TO, UH, WHAT EMPLOYEES ARE LOOKING FOR THESE DAYS. AND I, MY WILD GUESS IS THAT WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY GONNA CHANGE BACK TO THE OLD WAY OF DOING THINGS. UM, LIKE YOU SAID, WE HAD THIS, THIS GREAT RESET PERIOD OF, YOU KNOW, FOR SOME OF US UP TO THREE YEARS. AND SO THAT'S QUITE A LONG TIME TO THINK AND PONDER ABOUT WHAT LIFE WAS LIKE AND WHAT WE WOULD WANT LIFE TO BE AFTER THAT. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I LOOK AT IS THE WAY IN WHICH WE DELIVER INFORMATION. UM, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I MENTIONED AT A PREVIOUS MEETING WAS PERHAPS HAVING EMPLOYEES TALK [00:30:01] ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE AND THE ROLE, KIND OF LIKE A TESTIMONIAL, BUT NOT, NOT NECESSARILY A TESTIMONIAL, BUT WHAT THEY LIKE ABOUT THEIR JOB, HOW THEY FOUND OUT ABOUT IT, OR, YOU KNOW, JUST PUTTING THE HUMAN TOUCH TO IT. ANOTHER, UM, THING THAT CAME UP JUST AS YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE REPORT IS HOW ARE WE DELIVER DELIVERING INFORMATION IN TERMS OF THE QUALIFICATIONS? SO THAT'S A BIG ONE THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT SEVERAL TIMES OVER A VARIETY OF MEETINGS. CAN WE POTENTIALLY, OR ARE WE ALREADY DELIVERING INFORMATION TO, UH, PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYEES ABOUT WHAT ROLES ARE AVAILABLE TO THEM BASED ON THEIR EDUCATION LEVEL, UM, CERTIFICATIONS. SO IT'S LIKE, I HAVE A HIGH SCHOOL DEGREE, WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS? I HAVE AN ASSOCIATES, I HAVE A BACHELOR'S, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH. THAT WAY WE KNOW, UM, AS, AS, UH, PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYEES, WHAT, WHAT CAN I JUST GO TO VERSUS JUST CLICKING THINGS TO SEE IF I HAPPEN TO PASS? MM-HMM. ALSO, I KNOW IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR THERE'S REQUIREMENTS SOMETIMES FOR EDUCATION AND SOMEONE'S EXPERIENCE MAY OVERRIDE THAT OR FAR SUPERSEDE WHAT THE DEGREE OR THE TITLE MAY GIVE THEM. AND I KNOW WE HAVE SOME OF THAT FLEXIBILITY, BUT, AND IT'S NOT NECESSARILY A QUESTION TO ANSWER TODAY, BUT IS, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT AS WELL OF THOSE REQUIREMENTS FOR SOME OF THE POSITIONS THAT MAY BE A LITTLE BIT MORE FLEXIBLE IN TERMS OF THE EDUCATIONAL COMPONENT? THANK YOU. SURE. SO, YES, ON THE TESTIMONIALS, WE, WE HEARD THAT AND LOOKING INTO THAT AS FAR AS THE, UM, WHAT I HEAR WHAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT IS THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND THAT'S WHAT OUR CIVIL SERVICE SKILL BUILDING INSTITUTE IS ABOUT, IS ABOUT PROVIDING THAT TRAINING. SO THE FIRST CLASS WAS THE CIVIL SERVICE 1 0 1, JUST HOW DO WE EVEN APPLY? THE NEXT LEVEL IS GOES IN A LITTLE DEEPER TO, OKAY, NOW THAT YOU'RE GONNA APPLY, WHERE DO YOU APPLY? HOW DO WE HELP YOU TACKLE THOSE VARIOUS POSITIONS? SO YES, WE'RE ON THAT PATH TO PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION TO CITY EMPLOYEES ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THE CITY. SO WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT. UM, AND THEN THE, THE THIRD PIECE WITH THE, UM, SUBSTITUTION OF EXPERIENCE FOR EDUCATION, I THINK, UM, CAPRICE TEAM IS LOOKING AT THAT WITH EVERY OPENING THEY HAVE FOR THE, UH, THE SECOND PART THAT YOU SPOKE TO. UM, IT'S NOT NECESSARILY JUST TO OUR EMPLOYEES, BUT PUTTING IT OUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA, LIKE GETTING IT OUT TO THE JOB FAIRS THAT WE GO TO. UM, SO PEOPLE KNOW I, I PICK UP, YOU KNOW, THIS FLYER AT A JOB FAIR. IT'S LIKE, OH, OKAY, THIS IS WHERE I FALL IN. THIS IS A CATEGORY OF EXPERIENCE OR EDUCATION THAT I FALL INTO THAT LOOKS PRETTY INTERESTING, YOU KNOW, LET, LET ME GIVE THAT A TRY. AND ACTUALLY WE'VE DONE THAT MORE SO EXTERNALLY THAN WE HAVE INTERNALLY. SO EXTERNALLY, WE'VE ALWAYS HAD A, A, A HANDOUT WITH JOB FAMILIES SO THAT SOMEONE CAN SEE IN THIS SERIES, THIS IS WHAT I COULD DO. UM, AND THIS IS, THESE ARE THE REQUIREMENTS. SO WE'VE DONE THAT AT OUTREACH EVENTS AND SO WE CAN USE THAT SAME INFORMATION INTERNALLY, BUT YES, WE ARE DOING, WE ARE DOING THAT WHEN THEY GO TO OUTREACH EVENTS. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. MM-HMM? . YEAH. I HAVE A SIMILAR IN THAT, YOU KNOW, MAY NOT HAVE A SOLUTION FOR IT BECAUSE, OH, ACTUALLY COMMISSIONER, GO AHEAD. OKAY. UM, I THINK THIS HAPPENS TO COMMS PEOPLE A LOT, YOU KNOW, AND THIS MAY BE CHIP ON THE SHOULDER SINCE THAT'S THE FIELD I COME THROUGH, BUT YOU KNOW, YOU GET LABELED AS YOU'VE NEVER DONE PROJECT MANAGEMENT. AND, YOU KNOW, WE TALK ABOUT COMMUNICATIONS, WE'RE OFTEN RUNNING MULTIMILLION DOLLAR CAMPAIGNS THAT HAVE STAGE IMPLEMENTATION, OUTREACH EVENTS, MAJOR, UH, ACTIVITIES, BUT WE'LL GET THAT SAME, YEAH, YOU DON'T HAVE, UH, UH, PROJECT MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE OR YOU DON'T HAVE POLICY EXPERIENCE, WHEREAS WRITERS END UP WRITING A LOT OF THE POLICIES FOR, UH, WHOEVER THE POLICY POLICYMAKER IS. UM, SO ONE OF THOSE THINGS IS, IS IS THERE A WAY WE CAN CAPTURE THOSE SORT OF HIDDEN SKILLS? THOSE HIDDEN ABILITIES. LIKE MAYBE SOMEONE WOULD COME IN WHO WOULD BE VERY GOOD IN AN ANALYST POSITION, BUT MIGHT HAVE A COMMS BACKGROUND OR MIGHT HAVE A, UM, ADMIN ASSISTANT BACKGROUND, BUT THEY'VE ACTUALLY DONE A LITTLE BIT MORE OF THAT, THAT WORK. SO A LOT OF THAT IS WHAT PEOPLE PUT IN THEIR APPLICATIONS AND, AND THAT'S WHY THE TRAINING, THAT'S WHY WE REALLY FOCUS [00:35:01] ON THE TRAINING OF TELUS. UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WITH THOUSANDS OF APPLICATIONS COMING IN, WE NEED YOU TO AS CLOSELY DESCRIBE TO WHAT THE JOB DESCRIPTION IS, WHAT, HOW YOUR PARTICULAR EXPERIENCE IS. BUT I THINK OUR TEAM LOOKS AT THAT AT EVERY TIME THEY'RE SCREENING APPLICATIONS. THE ONE THING I'M VERY PROUD OF IS WE ARE NOT USING, UM, ANY TYPE OF AUTOMATION TO SCREEN. THERE'S AN INITIAL SCREEN, BUT THEN THEY ARE LOOKING AT APPLICATIONS AND THEY ARE READING EXPERIENCE. AND SO, UM, I KNOW I HAVE WORKED OTHER PLACES WHERE IT WAS AN AN, YOU KNOW, KEYWORDS AND PHRASES, AUTO CAPTURE, AND IF YOU DIDN'T HAVE ANY OF THOSE KEYWORDS OR PHRASES, THEN YOU KNOW, YOU DIDN'T GET THROUGH. AND THAT'S NOT THE CASE HERE. OUR TEAM IS LOOKING AT THOSE. SO DEFINITELY THEY, THEY CAN, UM, CONTINUE TO LOOK AT THOSE THAT, THAT SKILLSET. AND AGAIN, I WOULD ALSO, YOU KNOW, SUGGEST I, YOU KNOW, I, THAT I THINK IS PROBABLY THE SOLUTION TO THAT, THAT FIRST PART. THE OTHER ONE, YOU KNOW, THAT I ALWAYS THINK ABOUT IS EDUCATIONAL EQUIVALENCIES. UM, YOU KNOW, , AGAIN, BIG, THE COMMS DEPARTMENT, AND I DON'T HAVE A PR DEGREE, I DON'T HAVE A COMMS DEGREE. I HAVE AN ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE AND A PUBLIC ADMIN DEGREE. UM, BUT SOMETIMES, UH, THE EQUIVALENCY IS THERE, EVEN IF IT'S NOT IMMEDIATELY APPARENT. AND I THINK YOU'LL SEE IN OURS THAT IT SAYS, OR CLOSELY RELATED , WHICH IS A VERY BROAD YEAH. UM, JUDGMENT ON THE PART OF STAFF TO LOOK AT CLOSELY RELATED 'CAUSE WE UNDERSTAND THAT. YEAH. THANK YOU. SORRY, I'M JUST GONNA INTERJECT, COMMISSIONER, GO AHEAD. I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, BECAUSE I WANNA PIGGYBACK OFF, OFF OF THE, THE EDUCATIONAL COMPONENT AND NOT TO BEAT A DEAD HORSE, UH, THAT THE TRENDS THAT I'VE BEEN READING ABOUT IN EDUCATION AS WELL IS WHERE YOUNGER PEOPLE ARE WONDERING IF A COLLEGE EDUCATION IS SOMETHING THAT THEY WANT TO PURSUE FOR ECONOMIC REASONS AND OTHER REASONS. AND SO IT'S SOMETHING TO LOOK AT AS WE MOVE FORWARD THAT THE GROWING WORKFORCE POPULATION MAY LOOK VERY DIFFERENT THAN PERHAPS THE BOOMER, UM, POPULATION IN TERMS OF EDUCATIONAL DEGREES. THAT'S IT. ABSOLUTELY. WHICH IS WHY OUR, WE HAVE THAT FLEXIBILITY BECAUSE OF THE EQUITY ISSUE. UM, EVEN TODAY, NOT EVERYBODY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY, YOU KNOW, TO GO TO COLLEGE. AND SO WE SEE THAT AS EQUAL ACCESS FOR INDIVIDUALS. IF YOU'VE GOT THE WORK EXPERIENCE THAT YOU'VE PUT IN, UM, AND YOU DID NOT HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY. AND I'VE READ THE SAME THING THERE, YOU KNOW, YOUNG PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT THAT RETURN ON INVESTMENT, YOU KNOW, AM I REALLY, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THEY READ ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT ARE GETTING OUTTA SCHOOL HAVE BIG, UM, COLLEGE LOANS TO PLAY, UM, AND THEIR SALARIES AREN'T REALLY REPRESENTING WHAT IT TAKES. SO YES, WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING AT THAT, BUT, AND ALSO I WANTED TO ADD FROM THE EQUITY STANDPOINT, SO, UM, JUST KIND OF TAGGING ON ALL OF THOSE THINGS. UH, SO I'M GLAD, UH, BOTH OF MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS WENT AHEAD OF ME. UM, YOU KNOW, YOU TALK ABOUT FOLKS NOT HAVING THE SKILLSET, UH, AT TIMES AND APPLYING, UM, I LIKE TAKING A VERY PROACTIVE APPROACH. SO I'M WONDERING IF THERE'S BEEN ANY, UH, INTENTIONALITY AROUND BUILDING A RELATIONSHIP WITH LONG BEACH UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, ESPECIALLY AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL. UM, BECAUSE ADDRESSING THE, THE ISSUE OF FOLKS NOT WANTING TO, UH, OR NOT BEING ABLE TO GO INTO, YOU KNOW, A HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM, BUT STILL WANTING TO ACCESS, YOU KNOW, GOOD JOBS WITH THE CITY. UM, I'M WONDERING IF THERE'S SOME TYPE OF PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SCHOOL SYSTEM SO THAT THEY'RE AWARE MAYBE OF CERTIFICATIONS THAT, UM, HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES CAN GET THAT WOULD MAKE THEM MUCH MORE DESIRABLE CANDIDATES FOR THE JOBS THAT WE HAVE WITHOUT HAVING TO GO INTO EVEN A, A TWO YEAR PROGRAM. RIGHT. UM, SO I'M WONDERING IF, UH, WE'VE LOOKED AT THAT, UM, BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, WE CAN REALLY SUPPORT OUR YOUNG PEOPLE WITH, IS PROVIDING THEM INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT THEY NEED TO DO TO PREPARE THEMSELVES TO ACCESS GOOD JOBS THAT THE CITY OF LONG BEACH HAS FOR THEM. UM, SO I'M, I'M JUST WONDERING, CHRISTINE, IF THERE'S BEEN, I'M, I'M, YOU KNOW, I'M FAIRLY NEW TO THIS, SO I'M JUST WONDERING IF THERE HAS BEEN ANY TYPE [00:40:01] OF RELATIONSHIP WITH LONG BEACH UNIFIED, UH, REGARDING, YOU KNOW, BUILDING SOME TYPE OF CAREER PATHS FOR KIDS COMING OUTTA HIGH SCHOOL. SO WE HAVE HAD, UM, WE DO ATTEND SEVERAL JOB FAIRS THAT THE ACTUAL HIGH SCHOOL'S PUT ON, AND THAT'S WHERE WE HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT JOBS WHERE YOU DON'T NEED ANY FURTHER EDUCATION BESIDES HIGH SCHOOL. AND IT'S ALWAYS AN INTERESTING CONVERSATION TO SAY, YOU KNOW, TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK A, A CITY JOB IS. AND SO WE TALK ABOUT THOSE THINGS THAT PEOPLE ARE LIKE, OH, I DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE THAT WAS A CITY JOB. AND SO WE HAVE HAD THOSE OPPORTUNITIES WE HAVEN'T HAD. UM, AND, AND AT THE SAME TIME, WE'RE HAVING DISCUSSIONS AND DEPARTMENTS ARE HAVING DISCUSSIONS AT THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE LEVEL, UM, TO LOOK AT, UM, HELPING US TO TRAIN HARD TO, UM, GATHER INDIVIDUALS. AND SO, UM, UM, THE COMMUNICATIONS DISPATCHER IS AN EXAMPLE OF THAT WHERE IT MAY NOT, IT'S NOT A TWO YEAR, YOU KNOW, IT MAY NOT BE A TWO YEAR DEGREE, BUT THEY'RE GIVING THEM, THEY'RE LOOKING AT SOME SKILL BUILDING, UM, JUST IN THE NEED TO MULTITASK AND MANAGE A KEYBOARD AND LISTEN TO CALLS AND, YOU KNOW, TEACH THAT SKILL. UM, SO WE ARE DOING IT. WE HAVE, WE ARE DOING IT INDIVIDUALLY. WE NEED TO HAVE THE BIGGER COORDINATION AND, UH, MORE, MORE SO AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL THAT I THINK YOU'RE LOOKING AT. AND WE WILL, WE WILL LOOK INTO DOING THAT, UM, BECAUSE WE HAVE HAD SUCCESS AT THE INDIVIDUAL SCHOOLS THAT HAVE THOSE, BUT NOT EVERY SCHOOL HAS THAT. SO IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO DO BECAUSE THERE ARE PLENTY OF POSITIONS LOCALLY OR I MEAN, THAT LOCAL RESIDENTS COULD HAVE WHERE THEY DON'T NEED ANY ADDITIONAL EDUCATION. I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT THAT PIECE UP, UH, AROUND THE COMMUNITY COLLEGES. UM, I'M, I'M DOING A, A KEYNOTE AT THE QUEEN MARY ON DECEMBER 1ST FOR, UM, IT'S A SUMMIT AROUND THE RESTAURANT, HOTEL AND TOURISM INDUSTRIES. AND WHAT THEY'VE DONE, AND WE SHOULD TALK ABOUT THIS OFFLINE, OKAY. WHAT THEY'VE DONE IS THEY'VE BROUGHT TOGETHER 12 OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY COLLEGES IN AN EFFORT TO GET THEM TO SIT DOWN WITH INDUSTRY EXPERTS SO THAT THEY CAN BUILD A STANDARDIZED TRAINING PROGRAM THROUGHOUT ALL THOSE, UH, COMMUNITY COLLEGES THAT MATCH THE NEEDS THAT THE INDUSTRY IDENTIFIES. UM, SO THAT FOLKS COMING OUT OF, UH, THOSE STANDARDIZED, UH, TRAINING PROGRAMS HAVE THE SKILLSET THAT THE INDUSTRY NEEDS. UM, I ALREADY TALKED TO THE FOLKS THAT ARE RUNNING THAT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW NOT JUST THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, IT'S SEVERAL, MOST, YOU KNOW, MUNICIPALITIES ARE DEALING WITH WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH. WE'RE NOT UNIQUE IN THAT THE CITY OF LA IS ALSO DEALING WITH A HUGE SHORTAGE AND, UH, AND, AND HUGE NUMBER OF VACANCIES. UM, BUT IF THERE WAS A STANDARDIZED KIND OF TRAINING PROGRAM THAT, UM, COMMUNITY COLLEGES ALL PARTICIPATED IN THAT PREPARED PEOPLE IN A STANDARDIZED WAYS FOR THESE TYPE OF JOBS, UM, I THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE, MAYBE THERE MIGHT BE SOME VALUE IN EXPERIENCE. SO LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT OFFLINE. UM, ABSOLUTELY. BECAUSE I, I LIKE THAT APPROACH THAT THEY'RE BRINGING IS BRINGING ALL 12 OF THESE COLLEGES AND SAYING, YOU ALL SHOULD BE RUNNING THE SAME TRAINING PROGRAM BECAUSE YOU'RE ALL TRYING TO PRODUCE FOLKS THAT ARE, HAVE THE SAME SKILLSET FOR THE SAME INDUSTRY. SO JUST WANTED TO THROW THAT OUT THERE. THAT'S ALL I GOT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THAT WAS A GOOD CON CONVERSATION. IS THERE ANYTHING FURTHER? SEEING NONE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, SO PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE AND WE HAVE ACCEPTED THE REPORTS. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. RIGHT. ANNOUNCEMENTS. COMMISSIONERS, ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS? NONE. UM, I WASN'T HERE LAST MEETING, SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH. I WAS ALSO NOT HERE LAST MEETING. OKAY. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I ASSUME WE'RE GONNA HAVE A OPPORTUNITY TO CELEBRATE SHARON AT SOME POINT. [ANNOUNCEMENTS] NO, SHE RESPECT, I MEAN, SHE RESPECTIVELY LEFT QUIETLY. THAT WAS HER DECISION. THANK YOU. WELL, WE'LL HONOR THAT, BUT ALSO LET HER KNOW THAT WE SEND HER FORWARD WITH OUR GOOD, UH, WILL AND, AND BEST WISHES. YEAH. THANK YOU. I'LL PASS HEAD ON. YEAH. ALL RIGHT. ANYTHING FURTHER? [00:45:02] UH, I WOULD ASK, UH, SINCE WE DON'T HAVE NEW OR OLD BUSINESS, UM, THAT WE LOOK PERHAPS NOW THAT WE HAVE A FULL COMMISSION, UM, TO DO A SPECIAL UH, PLANNING MEETING AT SOME POINT, PERHAPS IF WE CAN ARRANGE ONE IN DECEMBER, THAT MIGHT BE A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE SOME OF THESE CONVERSATIONS. I'M SORRY, WHEN DID YOU SAY YOU WANTED TO DO THAT? POSSIBLY IN DECEMBER, BUT IF IT DOESN'T WORK IN DECEMBER, WE CAN PUSH IT OUT FURTHER. OKAY. WE'LL LOOK AT OUR CALENDARS. SOUNDS GREAT. THANK YOU. RIGHT. SEEING NOTHING FURTHER ON THAT, THAT WOULD BRING US TO PUBLIC COMMENT. THIS IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS. ARE THERE ANY REQUESTS? SEEING NONE. AND THAT WOULD, UH, PUT US TO ADJOURNMENT AT 9 48. HAVE A GREAT DAY, [PUBLIC COMMENT Opportunity to address the Civil Service Commission on non-agenda items. ] EVERYONE. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.