* 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. [00:00:02] OKAY. THANK YOU TO PORT FOR LETTING US USE, UH, THEIR ROOM. WE WOULD, UH, NOT HAVE ENOUGH, UH, ROOM IN OUR CONFERENCE ROOM UP IN THE FOURTH FLOOR. OTHERWISE, SO MUCH APPRECIATED. UM, WE'RE GONNA CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER. IT IS 9 0 1, AND THIS IS THE MEETING OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION FOR WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14TH, 2024. CHRISTINA, ROLL CALL, PLEASE. YES, PRESIDENT HOLLAND. FROST HOLLINS. HERE. VICE PRESIDENT GORDON PETERSON. HERE. COMMISSIONER GARA. HERE. COMMISSIONER LOVE. HERE. COMMISSIONER SUNA VICENTE. ALL RIGHT. OH, YES. UH, SO THE GRAY BUTTON. EXCELLENT. THAT BRINGS US TO THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. WE HAVE FRANCISCO DAVILA FROM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. ALRIGHT, PUT YOUR RIGHT HAND OVER YOUR HEART. READY I TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INVISIBLE WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. THANK YOU. SO THAT BRINGS US TO PUBLIC COMMENT. UM, WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO REQUEST THAT WE TAKE THE AGENDA OUT OF ORDER FOR OUR TWO SPECIAL GUESTS TODAY, UH, THE CITY MANAGER AND THE MAYOR. UM, SO WE'LL BE SEEING, UH, ITEM 18, UH, BEFORE WE REVIEW THE CONSENT TO CALENDAR. UM, YOU'RE CERTAINLY WELCOME TO, UH, OFFER PUBLIC COMMENT NOW. UM, BUT WE WILL ALSO, UM, PROVIDE OPPORTUNITY FOR ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK, UH, DURING ITEM 18 AS WELL. UM, SO ARE THERE ANY REQUESTS FOR PUBLIC COMMENT AT THIS TIME? ALL RIGHT. SEEING NONE, IF THERE IS CONSENT OF THE COMMISSION, WE WILL HEAR ITEM 18, WHICH IS A PRESENTATION, UH, FROM THE CITY MANAGER AND THE MAYOR ON RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE AN UPDATE ON PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENT FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE REFORM. AND IS THERE A MOTION I WILL MOVE MOTION BY COMMISSIONER SUNA? IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND. SECOND BY COMMISSIONER IKA. ALL RIGHT. I THINK THIS IS YOUR SHOW. YEAH. ALRIGHT, I'M UP. LET'S GET STARTED. WELL, GOOD MORNING FOLKS. THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME IN AND TALK WITH YOU. I'M REX RICHARDSON. I'M THE MAYOR OF THE CITY. HAVEN'T BEEN MAYOR FOR TOO LONG, ABOUT A YEAR, BUT IT'S BEEN A REALLY, REALLY BUSY YEAR. UM, UH, I, I'LL TELL YOU, LAST YEAR, UH, I HAD ABOUT THREE WEEKS TO PUT TOGETHER THE STATE OF THE CITY. SO I TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT I THINK, UH, WE NEED TO DO AS A CITY AND FIRST 100 DAYS AND ALL OF THAT. UH, BUT LAST MONTH I GAVE MY MY SECOND STATE OF THE CITY, WHICH IS REALLY THE FIRST BECAUSE I HAD A FULL YEAR, UH, TO LOOK AT, UH, AND EVALUATE SOME OF OUR INITIAL GOALS AS A CITY AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS ON WHAT I BELIEVE, UH, IS THE DIRECTION THAT WE SHOULD LEAD OUR CITY. UM, AT OUR FIRST STATE OF THE CITY, I TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, THE VACANCIES AT OUR FIRST CITY, STATE OF THE CITY A YEAR AGO. THE VACANCIES THAT WERE PLAGUING OUR CITY SERVICES FROM, UH, REFUSE, UH, TO OUR CITY EMPLOYEES, UH, BEING OVERWORKED AND STRESSED BECAUSE WE HAVE HAD A DIFFICULT TIME FILLING VACANT POSITIONS TO, AND I FRAMED IT AS OPPORTUNITIES. I BELIEVE IT WAS 400 VACANCIES WE TALKED ABOUT WAS THE NUMBER THAT WAS SETTLED ON. AND I FRAMED IT AS 400 OPPORTUNITIES TO CHANGE LIVES AND BRING PEOPLE INTO CITY GOVERNMENT. I'LL TELL YOU, WHEN I WAS 26, I WAS GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME IN WORK FOR THE CITY OF LONG BEACH AS CHIEF OF STAFF TO COUNCILMAN STEVE NEAL, LIFE-CHANGING OPPORTUNITY. I ORIGINALLY SAID NO, UH, BECAUSE I DIDN'T UN UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE THE VALUE OF LIVING AND WORKING YOUR OWN COMMUNITY. AND I WILL TELL YOU TODAY, IT'S ONE OF THE BEST DECISIONS I EVER MADE, UH, WAS TO LEAVE, UH, UH, THE INDUSTRY THAT I WAS IN, UH, AND SORT OF WORK IN THE COMMUNITY WHERE I BOUGHT A HOME WHEN I WAS 25 AND PUT DOWN ROOTS, RAISED MY FAMILY, HAD MY TWO DAUGHTERS AT LONG BEACH, UH, MEMORIAL, WHERE I MARRIED MY WIFE AT LONG BEACH MUSEUM OF ART, AND SPENT EVERY DAY MAKING THE CITY A A BETTER PLACE. NOW, AFTER A YEAR, UH, YOU KNOW, COMING INTO OFFICE, WE SAW, UH, THERE WAS SOME CHALLENGES WITH REFUGE AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WE COULDN'T GET THE TRASH PICKED UP ON TIME. AND IT WASN'T IN MY 100 DAY PLAN THAT I WAS GONNA SPEND SO MUCH TIME TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT, WHAT'S THE PROBLEM? WHY ISN'T THE TRASH GETTING PICKED UP IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF TOWN? UH, YOU KNOW, THERE WERE JOKES ABOUT WE ELECT OUR FIRST BLACK MAYOR, WE CAN'T GET THE TRASH PICKED UP. WELL, WE, UH, WE PLACED A BIG FOCUS ON THAT. A LOT OF GREAT WORK IN CIVIL SERVICE AND GREAT WORK IN THE DEPARTMENT, AND SPED UP HIRING AND GOT THAT, UH, GOT THAT RESOLVED. THEN WE SAW, UH, AN AMBULANCE OPERATOR FALL ASLEEP [00:05:01] AND DRIVE INTO A MEDIAN. UH, WELL, WHY DID THAT? WHAT, WHAT WAS THE CONDITIONS THERE? HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN? WELL, HE WAS OVERWORKED AND THEY WERE CONDITIONS, UH, BECAUSE THEY WERE UNDERSTAFFED, SHORT STAFFED. AND WE KEPT SEEING THESE STORIES OVER AND OVER AND OVER. AND WE, WE DID GOOD WORK. THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE YEAR, UH, CIVIL SERVICE STEPPED UP. A LOT OF FOLKS STEPPED UP TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN MEET THE MOMENT, AND WE DID. SO, COMING INTO THE SECOND STATE OF THE CITY WAS VERY CLEAR TO ME, UH, THAT WE OWED TO OUR RESIDENTS TO PLACE A REAL LASER FOCUS ON HIRING. AND I WANNA MAINTAIN OUR COMMITMENT THAT I MADE AT THE FIRST STATE OF THE CITY TO CREATE AS MANY OPPORTUNITIES AS WE CAN FOR LOCAL RESIDENTS TO HAVE, UH, THE BENEFIT OF PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT, UH, FOR PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITIES, TO GET OPPORTUNITIES TO GET JOBS THAT PROVIDE HEALTHCARE AND BENEFITS A UNION, AN OPPORTUNITY TO RETIRE A SECURE RETIREMENT. THE OPPORTUNITY TO PUT DOWN ROOTS IN SENIOR CHILDREN IN COLLEGE. UH, I BELIEVE IN THAT BECAUSE THAT'S THE OPPORTUNITY THAT WAS AFFORDED TO ME. AND I BELIEVE WE HAVE RESPONSIBILITY TO DO MORE TO EXTEND THOSE OPPORTUNITIES TO OUR RESIDENTS. SO, UH, SINCE THE STATE OF THE CITY, UH, WE'VE ASKED OUR CITY MANAGER TO PUT FORWARD A, A PROPOSAL. WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS NOW, WORKING WITH LABOR, WORKING WITH COMMISSIONS. WE'RE PRESENTING AT THREE DIFFERENT COMMISSIONS TO GET FEEDBACK. AND FROM THAT PROCESS, THAT WILL GO TO OUR CITY COUNCIL, AND OUR CITY COUNCIL WILL MAKE A DECISION ABOUT THE PROPOSAL. IT REALLY COMES DOWN TO TWO THINGS AND WHAT YOU'LL HEAR TODAY FROM THE CITY MANAGER. TWO THINGS. ONE, UH, AN EMPHASIS ON IN EXPANDING OUR PREFERENCE PROGRAM PREFERENCES ON LOCAL RESIDENTS. IF YOU, UH, WANT A CITY JOB, YOU SHOULD HAVE AN ADVANTAGE BECAUSE YOU LIVE HERE AND YOU, YOU ARE PART OF THE CITY EXPERIENCE. YOU'RE PART OF THE CITY FAMILY ALREADY. YOU GO TO OUR LOCAL INSTITUTIONS, THEN YOU'RE ALREADY IN SOME, SOME DEGREE COMMITTED. YOU, YOU'VE LEARNED IN OUR, IN OUR CITY TRAINING AND APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS. AND THEN A FOURTH, WHICH I REALLY LIKE, WHICH WAS KIND OF PRESENTED THROUGH THIS PROCESS, WHICH WAS, UH, IF YOU'RE A CURRENT, UH, TEMPORARY EMPLOYEE, NON-CAREER EMPLOYEE, IF A POSITION OPENS UP, YOU CAN GET A GET, GET, GET AN ADVANTAGE, GET A PREFERENCE FOR THAT TOO. SO, EXPANDING OUR PREFERENCES BEYOND JUST VETERANS. SO NOW WE'LL HAVE VETERANS, WE'LL HAVE PEOPLE WHO WENT TO SCHOOL HERE, PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE, PEOPLE WHO ALREADY WORK IN THE CITY, UM, UH, ADDED TO THE PREFERENCE PROGRAM. THE SECOND THING THAT IT DOES, IT TAKES OUR HIRING EFFORTS, UH, WHICH I WILL SEE, I, I SEE OVER THE COURSE OF THE PAST YEAR HAVE BEEN, HAVE BEEN REALLY GOOD. REALLY ACKNOWLEDGING THE URGENCY. IT TAKES IT AND TAKES THE NEXT STEP OF UNIFYING IT UNDER ONE SINGLE STRUCTURE, ONE VERTICAL STRUCTURE, ALL THE HIRING. UH, I'VE HEARD A LOT OF RUMORS THAT THE MAYOR'S ELIMINATING CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. UH, YOU'LL SEE IN THE PROPOSAL TODAY, NONE OF THAT IS TRUE, UH, THAT WERE, UH, ELIMINATING MERIT BASED HIRING. NONE OF THAT IS TRUE THAT WERE, UH, IS SIMILAR TO MEASURE GG FROM 19, FROM, UH, 2010. VERY FALSE, ACTUALLY. OPPOSED MEASURE GG WHEN THAT WAS PROPOSED IN 2010. SO DID MY, MY COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, STEVE NEIL, WHO I WAS THE CHIEF OF STAFF FOR, WE ACTUALLY ADVOCATED TO THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY AND THE COUNTY FEDERATION OF LATER LABOR TO OPPOSE THAT. THIS IS DIFFERENT. THIS BUILDS ON OUR STRENGTHS AND, AND, AND MODERNIZES OUR CHARTER TO BE LASER FOCUSED ON CREATING JOB OPPORTUNITIES AND PATHWAYS FOR LOCAL WORKERS. SO TODAY, UH, WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO, HERE'S, HERE'S AN EXAMPLE. IMAGINE YOU HAVE, UH, A KITCHEN CABINET, AND YOU'RE REORGANIZING IT BECAUSE YOU SEE THAT SOME OF YOUR UTENSILS ARE SPREAD ACROSS DIFFERENT DRAWERS. UH, WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE IS MAKING SURE THAT THE UTENSILS THAT YOU NEED ARE ORGANIZED IN ONE PLACE, SO THEY'RE THERE WHEN YOU NEED THEM, RIGHT? SO IMAGINE THAT WE'RE TAKING SOME OF THE GOOD WORK THAT WE'RE DOING ACROSS HR AND CIVIL SERVICE, REORGANIZING THAT KITCHEN CABINET TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE WHAT WE NEED AND IT'S MORE EFFICIENT, UH, WHEN WE NEED IT. AND SO WHAT YOU'LL HEAR TODAY IS A PRESENTATION FROM OUR CITY MANAGER, UH, TO KIND OF WALK THROUGH THE PROPOSAL. AND THEN WE BROUGHT A PANEL OF, UH, UH, SOME OF OUR CITY LEADERS TO HELP ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS FROM YOU, FOR YOU, UH, DEPARTMENT HEADS AND, AND CITY MANAGER AND OTHERS. AND SO THAT SAID, I WANNA INTRODUCE OUR CITY MANAGER TO JUMP INTO THE PRESENTATION. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MAYOR. SO WE DO HAVE A, A PRETTY LENGTHY PRESENTATION 'CAUSE WE REALLY WANNA GET INTO, UH, THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE. WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT WHAT'S IN IT. THERE'S A A LOT TO DO THAT. BUT BEFORE WE EVEN GET THERE, I WANTED TO START FIRST BY THANKING THE COMMISSION. YOU DO A LOT OF WORK ON BEHALF OF, OF THE COMMUNITY THAT YOU RESIDE IN. UH, WE HAVE, I THINK, 30 DIFFERENT COMMISSIONS. I WILL SAY CIVIL SERVICE IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF WORKLOAD. UH, WE KNOW THAT YOU'RE HERE EVERY WEDNESDAY, EVERY OTHER WEDNESDAY DOING THIS WORK AND EVERY OTHER WEDNESDAY DOING, UH, THE GOOD WORK OF THE APPEALS. AND SO I DO WANNA SAY THANK YOU. UH, YOU'RE NOT COMPENSATED NEARLY ENOUGH FOR THAT. IT IS A, A LABOR OF LOVE, UH, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE TAKE VERY, VERY SERIOUSLY. UM, I ALSO WANNA SAY THAT, UH, WE'VE BEEN LISTENING OVER THE LAST COUPLE WEEKS. UM, SO, UH, YOU'LL SEE TODAY THAT THIS IS A LONG TIME COMING. THERE'S A LOT OF ISSUES HERE WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR SEVERAL YEARS. UH, BUT WE ALSO MADE A, A PROPOSAL EARLY IN JANUARY AND BEEN USING THIS TIME TO KIND OF REFINE AND, AND HEAR INPUT. AND, UH, JUST YESTERDAY WE RELEASED THE ACTUAL CHARTER LANGUAGE, WHICH IS, UH, TAKING A LOT OF THAT INPUT. AND SO THAT'S, UH, BEEN IN YOUR PACKET AS WELL. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH OUR MEET AND CONFER PROCESS UNDER STATE LAW. WE HAVE A, UM, A DUTY AND A RE AND [00:10:01] A REQUIREMENT TO MEET WITH OUR LABOR PARTNERS. AND THAT'S THE PROCESS WE'RE GOING THROUGH RIGHT NOW. AND SO WE'RE GOING TO THE THREE DIFFERENT COMMISSIONS, UH, CONCURRENTLY AT THE SAME TIME THAT WE'RE DOING THAT LABOR, UH, REVIEW. AND SO YOU'RE HEARING ESSENTIALLY, UH, WHAT THEY ARE HEARING AS WELL IN, IN THE, IN OUR LABOR DISCUSSION. I'M NOT SURE HOW TO MAKE THIS GO FORWARD THOUGH. OH, I WAS GOING BACKWARDS. ALL RIGHT. DOWN IS UP. ALL RIGHT. I GOT IT. SO, FIRST WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH, UM, I, I WANT TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF SOME OF THE TOPICS THAT WE'LL TALK ABOUT. WE, WE WILL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE BACKGROUND AND WHY WE'RE HERE. WE'LL TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE PRIOR STUDIES, UH, WHAT OUR CURRENT STRUCTURE IS, WHAT OUR COMPARABLE AGENCIES ARE, WHAT SOME OF THE PROPOSED MODEL OR THE PROPOSED MODEL WOULD LOOK LIKE. UH, WE'LL TALK SPECIFICALLY ABOUT MERIT-BASED RECRUITMENT SYSTEM, ABOUT SOME OF THE SAFEGUARDS, OUR HIRING PREFERENCES, OUR GOALS, UH, AND OBJECTIVES AND OUR OUTCOMES. AND SO, BEFORE WE EVEN GET GOING, I WANNA START BY SAYING THAT THE HIRING IS OUR NUMBER ONE CHALLENGE. UH, AND IT HAS BEEN FOR MANY, MANY YEARS. IF YOU ASK ANYBODY, A MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBER, DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS, UH, UM, OUR HIRING MANAGERS ALL THE WAY DOWN TO OUR WORKERS ON THE STREET, HAVING THE BODIES TO DO THE JOB THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO OUR COMMUNITY IS OUR NUMBER ONE CHALLENGE. AND SO WE WANNA BE ABLE TO HIRE HIGHLY SKILLED EMPLOYEES IN A TIMELY MANNER AND DO THAT WORK THAT'S NEEDED SO DESPERATELY IN THE COMMUNITY. AND THERE'S A CHANCE TO LOOK AT ALL THE PIECES THAT WE HAVE OUT THERE THAT ARE DOING THIS WORK AND BRING THEM TOGETHER, MODERNIZE AND PRIORITIZE OUR MAYOR BASED SYSTEM, UH, AT THE SAME TIME REDUCING SOME OF THE REDUNDANCY THAT'S IN THE SYSTEM AS WELL AS BUREAUCRACY. UM, WE ARE, AS MAYOR MENTIONED, COMMITTED TO THAT TALENT, UH, PIPELINE. WE HAVE ENORMOUS TALENT IN OUR COMMUNITY, PEOPLE THAT WANT TO, UH, WORK FOR THEIR COMMUNITY. AND SO WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO CAPITALIZE THAT ON THAT PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING TO SCHOOL HERE, UH, PEOPLE WHO ARE FROM THE COMMUNITY, AND ALSO THOSE WHO ARE IN NON-CAREER EMPLOYMENT, TO BE ABLE TO GET THEM INTO CLASSIFIED EMPLOYMENT. UH, I DO BELIEVE IN MY HEART OF HEARTS, UH, THAT WE HAVE REALLY GOOD PEOPLE DOING REALLY GOOD WORK, UH, BOTH IN CIVIL SERVICE AND IN HR. AND SO THIS ISN'T ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ELIMINATING ONE AND GOING WITH THE OTHER. THIS IS ABOUT CONSOLIDATION. THIS IS ABOUT BRINGING EVERYONE TOGETHER, UH, MAKING SURE EVERYONE STAYS WITH THE CITY WHILE WE DO THIS WORK AND DOING IT MORE EFFICIENTLY. AND THEN I ALSO FIRMLY BELIEVE AS A CITY MANAGER, UH, THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE, UH, CHECKS AND BALANCES, UH, THAT THE CLASSIFIED SYSTEM IS CRITICAL, THAT THE PROTECTIONS THAT COME WITH THAT FOR OUR WORKERS ARE IMPORTANT. AND, UH, REALLY SUPPORT THE IDEA THAT IF I HAVE TO DO ONE OF THE, THE HARDEST THINGS IN MY JOB IS HAVING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE DISCIPLINARY AND, AND SOMETIMES TERMINATION. THERE SHOULD BE A PLACE THAT CITY EMPLOYEES CAN GO TO GET A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, UM, UH, UH, APPEAL OF THAT. THAT IS NOT UNDER MY, MY DIRECTION. I BELIEVE IN THAT. I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT WORK AND THAT, UH, THAT HAS WORKED FOR OUR CITY AND FOR OUR EMPLOYEES, AND THAT, THAT DUE PROCESS. AND SO, AGAIN, UM, WHAT, WHAT WE'RE HERE TO DO IS NOT ABOUT REMOVING CIVIL SERVICE. WE HEAR THAT WE ARE NOT ABOUT REMOVING MERIT BASED SYSTEM. UH, THOSE ARE ALL IN PLACE. UH, AND THEY'RE NOT FORGOTTEN. IN FACT, THEY'RE BEING STRENGTHENED AND MODERNIZED. UH, WE ARE LOOKING AT A DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE, AND I'LL GET INTO THAT. UM, WHICH REALLY ALIGNS WITH NEARLY EVERY OTHER CITY IN CALIFORNIA. UH, THERE ARE TWO THAT HAVE DIFFERENT BIFURCATED SYSTEMS. LONG BEACH IS ACTUALLY IN A CLASS BY ITSELF, BUT FOR, FOR INTENT AND PURPOSES, IT'S US IN SAN DIEGO. ALL THE OTHER MAJOR CITIES, UH, HAVE ONE HIRING SYSTEM THAT IS IN YOUR HR DEPARTMENT. UM, WE'RE LOOKING FOR THE TALENT OF, UH, PIPELINE. WE TALKED ABOUT THAT. AND THEN, UM, ALSO, UM, IMPROVING OUR SYSTEM FOR OUR CANDIDATES, OUR RESIDENTS, OUR DEPARTMENTS, UH, AND OUR CIVIL SERVICE AND HUMAN RESOURCES STAFF TO GIVE THEM BOTH THE SUPPORT THAT THEY NEED. SO SOME OF THE GOALS HAVE TALKED ABOUT THESE, BUT STREAMLINING RECRUITMENT AND HIRING, UPHOLDING, UM, CIVIL SERVICE AND MERIT SYSTEM, UH, GIVING THIS COMMISSION THE TIME TO BE ABLE TO DO THE DISCIPLINARY APPEALS, WHICH WE KNOW TAKES A LOT OF TIME. UM, BRINGING ON LOCALIZED PREFERENCES, UH, BEING ABLE TO SUPPORT OUR LOCAL INSTITUTIONS, OUR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AT CAL STATE LONG BEACH, LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE, DOMINGUEZ HILLS THAT WERE WITHIN A 10 MILE RADIUS TO GIVE SOME PRE PREFERENCE THERE, UH, TO SUPPORT, UH, OUR CURRENT NON-CAREER EMPLOYEES, UH, TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH, UH, LABOR AND OUR PARTNERS ON INTERNSHIPS AND APPRENTICE PROGRAMS, AND THEN MAINTAINING AN INDEPENDENT COMMISSION. SO, UM, THIS IS JUST MORE DETAIL ON WHERE WE'RE AT, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, OPERATIONAL, MANAGERIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE ARE KIND OF THE THREE DIFFERENT BUCKETS THAT WE LOOK AT FOR SOME OF THE GOALS. WE HAVE A, UH, VACANCY RATE OF 22%. UM, YOU KNOW, EVERY ORGANIZATION WILL HAVE A VACANCY RATE. UH, A HEALTHY RATE, IN MY OPINION, IS PROBABLY 5% OR BELOW. IN THE PAST, WE'VE NORMALLY RUN AROUND 10 TO 12 TO 13%. UH, WE'RE RUNNING OVER 20% NOW. UH, WE JUST RAN THE NUMBERS IN THE LAST WEEK. WE ARE AT 21.5%. UH, SO OVER THE PAST YEAR, WE HAVE NOT REALLY GAINED A LOT OF TRACTION, UH, IN REDUCING THAT VACANCY RATE. AND SO WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE LOOK AT EVERYTHING? AND I'M THE FIRST ONE TO SAY THAT HIRING IS EVERYBODY'S RESPONSIBILITY. UM, IT'S A DEPARTMENT RESPONSIBILITY, IT'S BUDGET, IT'S FINANCE, IT IS, UH, HUMAN RESOURCES, IT'S CITY MANAGEMENT. IT'S ALSO CIVIL SERVICE. AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT LATER TODAY. AND SO, PART OF THIS TOO IS ALSO CREATING, UM, NOT ONLY THE OPPORTUNITIES TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER, BUT ALSO ACCOUNTABILITY. I, AS YOUR CITY MANAGER, I'M ACCOUNTABLE FOR [00:15:01] THE COUNCIL, MAYOR AND COUNCIL FOR IMPLEMENTING THEIR POLICY DIRECTION, WHICH MEANS PROVIDING THOSE SERVICES. BUT IN OUR SYSTEM, I'M ONLY REALLY OVER ONE PART OF THAT ACTUAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE HIRING. UH, ABOUT 60% OF THE HIRING IS IN THE CIVIL SERVICE SIDE, AND 40% IS IN THE CI, UH, IS IN THE HR SIDE. AND SO WHAT ARE SOME OF OUR CHALLENGES? UM, UH, FIRST NATIONWIDE, WE'RE NOT ALONE. UM, WE SAW ABOUT 47 MILLION AMERICANS RESIGN THEIR POSITIONS IN FEBRUARY, OR I'M SORRY, IN 2021. UH, AND SO THIS IS CONTINUING, UH, ANOTHER 4 MILLION JUST THIS YEAR, UH, THIS MONTH HAVE, UM, HAVE, UM, UH, SIGNED UP, UM, HAS RESIGNED. UM, THERE'S 9 MILLION OPEN JOBS IN THE UNITED STATES AS OF LAST YEAR. UH, THE GREAT RESIGNATION IS WHAT IT'S BEEN TERMED IS LEFT A PROFOUND IMPACT ON OUR CITY, UH, ESPECIALLY AS PEOPLE MOVE AWAY FROM PUBLIC SERVICE. UH, THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, WERE HARD TO BE A PUBLIC SERVANT. AND SO WE'VE SEEN PEOPLE LEAVE THAT PROFESSION. UH, AND, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, EVERY ORGANIZATION, PRIVATE, NONPROFIT, AND PUBLIC ARE ALL LOOKING AT HOW DO WE HIRE FASTER AND BETTER? BECAUSE THERE'S SUCH THIS TALENT DIRT OUT THERE. SO IF WE DON'T INNOVATE, IF WE DON'T LOOK AT OUR PRACTICES AS WELL, WE ARE GOING TO BE LEFT BEHIND. AND SO WHAT IS OUR CHALLENGE? AGAIN, WE HAVE A 22, UH, PERCENT VACANCY RATE. UH, BUT THAT IS ON AVERAGE. UH, THAT MEANS SOME AREAS ARE BETTER, BUT WE'VE ALSO SEEN CERTAIN WORK GROUPS GO UP TO 40%, 50%. UH, AND, UM, WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY A, A HUGE IMPACT, NOT ONLY ON THE OPERATION, ON THE RESIDENTS, UM, BUT ALSO ON THE EMPLOYEES THEMSELVES. AND SO, AS I MENTIONED, UH, WE ARE THE, UM, IT IS US IN SAN DIEGO THAT HAVE THAT, THAT SEPARATE SYSTEM. UM, THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT EXAMPLES OF CIVIL SERVICE AND MERIT BASED SYSTEMS IN CALIFORNIA. CIVIL SERVICE IS A, A BEST PRACTICE. UH, BUT IN TERMS OF HAVING TWO SEPARATE DEPARTMENTS THAT DO THAT WORK, UH, WE ARE AN OUTLIER. UH, WE OFTEN HEAR ABOUT BUDGETS. WE KNOW WE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE DO THIS WORK WITH BUDGETS AND, AND YOU HAVE A, A BUDGET FOR YOUR STAFF. AND, AND, UH, AND SO DO DEPARTMENTS FOR HIRING AND SO DO, UM, HR. UM, AS WELL. WE DID GO BACK AND TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THE BUDGETS. UM, EVERY SINGLE, UM, BUDGET REQUEST THAT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO US, UM, WE HAVE APPROVED IN THE LAST 10 YEARS, UM, FROM CIVIL SERVICE. AND I DO WANNA SHOW YOU THE NUMBERS. UM, WE TOOK HUGE, HUGE HITS IN EARLY 2000. UH, FROM 2002 TO ABOUT 2008, WE LOST OVER 600 POSITIONS. UH, AND IN 2008, THAT IS WHEN THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL SAID, YOU KNOW, WHAT, UM, UH, OTHER APPOINTED AND ELECTED OFFICES SHOULD ALSO TAKE REDUCTIONS. AND THEY APPLIED A 10% REDUCTION, UH, WHICH DID REDUCE SOME OF THE CIVIL SERVICE STAFF SINCE 2014. WHEN WE GOT THROUGH THE GREAT RECESSION, WE HAD MORE REDUCTIONS THERE. 2014, WE LOOKED TO TRY TO INCREASE THE HIRING, UM, ESPECIALLY AS IT RELATED TO CIVIL SERVICE. WE'VE GROWN ABOUT 15% IN POSITIONS IN THE GENERAL FUND DURING THAT TIME. UH, BUT IT'S BEEN ABOUT A 50% INCREASE IN THE CIVIL SERVICE DEPARTMENT. SO LOOKING AT, AT THAT AS OUTPACING, UH, KIND OF SOME OF THE RESTORATIONS IN OTHER AREAS. UH, SO THE, THE HISTORICAL FTES, UM, WE'RE STILL LOOKING AT SOME OF THE NUMBERS THIS MORNING. UH, SO THE BUDGET BOOK SHOWS 25, I THINK. UM, UH, CHRISTINA SHOWED ME SOME NUMBERS THIS MORNING THAT SHOWED AROUND 29. HISTORICALLY, THE BUDGET SHOWS AROUND 22 WERE IN, UM, IN THE DEPARTMENT. AND, UH, THE DEPARTMENT'S BACK AT 21 TODAY. UH, BUT CERTAINLY AS WE KNOW, UM, ALL OF OUR AREAS, UM, COULD DO MORE WITH MORE STAFF. THIS IS ALSO NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT WE'VE TAKEN A LOOK AT THIS. THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS THAT WE'VE LOOKED AT IMPROVING CIVIL SERVICE HIRING OVER THE YEARS. UM, I GET A CHANCE TO MEET WITH CHRISTINA EVERY SINGLE MONTH, UH, THAT, UH, REALLY DIDN'T EXIST BEFORE THIS, UM, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. SO I DO APPRECIATE THAT WE GET A CHANCE TO TALK THROUGH CHALLENGES AND ISSUES. AND THEY'RE PRETTY FRANK CONVERSATIONS. UM, WE ALSO HAD, UM, OUR MANAGEMENT RETREATS. I BRING TOGETHER, YOU KNOW, ABOUT 350 MANAGERS WHO DO THE WORK OF HIRING AND MANAGING OPERATIONS. AND WE'VE HAD SOME TOUGH CONVERSATIONS OVER THE PAST COUPLE YEARS ABOUT WHAT HR NEEDS TO DO TO DO BETTER, UH, WHAT CIVIL SERVICE CAN DO TO IMPROVE WHAT, UM, BUDGET AND CITY MANAGER AND FINANCE. AND SO WE WILL TALK THROUGH SOME OF THOSE IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING. 'CAUSE AGAIN, THESE ARE ABOUT ALL OF OUR DIFFERENT AREAS OF HIRING, AND IT TOUCHES MANY DIFFERENT ASPECTS. UM, WE ALSO HAD A BAKER CHILI STUDY, IT WAS CALLED MANAGEMENT PARTNERS BACK IN 2007, UM, WHICH, UH, REALLY LOOKED AT THE BOTH HR AND CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEM, AND I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT IN A SECOND. AND WE'VE BEEN INVESTING, I, I AM REALLY HAPPY THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT A SECOND BAKER CHILI STUDY RIGHT NOW. UM, THAT MONEY TO DO THAT ACTUALLY CAME IN 2019. THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE, AS CITY MANAGEMENT PUT IN THE BUDGET TO SAY, GIVE CIVIL SERVICE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO DO THAT. UNFORTUNATELY, IT TOOK ABOUT FOUR YEARS, UH, TO, TO SPEND THAT MONEY. BUT WE'RE HERE NOW, AND, AND I AM, I'M, UH, SUPPORTING THAT. AND I THINK THAT IS A REALLY HEALTHY THING. AND THEN WE ALSO HAD OUR FUSE FELLOW. WE INVESTED IN A FUSE FELLOW. WE GOT TO PICK ONE AREA WHEN A FUSE FELLOW CAME IN. WHERE, AND WHERE WE WANTED TO FOCUS WAS ON HIRING. AND WE DID THAT IN 2019. WE ALSO DO, UM, UH, AND I'LL, I'LL TALK THROUGH SOME OF THE, UM, THE CHANGES IN CIVIL SER OR IN, UM, UH, HR, BECAUSE I THINK THOSE ARE IMPORTANT, EVEN THOUGH, UM, WE'RE HERE TODAY MOST TO TALK ABOUT CIVIL SERVICE. BUT I WANNA SHOW YOU WHAT, UM, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN, IN HR, BUT [00:20:01] I ALSO WANNA UNDERSCORE THE FEEDBACK THAT WE'RE GETTING. WE ENGAGED IN OUR OWN STUDY OF HR, UH, ONBOARDING AND, AND HIRING AND REQUISITIONS AND ALL THOSE DIFFERENT THINGS. AND WE REACHED OUT TO OUR HIRING EXPERTS IN 57 OF THOSE RESPONSES. UM, THEY CAME BACK REALLY NOT ABOUT THE UNCLASSIFIED, WHICH THEY DID SHARE. THEY ALSO CAME BACK ON THE CLASSIFIED SIDE. AND SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD SHARED THAT WITH CIVIL SERVICE. AND I'LL GIVE YOU A SUMMARY OF THIS. 93% OF THEM MENTIONED THE TIMELINE OF CLASSIFIED RECRUITMENT BEING A, A BOTTLENECK, FULFILLING VACANCIES WITH QUALITY CANDIDATES IN A TIMELY MANNER. SO THE DEPARTMENTS, UH, GAVE SOME EXAMPLES OF EXPERIENCE. AND THOSE RANGE FROM ANYWHERE FROM SIX MONTHS TO TWO YEARS. UH, 90% OF THE REDUCTION, OR THE RESPONSES SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED THE PROCESSES OF CLASSIFIED RECRUITMENTS, UM, WHERE THEY FEEL THAT THEY, THEY WERE OUTDATED, THAT THEY WERE REDUNDANT OR A BOTTLENECK FOR HIRING. AND SO, UM, I THINK THERE IS A CONSENSUS THAT GOOD QUALITY CANDIDATES ARE NOT GONNA WAIT SIX MONTHS FOR A JOB FOR A YEAR OR TWO YEARS. AND SO WE, UH, COLLECTIVELY ALL NEED TO DO, UH, BETTER TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. AND WE SHARED SOME OF THESE, UM, BACK IN THE DAY WITH THE, UM, OR LAST YEAR WITH CIVIL SERVICE. I DO WANNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE MANAGEMENT PARTNER STUDY. THIS WAS DONE IN 2007. UM, IT'S, THEY'RE NOW CALLED BAKER CHILI, BUT IT'S THE SAME GROUP. AND SO I ENCOURAGE YOU TO READ THAT IT'S PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, THREE TO 400 PAGES. AND OF COURSE, IT'S A LITTLE OUTDATED SINCE IT WAS 2007. BUT THE CONCEPTS ARE STILL VERY SIMILAR. THE STRUCTURE IS STILL VERY SIMILAR. IT REALLY NOTED THAT THERE WERE INEFFICIENCIES, UM, HAVING TWO SEPARATE DEPARTMENTS, THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE A CLEAR MISSION VALUE OR STANDARDIZED PRACTICES, THAT WE HAD DISCREPANCIES ON TECHNOLOGIES BETWEEN THE TWO DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS. AND THAT THERE WAS AN INEFFICIENT, UH, USE OF STAFF TIME. AND, AND ITS NUMBER ONE RECOMMENDATION AT THE TIME WAS TO LOOK AT, AT BRINGING THE TWO GROUPS TOGETHER. AND, AND THAT WAS PART OF THE REASON THAT WE LOOKED AT MEASURE GG. UM, I THINK YOU WILL SEE, AND THE MAYOR HAS TALKED ABOUT IT, MEASURE GG AND WHAT IS BEING PROPOSED HERE ARE VERY, VERY DIFFERENT. UH, THERE ARE ELEMENTS THAT ARE THE SAME. MOST OF IT IS VERY DIFFERENT. IT DIDN'T TALK ABOUT HIGHER, IT DIDN'T TALK ABOUT, UM, UH, PREFERENCES. IT WAS A COST SAVING MEASURE. IT LOOKED TO REDUCE, UM, UH, SAVINGS BY ABOUT $400,000. WE HAVE NO COST SAVING TARGET. IN FACT, WE WANNA KEEP EVERYBODY DOING THOSE, UH, DOING THE WORK. AND THERE'S A NUMBER OF OTHER CHANGES AS WELL. AND, AND THE COMMISSION POWERS, UH, WEREN'T, WEREN'T SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED EITHER. SO, UM, OOPS. WE DO OPERATE A DUAL SYSTEM. SO, UH, ABOUT 60% OF THE, OF THE, UM, POSITIONS ARE IN THE CIVIL SERVICE DEPARTMENT, UH, UNDER CIVIL SERVICE LEADERSHIP. AND, AND THEN HUMAN RESOURCES DOES MANAGEMENT, INTERNS AND NON CAREERS. UH, SOME OF THE DUPLICITY, UH, DUPLICATIVE EFFORTS WE TALK ABOUT ARE APPROVAL PROCESSES, REVIEW OF PERSONNEL TRANSACTIONS, DEVELOPMENT OF JOB BULLETINS, CLASSIFICATIONS, SPECS, AND SALARY STUDIES. UH, MARKETING OF JOBS SOMETIMES LEADS TO CONFUSION. I THINK OUR TEAMS, WE GOT TO TALK TO THE EMPLOYEES ARE DOING A BETTER JOB NOW OF, UM, WHEN WE HAVE A BOOTH, WE ACTUALLY SIT TOGETHER. BUT THERE ARE TIMES WHERE WE HAVE A BOOTH FOR HUMAN RESOURCES AND A BOOTH FOR CIVIL SERVICE AND EMPLOYEE, AND, AND PEOPLE DON'T QUITE UNDERSTAND WHY. THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT AREAS. WE HAVE TWO DIFFERENT FACEBOOK PAGES. WE HAVE TWO DIFFERENT WEBSITES. UH, UM, SO BEING ABLE TO BRING ALL THAT TOGETHER, I THINK HAS A HUGE AMOUNT OF BENEFIT. UH, THE COMMISSION ALSO, UM, DOES A LOT OF WORK. UH, BUT YOU'RE ALSO HANDLING ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS THAT IN JUST ABOUT EVERY OTHER CITY, ARE DONE AT THE HUMAN RESOURCES LEVEL. SO THINGS LIKE EXAMINATION AND CERTIFICATION OF CLASSIFIED SERVICE, DEVELOPMENT OF JOB BULLETINS, UM, EXTENDING NON-CAREER HOURS, MAINTENANCE OF ELIGIBLE LISTS. THESE ARE NORMALLY DONE AT THE ADMINISTRATIVE LEVEL. UH, RIGHT NOW, THOSE ARE ALL BROUGHT TO YOU EVERY TWO WEEKS. UM, AND SO THAT DOES ALL BY ITSELF ADD TWO WEEKS TO OUR SCHEDULE. UH, WE DID NOT JUST DO THIS, UH, LOOKING O ONLY AT OURSELVES. WE TOOK A LOOK AT OUR COMPARABLE AGENCIES. AND SO, UM, UH, ALL COMPARABLE AGENCIES HAVE SUCCESSFUL MERIT-BASED, UH, RECRUITMENT PRACTICES. UH, THEY GENERALLY, HR IS, IS GENERALLY WHERE THAT NEUTRAL PARTY IS TO PROVIDE THE OVERSIGHT AND ENSURE INTEGRITY. THE COUNCIL SETS THE RULES, AND HR IS THERE TO WORK TO ENFORCE THOSE RULES THAT ARE SET, UH, UNDER THEIR CIVIL SERVICE PROCESS. SO, EXAMPLES OF CITIES THAT USE THIS ARE FRESNO, LA, OAKLAND, SACRAMENTO, SAN JOSE, SAN FRANCISCO, AND SANTA ANA. AND THEY ALL HAVE, UH, MERIT-BASED RECRUITMENT STANDARDS. UM, TO TAKE A LOOK A LITTLE DEEPER AT THOSE, UM, UH, CITY OF SAN DIEGO, UH, THEY HAVE ABOUT, UM, UH, THEY'RE SIMILAR TO US IN THAT THEY HAVE THOSE TWO DIFFERENT SYSTEMS. UH, THEY, UH, REPORT TAKEN ABOUT NINE MONTHS, UM, FOR THE CLASSIFIED HIRING PROCESS TO, TO COMPLETE ABOUT EIGHT MONTHS FOR THE UNCLASSIFIED PROCESS. UM, SAN FRANCISCO HAS A LOWER, UM, RATE THAN US, BUT THEY'RE PUTTING A LOT OF WORK RIGHT NOW INTO EXAMINING THEIR SYSTEM. AND THEY'RE LOOKING AT CHANGING, UH, AND BRINGING SOME CHANGE AS WELL. 13.3% VACANCY RATE, UH, AS WELL AS, UM, 250 DAYS TO FILE A, UM, A PERMANENT POSITION. UH, CITY OF OAKLAND HAS A 19% VACANCY RATE. SO OF THE CITIES WE LOOKED AT, WE WERE ONE OF THE HIGHEST WITH OUR VACANCY RATES. AND SO I DO WANT TO GIVE SOME SPECIFIC EXAMPLES. UM, WE TOOK A LOOK AT THE DATA, UH, THAT WE HAD AVAILABLE TO US, UM, FOR WHEN YOU HAVE A CLASSIFIED POSITION AND ALYSIS AVAILABLE, THAT PROCESS TAKES ABOUT SEVEN MONTHS. UH, THAT IS ONE OF THE, THE FASTER PROCESSES [00:25:01] THAT WE DO HAVE. BUT WHEN WE RUN THAT DATA AND WE CHECK WITH NEO GOV FOR OTHER, LIKE SIZED CITIES, WE SEE THAT THAT'S ABOUT 42% LONGER THAN OTHER CITIES. SO EVEN WHEN WE DO HAVE LISTS, UH, THAT SPEAKS TO THE ENTIRE PROCESS. AGAIN, THAT'S NOT ALL ON THE CIVIL SERVICE SIDE. UH, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT FROM THE REQUISITION SIDE ALL THE WAY TO THE ONBOARDING AND CIVIL SERVICES IN THE MIDDLE. UH, TWO EXAMPLES. UM, CLERK TYPIST, UH, RECENTLY TOOK ABOUT 377 BUSINESS DAYS, AND PLANNER TOOK ABOUT 269 BUSINESS DAYS. AND THEN, OF COURSE, WHEN THERE'S NO WAITING LIST, IT IS, UM, SIGNIFICANTLY LONGER OR NO, UM, I'M SORRY, NO ELIGIBLE LIST WHEN THAT'S BEING CREATED AND, AND DEVELOPED AND BEING PUT OUT, UH, THAT'S GONNA TAKE LONGER THAN THAT. AND SO, ALL OF YOU HAVE HEARD THIS FROM ME BEFORE. I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT HIRING IS A JOINT RESPONSIBILITY. IT IS NOT ON ONE AREA. IT IS NOT ON CIVIL SERVICE. IT'S NOT JUST ON HR. UH, THE DEPARTMENT HAS A HUGE ROLE IN, UH, MOVING FORWARD. RECRUITMENTS, UH, ASKING FOR RE REQUISITIONS, DOING THE FINAL INTERVIEWS, UM, DOING THE, THE SELECTION. HUMAN RESOURCES HAS A BIG, UH, ROLE. BUDGET HAS A BIG ROLE, AND CITY MANAGEMENT HAS A ROLE AS WELL. AND SO WE BROUGHT ON BAKER TILLY, UH, TO DO OUR OWN STUDY OF 38 DIFFERENT RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, TO IMPROVE OUR HIRING PROCESS. UH, WE CREATED A TALENT ACQUISITION BUREAU FOR THE FIRST TIME TO CENTRALIZE THE UNCLASSIFIED HIRING. UH, THEY HAVE DONE AMAZING WORK. THEY WERE AVERAGING ABOUT SEVEN, UM, MONTHS TO BE ABLE TO DO THEIR WORK OF HIRING AND USING MERIT-BASED SYSTEMS. THEY ARE, RIGHT NOW, AVERAGING 70 BUSINESS DAYS. THEY SET A GOAL OF 90 BUSINESS DAYS FOR THEMSELVES. THEY'RE COMING IN RIGHT NOW AFTER SEVEN MONTHS OF DATA AT SEVEN BUSINESS DAYS. UH, WE HAVE WORKED, UM, TO, UM, REMOVE SOME OF THE REQUIREMENTS ON PHYSICAL EXAMINATION ON OATHS, UH, UH, AND, AND CENTRALIZE THOSE TO HAVE YOUR CITY BADGE, YOUR OATH, YOUR PHYSICAL EXAMINATION, LIFESCAN, ALL CAN BE DONE AT ONE TIME, USED TO HAVE TO COME DOWN HERE TO GET SCANNED BY THE FIN, BY THE, UH, POLICE DEPARTMENT. YOU CAN DO THAT NOW ANYWHERE IN CALIFORNIA. UH, REQUISITIONS, JUST ASKING FOR POSITIONS TO BE HIRED WAS TAKING WAY TOO LONG BETWEEN ONE AND THREE MONTHS. UH, WE HAVE A NEW SYSTEM OUT THERE THAT IS BETWEEN SIX AND 13 DAYS. UH, WE'VE CHANGED DRUG SCREENING, UM, UH, DRUG SCREENING REQUIREMENTS, AND WE'VE SET UP, UM, ONE OF MY GOALS THIS YEAR IS TO, ALL MY DEPARTMENTS NEED TO SET UP ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEMS FOR, UH, FOR MEASURING ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THEIR ROLE IN HIRING. AND THAT'S GONNA BE BUILT INTO THEIR PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS THAT I EVALUATE THEM ON, IS HOW WELL THEY ARE MOVING FORWARD WITH HIRING FOR THE STEPS THAT THEY HAVE UNDER THEIR CONTROL. AND SO, DEPARTMENTS, I, I, I JUST DO NEED TO SAY, AND YOU, WE'VE GOT SOME OF OUR EXPERTS THAT WILL HELP US WITH SOME OF THIS TODAY IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS. BUT WE ARE EXPERIENCING, UH, IMPACTS DUE TO THOSE HIGH VACANCY RATES. UM, FROM 2019 TO 2023, THE HARBOR DEPARTMENT HAS, UM, TRACKED WHAT IT TAKES TO HIRE A, A FIELD CLASSIFIED POSITION. AND ON AVERAGE, THAT IS 362 CALENDAR DAYS FOR THEIR DEPARTMENT. AND ONE EXAMPLE WAS 836, UM, BUSINESS DAYS FOR THE SUPERVISOR PLUMBER LIST. UH, CHRISTINA DOES OFFER US TO BE ABLE TO, UM, PRIORITIZE POSITIONS WHERE WE SUCCUMB AND SAY, THIS IS A PRIORITY FOR US. UH, WE DID THAT BACK IN, UH, 20, UH, 21 FOR A, A POSITION CALLED OFFICE SERVICES ASSISTANT. IT WAS CRITICAL TO THE TS UM, OPERATIONS. UM, IT WAS IDENTIFIED AS A PRIORITY GOING ABOVE OTHERS. THAT STILL TOOK 18 MONTHS TO GET THROUGH ON THAT. UM, PRIORITY LIST. UH, IT WAS JUNE, 2021 UNTIL FEBRUARY, 2023. OUR SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN LIST EXPIRED IN SEPTEMBER, 2021. UH, AND WE HAVE A CURRENT VACANCY RATE OF 35%. WE HAVE NOT HAD AN ELIGIBLE LIST FOR TWO AND A QUARTER YEARS. AND SO, UH, THIS IS AN EXAMPLE WHERE, UM, WE'RE WORKING ON THAT, WE'RE CREATING THAT LIST. UH, BUT IT WENT THROUGH AN HR PROCESS FOR FOUR MONTHS, WHICH I WILL ARGUE TOOK WAY TOO LONG. AND THEN IT WENT THROUGH A SEPARATE PROCESS WITH, UH, CIVIL SERVICE FOR FIVE MONTHS. AND THIS IS JUST ON THE, UM, ON THE, UM, ON THE, UH, CLASS SPEC COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST IS THREE YEARS OLD. UH, AND WE ARE EXPERIENCING A 36% VACANCY THERE. AND WE'VE GONE THROUGH THAT LIST MULTIPLE TIMES AND ARE NOT SEEING QUALIFIED CANDIDATES. AND OUR CURRENT PLANNER CHECK ELIGIBLE LIST ON THE LAST DATE OF THAT WAS APRIL, 2018. AND SO, UM, THAT IS A CRITICAL OPER, UM, ONE THAT WE'RE IN PROCESS RIGHT NOW WITH CIVIL SERVICE TO OPERATE, UH, OR TO UPDATE, BUT THAT IS GONNA TAKE SEVERAL MONTHS. AND SO, UM, AGAIN, UH, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO DO IS ESSENTIALLY BRING, UM, UH, REDUCE SOME OF THESE STEPS THAT IT TAKES AND BRING THESE TWO, UM, GROUPS TOGETHER. UM, WE ARE NOT PROPOSING THAT ANYBODY LOSE THEIR JOB IN THIS. EVERYBODY WILL HAVE EMPLOYMENT AT THE END OF THE DAY. IT'LL BE A TWO STEP PROCESS WHILE, UM, IF VOTERS APPROVE THIS, IF IT FIRST GETS PUT ON THE AGENDA AND VOTERS APPROVE IT, THEN WE'LL GO THROUGH A SEPARATE PROCESS TO DETERMINE EXACTLY THE DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS OF EVERY SINGLE STAFF. UH, BUT WITH THE COMMITMENT THAT EVERYONE IS GOING, UH, IS GOING TO BE HERE STREAMLINING, UH, THE DUTIES, UH, IS, UM, UH, YOU WILL, YOU WILL STILL FUNCTION. THERE WILL ABSOLUTELY STILL BE A CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. UH, YOU WILL OPERATE INDEPENDENT OF THE CITY MANAGER. UH, WE'RE SUGGESTING THAT IT BE RENAMED, UM, TO THE CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEE RIGHTS AND APPEALS COMMISSION. UH, YOU'LL RECEIVE, UH, AND RESOLVE COMPLAINTS RELATED TO THE HIRING PROCESS FOR CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES. UH, [00:30:01] CARRY OUT ALL THE CHARTER CHARTER MANDATES TO HEAR, APPROVE, UM, DISCIPLINARY APPROVALS. THIS IS AN EXAMPLE WHERE THE PROPOSAL HAS GOTTEN ADDITIONAL DETAIL. WHEN WE FIRST WROTE IT, WE WERE REALLY FOCUSED ON EMPLOYEE, UM, DISCIPLINARY APPEALS. WE HEARD THROUGH THE PROCESS THAT THERE WERE QUESTIONS ABOUT, WELL, WHAT ABOUT IF THERE'S APPEALS DURING THE HIRING PRACTICE THAT WAS ALWAYS INTENDED TO BE INCLUDED? WE FURTHER REFINED THAT. AND THAT IS IN, IN THE, THE WORDING. AND SO SOME OF THOSE EXAMPLES CAN BE APPLICATIONS, UH, THAT CAN BE APPEALED TO THE COMMISSION, UH, THAT ARE LIKE LATE SUBMITTALS. EXAM COMPONENTS, LAYOFF AND DISABILITY RETIREMENTS. THE MAYORS TALKED ABOUT THIS, BUT ONE, UH, OF THE, UM, THE THINGS THAT WE WANNA MAKE SURE REMAINS IS MERIT-BASED HIRING. UM, AND SO WE'RE ARE GONNA BE HIRING EMPLOYEES BASED ON QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES. UM, WE STILL WILL HAVE AN UNCLASSIFIED AND A CLASSIFIED SERVICE. UH, THE RULES AND EFFECT, UM, RULES AND REGULATIONS ARE IN EFFECT, AND THEY WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT. UM, THE COUNCIL, UH, UNDER THE CURRENT SYSTEM HAS THE ABILITY TO CHANGE THOSE. THEY'LL HAVE THE ABILITY TO LOOK AT THOSE IN THE FUTURE, BUT THEY WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL THEY'RE ADOPTED THROUGH A PUBLIC PROCESS THAT GOES THROUGH MEET AND CONFER. WE'D ADD THOSE LOCAL PREFERENCES. UM, WE WILL ALSO LOOK AT, UM, HR WILL CREATE THOSE RECRUITMENT EXAMS AND ADMINISTER EXAM PROCESSES. AND THAT'LL BE DONE, UH, VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT IT IS TODAY. THERE'LL BE AN EXAM THAT'S, UH, POSTED. PEOPLE HAVE A CHANCE TO TAKE IT. AND THEN, UH, THERE'LL BE THE ELIGIBLE, UM, POSITIONS. UH, WE WILL HAVE THAT INDEPENDENT APPEALS PROCESS. I THINK I'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THAT, BUT WE CAN ANSWER QUESTIONS LATER. UH, WE MAINTAIN ALL EMPLOYEE RIGHTS AND PROTECTIONS. UM, UH, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE CONTINUE TO BE LAWS PROHIBITING DISCRIMINATION BASED ON PROTECTED CLASS. WE HAVE OUR EEO PROCESS. WE HAVE OUR CITY'S NEPOTISM POLICY, UH, LABOR ASSOCIATION REPRESENTATION. THOSE ARE ALL THINGS RIGHT NOW THAT ARE IN PLACE THAT'LL CONTINUE. WE ALSO PLAN TO BRING ON AN OUTSIDE THIRD PARTY. UH, THIS IS, UH, COMMON IN OTHER CITIES WHERE THEY DO AUDITS, UH, WHERE THEY'LL LOOK AT AN ACTUAL, UM, CLASSIFICATION, UM, OR SELECTION PROCESS AND SAY, UH, WAS IT DONE APPROPRIATELY TO CREATE THAT, UM, THAT SENSE OF, UM, OF INTEGRITY IN THE PROCESS. TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE HIRING PRACTICES. UM, UH, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO GET FIVE POINTS, UH, UP TO A MAXIMUM OF 10. UM, IF YOU MEET SOME OF THESE ADDITIONAL, UM, AREAS, YOU CAN STACK THEM ON TOP SO YOU CAN GET FIVE ADDITIONAL POINTS. IF YOU ARE A RESIDENT OF THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, YOU CAN GET FIVE ADDITIONAL POINTS IF YOU ALSO WENT TO HIGHER, UH, EDUCATION, UH, IN, IN LONG BEACH WITHIN A 10 MILE RANGE. UH, WE ALSO HAVE THE ABILITY FOR, UM, CANDIDATES WHO, UM, HAVE BEEN EMPLOYED IN A NON-CAREER CAPACITY AND HAVE AT LEAST 1500 HOURS SPREAD OVER TWO DIFFERENT YEARS, UH, TO BE ABLE TO HAVE, UM, UM, UH, PART, UH, CAN HAVE FIVE POINTS, AS WELL AS IF WE FIND A CERTIFIED, UH, INTERNSHIP, APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM, UH, WHETHER IT BE WITH ONE OF OUR, UM, SCHOOLS, WHETHER IT BE WITH ONE OF OUR UNIONS, IF IT MEETS THE JOB REQUIREMENTS THAT WE WOULD NEED YOU TO DO HERE, WE CAN HELP RECOGNIZE THAT AND, AND BUILD THAT PIPELINE. AND SO THE CONSOLIDATION OF THESE TWO DEPARTMENTS BRINGS ABOUT A BUNCH OF BENEFITS. I'M SETTING A GOAL FOR THE TEAM. UH, WE DID IT WITH UNCLASSIFIED FOR, WE SAID, 90 DAYS. UH, BUSINESS DAYS IS OUR GOAL. UH, THEY'RE COMING IN AT 70. I'D LIKE TO SET THAT EXACT SAME GOAL FOR MOST OF OUR POSITIONS, UH, WITHIN, UH, THE CLASSIFIED AND UNCLASSIFIED SERVICE. UH, WE WOULD INTEGRATE, UM, AND, AND, UH, COVER THE ENTIRE SPECTRUM OF EMPLOYEE RELATED ISSUES FROM HIRING, UH, COMPENSATION, ORIENTATION, UM, AND ONGOING DEVELOPMENT. UH, WE WOULD BE DELEGATING THOSE MATTERS THAT ARE ADMINISTRATIVE DOWN TO THE, THE STAFF. AND THEN WE WOULD EXPEDITE THE TIMELINE FOR CLASSIFIED, UM, APPEALS. THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF PROCESS HERE. WE'RE STILL, UM, UH, IN JANUARY, WE'RE AT THE VERY BEGINNING IN FEBRUARY. WE'RE STILL, YOU KNOW, NEAR THE BEGINNING. UH, WE'RE GATHERING INPUT. WE'RE AT THE TABLE DOING OUR MEET AND CONFERS. UH, AND SO, UH, THAT STARTED JANUARY 31ST. UH, UH, YOU'RE THE FIRST COMMISSION WE'RE COMING TO SEE, AND THEN WE'RE GONNA GO SEE THE HARBOR COMMISSION, AND WE'RE GONNA GO SEE THE UTILITIES, UH, COMMISSION AS WELL. AND THEN THIS HAS TO GO TO THE CITY COUNCIL. SO I GET TO MAKE A, A PROPOSAL, BUT THE CITY COUNCIL DECIDES WHETHER TO PUT THIS ON THE BALLOT. UH, THAT'LL BE THREE PUBLIC OPEN MEETINGS TO BE ABLE TO HEAR INPUT FROM ALL SIDES. AND THEN THEY WOULD DECIDE IF THEY CHOOSE TO MOVE FORWARD TO PUT IT IN FRONT OF VOTERS IN NOVEMBER. NOVEMBER'S, UH, IS THE VOTERS HAVE TO VOTE ON THIS. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING ANY OF US CAN CHANGE OURSELVES. AND THEN IF THE VOTERS CHOOSE TO MOVE FORWARD, THEN WE WOULD GO THROUGH A SECOND MEET AND CONFER PROCESS WITH OUR LABOR PARTNERS, UH, AND CHRISTINA AND HER TEAM, AND REALLY TALK ABOUT THE SPECIFIC ROLES IN THE TRANSITION FOR EVERYBODY. AND SO THAT'S KIND OF WHERE I WANNA END IS, UH, WE HAD A CHANCE TO CHAT WITH ALL THE CITY, UH, EMPLOYEES IN CIVIL SERVICE. IT WAS A VERY GOOD DISCUSSION, UH, AND WE GOT TO HEAR SOME OF THE FEARS AND, AND, UH, AND WE RECOGNIZE THAT ANYTIME THERE'S CHANGE, THAT'S A SCARY TIME. UH, THEY GOT TO HEAR FROM ME THAT MY COMMITMENT IS THAT EVERYBODY WILL RETAIN THEIR JOB WITH THE CITY. WE WILL HAVE FULL EMPLOYMENT IS NOT ABOUT REDUCING POSITIONS. UH, AND THEN WE HAVE A CHANCE TO SEE WHAT ARE THE NEEDS THAT THEY HAVE? WHAT ARE THE NEEDS THAT WE HAVE, UH, IN CIVIL, IN HR AND CIVIL SERVICE? AND HOW DO YOU PUT THOSE TOGETHER, UH, TO MAKE THE BEST SYSTEM? AND WE HAVE EXPERIENCE DOING THAT. UM, UH, SO, UH, UH, I KNOW THAT'S BEEN A QUESTION OF IS THAT ACTUALLY GOING TO HAPPEN? UH, SO WHEN WE HAVE DONE THIS, UM, WE'VE DONE IT IN, UH, SEVERAL TIMES IN THE LAST PROBABLY TWO YEARS. AND IN EVERY SINGLE CASE, EVERYONE KEPT THEIR JOB, UH, MERGING GAS AND [00:35:01] WATER, NO REDUCTIONS IN FORCE. THEY WERE ALL MERGED TOGETHER. EVERYBODY MAINTAINED THEIR EMPLOYMENT. WE RECENTLY, UH, MOVED WORKERS' COMPENSATION OUT OF THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, UH, AND MOVED IT INTO HR. EVERYBODY KEPT THEIR EMPLOYMENT AS WELL. AND WE MOVED THE CITIZENS COMPLAINT COMMISSION. WE, UM, ENDED THAT COMMISSION AND CREATED A NEW COMMISSION, THE POLICE OVERSIGHT DEPARTMENT, AND ALL THE STAFF MOVED, UH, OVER AS WELL. AND SO ALL THREE WERE WAYS THAT WERE CONTINUING TO INNOVATE AND LOOKING AT GOVERNMENT DIFFERENTLY. UH, AND THAT'S, UH, WHAT, UH, THE PROPOSAL IS HERE TODAY. SO, I APPRECIATE THE TIME AND PATIENCE. I KNOW IT'S A LOT, AND I TALK FAST. UM, UH, THAT'S JUST WHO I AM. I'M HAPPY TO SLOW DOWN AND ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS. UH, AND I'D LIKE TO TURN IT BACK TO THE MAYOR. HE WANTS TO INTRODUCE SOME OF THE, THE OTHER RESOURCES WE HAVE HERE TODAY, RIGHT? SO, UH, THANK YOU, TOM. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST TO, JUST TO CLOSE AND THEN WANNA OPEN UP QUESTIONS. WE BROUGHT SOME DEPARTMENT HEADS, UH, TO HELP US, UH, WITH THAT PART. UH, I WANNA START BY SAYING THANK YOU FOR DOING YOUR JOB AS, UH, REPRESENTING THE PUBLIC. ASK TOUGH QUESTIONS. WE WELCOME IT. THIS IS OUR CITY'S CHARTER. WE ALL ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR, OUR CITY, AND FOR MAKING SURE THAT WE LEAVE IT IN A BETTER POSITION THAN IT WAS WHEN WE FOUND IT. UM, WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO IMPROVE OUR CITY SERVICES IF THERE'S A PROBLEM. AND TO THE PUBLIC, THERE IS A VERY CLEAR PROBLEM THAT WE SHOULD, WE SHOULD ADDRESS. AND WE'VE BEEN WORKING TOGETHER, UH, TO ADDRESS THAT PROBLEM. I SEE THIS AS THE NEXT NATURAL STEP. UH, WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY. I BELIEVE THAT YOU AS COMMISSIONERS, HAVE RESPONSIBILITY TO BE OBJECTIVE THROUGH THIS PROCESS. I THINK, UH, CONVERSATIONS, UH, WITH, WITH ME ARE, ARE WELCOME. COMPLETE OPEN DOOR, GET ALL YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY CITY STAFF, BUT ALSO ALLOW, ALLOW THE PROCESS TO PLAY OUT. ALLOW THE QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED, LEVY FAIR QUESTIONS, OPEN QUESTIONS, BUT ALLOW THAT PROCESS TO TAKE SHAPE, BECAUSE THIS IS, THIS IS THE PUBLIC POLICY SETTING PROCESS. AND ULTIMATELY, A PRODUCT WILL GO IN FRONT OF THE VOTERS, AND IT'S NOT MY DECISION, AND IT IS NOT YOUR DECISION. IT WILL BE THE VOTER'S DECISION. UH, SO IF WE COME FROM A MIND OF, OF UNITY, AND WE WANT TO GET TO THE BEST PLACE, AND WE'RE OBJECTIVE AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS, I THINK WE'LL GET THERE. I THINK WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY. WE HAVE, UH, A RESPONSIBILITY, UH, TO CREATE THE BEST OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR RESIDENTS. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT REDUCING BARRIERS, FAIR CHANCES TO HIRE. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THAT WE WE'RE DOING ON THE HR SIDE, UH, TO REDUCE BARRIERS ON BACKGROUND CHECKS AND GIVE PEOPLE SECOND CHANCES, AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS. UH, I WANT TO, I WANT TO CONTINUE DOWN THAT DIRECTION, MAKING GOVERNMENT MORE ACCESSIBLE, UH, HELPING INSPIRE NEW GENERATIONS OF PUBLIC LEADERS. THAT'S OUR RESPONSIBILITY, THAT'S OUR JOB. AND, AND THIS IS, UH, CONNECTED TO THAT. UH, THE PREFERENCES ARE IMPORTANT AND, AND IT PLACES EQUAL VALUE ON WHETHER YOU GO TO A COLLEGE OR YOU GO TO A TRADE SCHOOL. UH, IT DOESN'T SAY THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE A DEGREE. UH, IT SAYS YOU CAN, YOU CAN GO TO A LOCAL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION AND GET A PREFERENCE, OR YOU CAN GET THE SAME PREFERENCE COMING OUT OF A UNION APPRENTICESHIP OR A LOCAL TRAINING PROGRAM. LET'S SAY LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE HAS A CLASS A TRUCK DRIVING SCHOOL OR WHATEVER. UH, AND THAT'S THE RESPONSIBILITY, AND THAT'S THE OPPORTUNITY WE HAVE THAT SHOULD GET CREDIT. AND SO, A LOT OF THOUGHT HAS GONE INTO THIS. AND, UH, AND WE'RE GOING THROUGH THIS PROCESS. AND THE GOAL HERE, AGAIN, IS TO LEAVE OUR, LEAVE OUR SYSTEMS AND OUR CITY IN A BETTER POSITION WHEN WE'RE DONE WITH THIS PROCESS. UH, BETTER EQUIPPED, MORE EQUIPPED TO HIRE FASTER, UH, TO CREATE MORE OPPORTUNITIES AND TO LEAVE A, A BETTER SYSTEM IN PLACE FOR OUR RESIDENTS WHEN WE'RE DONE. SO THAT SAID, I WANNA THANK YOU, UH, AGAIN, MAY, I DON'T KNOW IF WE, UH, DO WE HAVE TO TALK INTO THE MIC FOR RECORDING PURPOSES? YEAH. YES, YOU DO. SO EVERYBODY WILL COME TO THIS MICROPHONE TO SPEAK. UH, YES. OKAY, GREAT. SO THAT'S IT. WE'LL OPEN UP WHATEVER QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE. SO, SO, MR. MAYOR, YOU WANNA, MAY WANNA SIT DOWN? I, I PROBABLY HAVE A LONGER RESPONSE. GREAT. UH, YEAH. THANK YOU. UM, AND, AND I'LL JUST START IT OFF, AND THEN I'M CERTAINLY HAPPY TO OPEN UP TO THE COMMISSIONERS AND AS I SAID, ANYONE ELSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS, UM, WHAT WAS JUST HEARD. SO THERE'S A SAYING, UM, THAT HAS SERVED ME WELL IN MY LAST 20 YEARS OF PUBLIC SERVICE. UH, DON'T ASSUME CONSPIRACY WHEN INCOMPETENCE IS JUST AS LIKELY. IT SOUNDS PRETTY HARSH, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY MORE FORGIVING, UM, THAN YOU THINK IT WOULD BE. FOR EXAMPLE, WE DIDN'T RECEIVE THIS PRESENTATION UNTIL YESTERDAY AFTERNOON. OUR AGENDA GOES OUT 72 HOURS AHEAD OF TIME AT A MINIMUM. IN REALITY, THEY GO OUT ON FRIDAY. SO CONSPIRACY WOULD SAY THAT WE ARE GETTING JAMMED WITH THIS PRESENTATION, UH, SO THAT WE COULDN'T FACT CHECK IT. I KNOW HOW BUSY OUR OFFICES GET. SO SOMEBODY PROBABLY GOT SIGN THIS LAST MINUTE. UM, AND THIS IS WHEN IT COULD GET DONE. SO I'M NOT GOING TO ASSUME CONSPIRACY HERE. YOU KNOW, ON, ON SLIDE NINE, YOU MAKE [00:40:01] THE, UH, COMPARISONS OF THE BUDGET FROM 2024. WE KNOW CIVIL SERVICE TOOK A HIT, A SIGNIFICANT HIT AFTER THE FAILURE OF 2010, UH, TO AMEND THE CHARTER. AND AS I UNDERSTAND, THERE IS SOME DISPUTE ON THESE BUDGET NUMBERS THAT YOU'VE PRESENTED TO US, THAT YOU ARE ACTUALLY ASKING THE BUDGET OFFICE TO REVIEW. YOU KNOW, COMPARING A LOW POINT TO A HIGH POINT IS ALWAYS A GOOD WAY TO MISSTATE NUMBERS. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S HAPPENING, BUT IF WE'RE NOT SURE, WE PROBABLY SHOULDN'T SHARE THAT PUBLICLY YET. YEAH. LAST NIGHT I GOT TO SLIDE 10. CITY MANAGER, MET WITH CIVIL SERVICE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND CIVIL SERVICE PRESENT FOR BRIEFING, UH, BRIEFINGS, HIGHLIGHTING ISSUES THE FIRST MONDAY OF EVERY MONTH. I NOTICED THAT THIS WAS CORRECTED THIS MORNING. GLAD THAT THAT WAS CORRECTED. YEAH, TOM, WE BOTH KNOW THAT I'VE ONLY MET WITH YOU ONCE OUTSIDE OF PARADES AND CIVIC EVENTS. I REMEMBER, UH, THAT JUNE WHEN PHYLLIS ARIA AND I MET TO DISCUSS WHERE I WAS GETTING HELD UP AND PHYLLIS, BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW PHYLLIS, PHYLLIS CAME IN WITH THE FACTS, THE RECEIPTS. SHE SAID EXACTLY WHERE YOUR DEPARTMENTS WERE DRAGGING YOUR FEETS. AND SHE PROVIDED IT IN WRITING. YOU KNOW, THIS MEETING WAS PARTICULARLY MEMORABLE TO ME BECAUSE YOU RAISED YOUR VOICE AT BO AT HER AND THEN BOTH OF US ABOUT HOW CIVIL SERVICE WAS THE PROBLEM. THAT'S HARDLY A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH. THAT WAS OUR ONLY MEETING, OUR ONLY MEETING SINCE THEN. WE'VE MAYBE HAD THREE PHONE CALLS, UH, SINCE THE STATE OF THE CITY IN JANUARY. AND THOSE ALL WENT JUST ABOUT AS WELL AS A PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATOR. I DID ENJOY THE CALL OF SLIDE 13 ON REDUNDANCY. WITHIN THE LAST TWO HALF YEARS SINCE I'VE BEEN ON THE COMMISSION, I'VE SEEN HR CREATE A STRUCTURE THAT REPLICATES CIVIL SERVICE. THOUGH I DO LIKE YOUR HEAD OF THE NEW OPERATIONS BUREAU, WHICH COMES FROM THE HEAD OF OUR, UH, RECRUITMENT BUREAU PREVIOUSLY ON SLIDE 16, IT WAS CONVENIENT NOT TO MENTION THAT SAN DIEGO REVIEWED ITS MERIT SYSTEM AND DECIDED TO LEAVE IT, UH, BE ON CONCERNS OVER EMPLOYEE RIGHTS AND CONCENTRATION OF POWER IN THE HANDS OF THE CITY MANAGER PLANNING ON SLIDE 17. I'M SURE MORE WILL BE SET AT THIS SLIDE, BUT I WAS FURIOUS TO FIND OUT FROM OUR STAFF THAT THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN STALLING IN A HIRING PROCESS SO THAT THEIR PREFERRED CANDIDATE COULD QUALIFY. THAT SOUNDS LIKE FAVORITISM. THAT SOUNDS LIKE EXACTLY WHAT OUR SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO PREVENT. THAT SHOULD CONCERN ALL OF US. SLIDE 18 BAKER TILLY RECOMMENDATIONS. WE SAY WE'RE DOING THIS DIFFERENTLY AND WE'RE USING RECOMMENDATIONS FROM A MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT. I'VE WORKED IN CONSULTING. I KNOW THAT HIGH PAID CONSULTANTS CAN OFTEN PRODUCE A, THE FACTS FOR WHATEVER PREFERRED SOLUTION YOU WANT TO GIVE. BUT ALSO IF WE'RE, IF WE'RE SAYING THAT THIS IS A NEW PROCESS USING THE OLD DATA THAT LED TO THE 2010 ELECTION THAT FAILED, PROBABLY NOT DOING THE HARD WORK HARBOR. I'M GONNA LEAVE HARBOR FOR COMMISSIONER. 'CAUSE WE HAD A GOOD CONVERSATION WITH HARBOR. AND THE ONE THING I'LL MENTION ABOUT HARBOR IS THAT I REMEMBER ONE OF THE POSITIONS WHERE DOZENS OF QUALIFIED CANDIDATES IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY WERE PROVIDED TO THE HIRING MANAGER WHO REJECTED EACH AND EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. EITHER THIS IS SOMEONE WHO IS CLASSIFIED WRONG, OR THIS IS A MANAGER WHO'S TRYING TO LOOK FOR SOMEONE THEY DON'T HAVE TO MANAGE. WE HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF MANAGEMENT, THOSE OF US IN SUPERVISORY POSITIONS. PART OF THAT JOB IS TRAINING, PREPARING, TAKING SOMEONE WHO MAY BE 90% OF THE WAY THERE AND GETTING THEM TO A HUNDRED, THINKING THAT THE HIRING PROCESS IS GONNA SOLVE THAT EVERY TIME. THAT'S, THAT'S NOT THE WAY HIRING WORKS. I COULD GO ON, OTHERS PROBABLY WILL, BUT LET'S TALK TRASH BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S WHERE THE REASON WE'RE HERE. IN JULY, THE CIVIL SERVICE DEPARTMENT ORGANIZED A COLLECTIVE EFFORT, INCLUDING HR AND PUBLIC WORKS TO HIRE REFUSE OPERATORS. AFTER ALL THE EFFORT OUR TEAM PUT IN, CHRISTINA QUIETLY LET ME KNOW THAT SEVERAL OF THE PEOPLE HIRED WERE ALREADY ON THE ELIGIBLE LIST. THAT DAY WAS ABOUT GETTING HR AND PUBLIC WORKS TO DO YOUR JOB. FINE. I NAIVELY RESPONDED TO CHRISTINA, A WIN FOR THE CITY IS A WIN. YET WHEN I SAID WE [00:45:01] NEEDED MORE EVENTS LIKE THOSE FOR A HARD TO FILL JOB, I WAS TOLD HR WAS RELUCTANT TO COMMIT THOSE RESOURCES. AND WE JUST HEARD THAT IT TURNS OUT THAT HR WAS IN A ONE-SIDED RACE TO SHOW HOW IT COULD HIRE UNCLASSIFIED POSITIONS FASTER THAN CLASSIFIED POSITIONS. WHERE WERE THEIR RESOURCES GOING? AND I'VE HEARD THE DELAY IN PICK AND TRASH PICKUP USED TODAY AND USED CONTINUALLY TO ATTACK CIVIL SURFACE. SO NOW I'M WRESTLING WITH MY OWN RULE. I'M TRYING NOT TO SEE CONSPIRACY AND CONFIDENCE IS USUALLY THE RULE. BUT THIS IS HARD. THIS ONE IS HARD. NOW I'M GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THE REALITY IS THAT THIS NEEDS TO BE A CHARTER AMENDMENT, BECAUSE THERE IS ONE THING THIS COMMISSION CANNOT DO AND GIVE AWAY OUR POWER. THIS NEEDS TO BE A CHARTER AMENDMENT BECAUSE YOU NEED FOR THIS TO WORK FOR THE CITY MANAGER'S PLAN TO WORK. YOU NEED TO TAKE THE POWER AWAY FROM THE COMMISSION AND GIVE IT TO THE CITY MANAGER. WE COULD DO THE OTHER THINGS. WE COULD TALK ABOUT RULES, PREFERENCES, YES. NEED TO CARRY AMENDMENT. BUT WE COULD TALK ABOUT RULES, WE COULD TALK ABOUT STAFFING AND HOW WE MAKE SURE THAT OUR PROCESSES ARE ALIGNED, NOT REDUC REDUNDANT. WE COULD TALK ABOUT WHETHER THEY HAVE ADEQUATE RESOURCES. WE COULD DO THE HARD WORK OF CHANGE. THE HARD WORK OF CHANGE IS NOT RECYCLING AN OLD PROGRAM. THE HARD WORK OF CHANGE IS GETTING PEOPLE INTO A ROOM, SETTING OUT A GANTT CHART, SHOWING EXACTLY WHERE ON MULTIPLE POSITIONS THINGS GOT HELD UP, COMING TO A COMMON COMMON SET OF FACTS, AND THEN ADDRESSING ALL THE POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO THAT SET OF FACTS THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN. AN OLD MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT PREFERRED SOLUTION GOT RECYCLED. THAT IS WHERE WE ARE. OKAY. I THINK, UH, THAT IS PROBABLY ENOUGH FOR ME. IS THERE SOMETHING MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS WOULD LIKE TO SAY? ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FOR US WHILE WE'RE ALL HERE? NO, I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS. SURE. UM, I'M GLAD THAT YOU BROUGHT UP, UM, REMAINING OBJECTIVE, UM, THROUGH THIS PROCESS. UH, I'M A BIG BELIEVER IN THAT. I, UM, I'M ALSO A BIG BELIEVER IN REFORM. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M VERY PROUD OF IS THAT, UM, I WAS A MEMBER OF THE PROBATION REFORM AND IMPLEMENTATION TEAM FOR THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES. UM, I WAS CHARGED WITH THE TASK OF REFORMING A SYSTEM THAT ONCE SUPERVISED ME, AND I WAS ASKED TO DO THAT OBJECTIVELY. AND SO I UNDERSTAND, UM, BEING OBJECTIVE THROUGH A PROCESS. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'LL, I'LL, I'LL SAY BEFORE I ASK A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS IS I, I'M REALLY BIG ON APPROACH AND, UM, I'M REALLY BIG ON, UM, MY RIGHT TO HOLD SPACE. AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M A LITTLE IRKED BY IS THE FACT THAT, UM, THIS HAS BEEN APPROACHED IN A VERY KIND OF WHAT APPEARS TO BE, UM, NOT SO OBJECTIVE MANNER. UM, AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S MY CONCERN, IS THAT IF THE COMMISSION IS BEING ASKED TO BE OBJECTIVE, I WOULD ASK ALL PARTIES INVOLVED TO REMAIN OBJECTIVE THROUGH THIS PROCESS. AND THAT WE REMEMBER THAT THIS IS NOT A DONE DEAL. OUR CITY COUNCIL STILL HAS TO APPROVE THIS. YOU KNOW, I'M SURE THAT MANY OF US WILL HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH DIFFERENT CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS IN REGARDS TO HOW WE FEEL ABOUT THIS. THIS IS NOT GONNA BE THE ONLY SPACE WHERE WE HAVE THIS CONVERSATION, UM, BECAUSE IT SHOULDN'T BE, RIGHT. UM, AS LONG AS WE ABIDE BY THE LEGAL LIMITATIONS THAT WE HAVE AROUND THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'RE ALLOWED TO HAVE, I WANNA BE AS INFORMED AS POSSIBLE BY AS MANY PARTIES AS POSSIBLE. UM, THAT'S MY, MY MY NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IN THIS PROCESS IS BEING AS INFORMED BY ALL PARTIES AS POSSIBLE. UM, THE QUESTIONS I HAVE ARE AROUND SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT I'VE TALKED ABOUT PREVIOUSLY. UM, YOU KNOW, CURRENTLY AS IT STANDS, THERE ARE STILL [00:50:01] MANY JOBS THAT I, AS A CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSIONER WOULD NOT BE QUALIFIED FOR, WOULD BE HELD BACK FROM, UM, BECAUSE OF MY BACKGROUND. UM, I'M AN OPEN BOOK. I, THE CITY RAN A BACKGROUND CHECK ON ME. I SERVED 13 YEARS OF MY LIFE IN PRISON. I WAS A FORMER GANG MEMBER HERE IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. UM, THAT'S WHO YOUR CIVIL, ONE OF YOUR CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSIONERS IS. UM, AND SO FOR ME, IT'S ALWAYS BEEN VERY IMPORTANT THAT SOMEONE THAT IS PART OF THAT SLICE OF OUR COMMUNITY THAT IS MANY TIMES DEMONIZED AND MARGINALIZED. IT'S BEEN VERY IMPORTANT THAT I HAVE A SPACE WHERE I CAN UPLIFT MY VOICE AND RAISE CONCERNS. NOT AFTER THINGS HAPPEN, BUT BEFORE THINGS HAPPEN. AND SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A, A, A A, A PROACTIVE THING HERE. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE HIRING PROCESS. AND EVEN BEFORE THAT, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS. SO MY QUESTION IS, ONE OF MY QUESTIONS IS CURRENTLY, AS IT STANDS, WHEN WE PRESENT JOB POSTINGS, WHEN WE EDIT JOB POSTINGS, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT EXAMINATION RESULTS, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, UM, VACANCIES, ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT THINGS, IT'S DONE IN AN OPEN MEETING LIKE THIS. ANY COMMUNITY MEMBER CAN COME AND ADDRESS THE COMMISSION, THEIR CONCERNS ABOUT A RECRUITMENT PROCESS, NOT BEING EQUITABLE ABOUT AN APPLICATION PROCESS FOR THE CITY. HAVING TOO MANY BARRIERS. I DON'T KNOW. I'VE WORKED WITH MANY HR DEPARTMENTS. I DON'T KNOW IF AN HR DEPARTMENT, I DON'T KNOW IF OUR CITY MANAGER WILL BE WILLING TO LISTEN TO THE COMMUNITY EVERY TWO WEEKS ABOUT THEIR CONCERNS, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THE COMMUNITY HAS ACCESS TO RIGHT NOW UNDER THIS SYSTEM. THEY CAN COME AND TALK TO US ABOUT RECRUITMENT, HIRING, AND OF COURSE ALL THE OTHER THINGS AROUND APPEALS AND DISCIPLINE AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS THAT THIS COMMISSION DEALS WITH. BUT THAT'S ONE OF MY MAIN CONCERNS IS WHERE IS THE COMMUNITY GONNA HAVE A SPACE TO TALK TO JOE, TO TALK TO TOM? I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE GONNA BE AS ACCESSIBLE AS THIS COMMISSION IS. NOBODY HAS TO ASK US PERMISSION OR MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO SEE US. THEY KNOW WE'RE HERE EVERY OTHER WEDNESDAY. IT'S MY NUMBER ONE CONCERN. OKAY. NUMBER TWO, WHAT'S GONNA BE DIFFERENT, RIGHT? BECAUSE I'VE LOOKED AT REPORT AFTER REPORT AFTER REPORT, AND THERE ARE DEFICIENCIES IN ALL DEPARTMENTS AND ALL AREAS. BUT TO MY VERY UNEDUCATED EYE AND UNEDUCATED MIND, MOST OF THE HOLDUP IS WITH THE DEPARTMENTS. I'M GONNA REEMPHASIZE THAT. WE HAD A CONVERSATION WITH THE HARBOR DEPARTMENT WHERE FOR OVER A YEAR AND A HALF LIST AFTER LIST AFTER LIST WAS PRESENTED, AND NOBODY WAS HIRED FOR A DEPARTMENT TO SAY THAT. OUT OF 84 PEOPLE, BECAUSE I REMEMBER THAT NUMBER 84 ELIGIBLE CANDIDATES WERE PRESENTED BY THE CIVIL SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THEY DID THEIR WORK. THEY INTERVIEWED TWO PEOPLE, OR ATTEMPTED TO INTERVIEW TWO PEOPLE. ONE OF THEM SAID, YOU GUYS TOOK TOO LONG TO CALL ME. AND THE OTHER ONE, WE WERE IN THE PROCESS OF HOPEFULLY INTERVIEWING AND HIRING TO FILL ONE OF THESE MANY POSITIONS. IT'S JUST ONE. THAT'S AN EXAMPLE WHERE LIST AFTER LIST AFTER LIST WAS PROVIDED. AND TO KEEP USING THE EXCUSE DEPARTMENTS TO KEEP USING THE EXCUSE, YOU'RE NOT GIVING US QUALIFIED CANDIDATES. IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME. THEN WHY AREN'T WE FIXING THAT? WHY AREN'T PEOPLE GETTING IN THE SAME ROOM AND FIXING THAT? THAT'S MY CONCERN AROUND THAT IS WHAT'S GONNA BE DIFFERENT. IS IT GONNA BE ABOUT FAVORITISM, NEPOTISM, ALL THE THINGS THAT CIVIL SERVICE EXISTS? IS IT GONNA GO BACK TO THAT? I UNDERSTAND ABOUT SPEEDING UP A PROCESS. I ALSO KNOW THAT WHEN YOU DO SOMETHING QUICKLY AND OUT OF DESPERATION, YOU CAN MAKE A LOT OF MISTAKES ALONG THE LINE. AND A LOT OF PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY OUR CITY, CAN BE IMPACTED BY THAT. SO TO ME, FASTER ISN'T ALWAYS BETTER. DO WE NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB? YES. BUT FOR ME ALSO TO GO FROM SEVEN MONTHS TO 70 DAYS, THAT'S EXTREME. THAT MAY BE LOOKED AT AS A POSITIVE, BUT I WANNA LOOK AT THAT. HOW MUCH OVERSIGHT WAS [00:55:01] THERE FOR THAT? I'M NOT GONNA JUST SWALLOW PILLS THAT ARE GIVEN TO ME. I'M SORRY, THAT'S NOT WHO I AM. THESE ARE VALID QUESTIONS. OKAY. I'M NOT GONNA RAISE QUESTIONS THAT ARE WHAT IF BASED ON PERSONALITIES, NONE OF THAT STUFF. OKAY. THESE ARE VALID QUESTIONS FOR ME. THESE ARE VERY VALID CONCERNS. SO THOSE ARE THE QUESTIONS THAT I HAVE. UM, I THINK THEY'RE GONNA BE A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS. THERE ARE GONNA BE A LOT OF SPACES FOR ME TO SAY A LOT MORE THINGS, AND I'LL DO THAT WHEN THE TIME IS APPROPRIATE. I APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE TIME. UH, MAYOR RICHARDSON, I APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE TIME, TOM, I APPRECIATE ALL THE STAFF THAT IS HERE. ANY COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT ARE HERE. I APPRECIATE YOU COMING AND BEING PART OF THIS PROCESS OF LISTENING TO WHAT ALL THE PARTIES HERE HAVE TO SAY TODAY. SO WITH THAT, I'LL, I'LL, I'LL REST. SO NOT TO BE REDUNDANT, UH, I CERTAINLY ECHO WHAT, WHAT BOTH, UH, PRESIDENT FROST HOLLANDS AND COMMISSIONER SUNA HAVE SAID. UH, WE HAD A VERY, WHAT I THINK WAS PRODUCTIVE MEETING WITH HARBOR BECAUSE WE ASKED REALLY TOUGH QUESTIONS AT THESE MEETINGS, AND WE DO MEET EVERY TWO WEEKS. HOWEVER, DURING THE PANDEMIC FOR OVER A YEAR, WE MET WEEKLY TO KEEP UP WITH DEMAND. THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT CIVIL SERVICE CAN DO AND WILL DO. AND SO THE CONVERSATIONS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN HAD WITH CIVIL SERVICE, I THINK THIS IS WHAT, WHERE WE ALL STARTED OFF ON THE WRONG FOOT IN THIS, THIS, UM, DESIRE FOR UNITY AND FOR IMPROVEMENT. I THINK WE ALL SHARE, WE ALL WANT TO IMPROVE THE PROCESS. THIS COMMISSION HAS TALKED ABOUT IMPROVING THE PROCESS SINCE I'VE BEEN ON THE COMMISSION FOR FIVE YEARS, AND WE'VE DONE THAT, WE CAN ASK DIFFERENT HARD QUESTIONS BECAUSE WE'RE PROVIDED DIFFERENT INFORMATION TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THE ISSUES ARE. NOW, WE DUB OURSELVES OF PEOPLE'S COMMISSION, , AND WHAT THIS COMMISSION AND CHRISTINA MOSTLY HAD TO DO IS FIGURE OUT HOW TO KEEP THE MORALE UP IN THE DEPARTMENT WHERE ALL THESE RUMORS ARE CIRCULATING AND NO ONE'S TALKING TO US. AND THAT'S A REALLY HARD THING TO DO BECAUSE PEOPLE'S LIVELIHOOD ARE ON THE LINE, OR SO THEY THINK, RIGHT? IT TURNS OUT THAT, UH, MR. MOKA AND MAYOR RICHARDSON HAVE SAID THAT EVERYONE WILL KEEP THEIR JOB. THAT'S, THAT'S GOOD TO HEAR FOR OUR PEOPLE, FOR OUR DEPARTMENT. BUT WE DIDN'T KNOW THAT UNTIL WHEN, TODAY, MAYBE A WEEK AGO CAME OUT JANUARY 19TH. YEP. OKAY. SO HAVING NOT HAD A LOT OF TIME TO GO OVER THIS PRESENTATION AND, AND REALLY DIVE INTO IT, WHAT I FOUND IS, UM, THAT WE'RE LACKING A LOT OF THE, THE MEAT OF THIS, OF HOW THINGS ACTUALLY WORK ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS. SO I'M JUST GONNA GIVE SOME EXAMPLES FIRST, AND THEN I'LL ASK SOME QUESTIONS. SO THAT VERY PRODUCTIVE MEETING GOING BACK TO HARBOR CAME BECAUSE WE HAD INFORMATION THAT LOOKED OFF AND COMMISSIONER OSU NOT TALKED, TALKED TO THAT. SO I WON'T, I WON'T GET INTO THAT AGAIN. BUT ON OUR AGENDA TODAY, WE HAVE CIVIL ENGINEER. WE HAVE A TEST FROM MAY 10TH OF LAST YEAR WHERE TWO QUALIFIED CANDIDATES WERE ZERO VACANCIES. WERE FILLED WITH THAT. WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE FROM JUNE 7TH OF LAST YEAR WHERE THREE QUALIFIED CANDIDATES WERE PRESENTED AND ONE WAS HIRED. WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE FROM NOVEMBER. THIS IS WHERE THERE WAS A TYPO. IT WAS EITHER NOVEMBER OF LAST YEAR OR JANUARY OF THIS YEAR. I DON'T KNOW WHICH ONE IT IS, BUT EITHER ONE. WE HAD EIGHT CANDIDATES AND ZERO PEOPLE HIRED. WE ALSO HAVE BUILDING INSPECTOR, RIGHT? SO OUR EARLIEST, UH, WE HAVE ONE FOR, UH, NOVEMBER 1ST AND ANOTHER FOR NOVEMBER 8TH OF LAST YEAR, WHERE THREE CANDIDATES, UH, WERE PRESENTED ZERO VACANCIES FILLED. WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE FROM JANUARY 7TH WHERE THREE ADDITIONAL CANDIDATES, UH, WERE PRESENTED IN ZERO VACANCIES. FILLED HARBOR MAINTENANCE [01:00:01] SUPERVISOR, EXCUSE ME, THAT ONE DOESN'T HAVE IT. UM, OFFICE SYSTEMS ANALYST, ONE THROUGH FOUR, NOVEMBER 8TH OF LAST YEAR, 13 QUALIFIED CANDIDATES, ZERO SELECTED. THERE'S ONLY ONE VACANCY, ONE VACANCY WITHIN HARBOR. 13 QUALIFIED CANDIDATES PRESENTED EARLY NOVEMBER, ZERO SELECTED SCHOOL GUARD, PROBABLY ONE OF THE EASIEST, LOWEST REQUIREMENT POSITIONS YOU CAN FIND. OCTOBER OF LAST YEAR, 14 QUALIFIED CANDIDATES, ZERO FILLED. NOVEMBER 15TH OF LAST YEAR. 20 QUALIFIED CANDIDATES, ZERO POSITIONS FILLED JANUARY 3RD OF THIS YEAR, 28 QUALIFIED CANDIDATES, ZERO POSITIONS FILLED JANUARY 17TH, JANUARY 31ST, 26 CANDIDATES AND 23 CANDIDATES, RESPECTIVELY, ZERO POSITIONS FILLED. YOU CAN'T TELL ME THAT. A CIVIL SERVICE. AND THIS GOES ON AND ON AND ON AND ON. SO, WHILE WE WANNA FIX THE ISSUE AS WELL, I WONDER WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF, IF ALL OF THAT ENERGY AND RESOURCES INTO CHANGING THE CHARGER AMENDMENT WOULD GO INTO ACTUALLY HAVING CONVERSATIONS TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE FIX THESE THINGS. BECAUSE MR. MAYOR AND MR. MOCA, WE TRULY ARE INTERESTED THIS COMMISSION IN FIXING THE ISSUES THAT EXIST. AND I DON'T CALL THIS OUT JUST TO PUT PEOPLE ON THE SPOT. WE WANNA KNOW WHY. AND HARBOR WAS SO BRAVE TO STAND BEFORE US AND ANSWER REALLY HARD QUESTIONS, REALLY HARD QUESTIONS. KUDOS TO HARBOR FOR THAT. AND THROUGH THAT, WE WERE ABLE TO FIND OUT INFORMATION THAT POTENTIALLY CAN RESOLVE SOME OF THESE THINGS. BUT THAT'S HOW YOU FIX THINGS BY HAVING CONVERSATIONS AND FIGURING OUT WHERE THE TROUBLE IS. WHAT IS A HOLDUP? YOU CAN'T TELL ME THAT WITH 19 OPEN POSITIONS FOR SCHOOL GUARD 14 HAVE BEEN MADE AVAILABLE IN OCTOBER OF LAST YEAR, AND ZERO HIRED FOR SCHOOL GUARD. WHO'S LOOKING AT THAT? WHEN WE'RE PUTTING TOGETHER THESE PROPOSALS, WE DON'T WANNA TRANSFER THE PROBLEM FROM ONE DEPARTMENT TO THE OTHER BECAUSE WE THINK IT'S CIVIL SERVICE. LET'S REALLY TAKE A LOOK AT THAT. SO MY CONCERNS ARE THE, THE HOW SOME OF THESE THINGS GET DONE RIGHT? CIVIL SERVICE PROVIDES PROTECTIONS FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY AND FOR THE PEOPLE THAT WORK FOR THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. SO, HI, THE, I MEAN, THE FIRST QUESTIONS, AGAIN, I WISH I HAD MORE TIME TO REVIEW THIS, TO, TO BE ABLE TO ASK QUESTIONS THAT YOU CAN TAKE AND DO SOMETHING WITH EITHER MAKE ADJUSTMENTS, MAKE AMENDMENTS, HAVE CONVERSATIONS, WHATEVER IT MAY BE. THAT'S, SINCE WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT, UM, I'LL DO THE BEST I CAN AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES TO SPEAK. WE WILL ASK THOSE QUESTIONS. SO, CHECKS AND BALANCES WERE TALKED ABOUT. MY QUESTION WAS, WHO DOES THIS? RIGHT? SO, UH, MR. MOKA ANSWERED THAT IT WAS A THIRD PARTY AUDIT THAT WOULD HAPPEN. BUT WHAT ARE THE RULES AROUND THAT? HOW OFTEN DOES THAT HAPPEN? WHO OVERSEES THE AUDIT? HOW DO WE KNOW ALL OF THE ISMS THAT WE DON'T LIKE WHEN IT COMES TO HIRING AREN'T HAPPENING? BECAUSE I, I REMEMBER THIS FUSE REPORT. IT WAS VERY MUCH TALKED ABOUT WHEN IT FIRST JOINED THE COMMISSION. AND I BELIEVE MY UNDERSTANDING IS, DON'T QUOTE ME BECAUSE I WASN'T HERE WHEN IT WAS ACTUALLY PUT OUT, BUT VERY SHORTLY AFTER, IS THAT IT WAS SWEPT INTO THE RUG BECAUSE THERE WAS SOME NOT SO FAVORABLE INFORMATION IN IT. NOW, I DON'T KNOW. [01:05:01] SO, AGAIN, DON'T QUOTE ME ON THAT. I DIDN'T READ THE REPORT. WHAT I DO KNOW IS THAT OUR HR LEADER AND OUR CIVIL SERVICE DEPARTMENT LEADER HAVE WORKED SO MUCH BETTER SINCE I CAME ON BOARD TO THIS COMMISSION. AND THAT COLLABORATIVE APPROACH IS HOW WE'RE GOING TO FIX THINGS. BUT IT FEELS LIKE THAT PART WITH THIS DISCUSSION HAS BEEN ABSENT. I, SO AGAIN, THAT THIRD PARTY AUDIT, WHAT ARE THE RULES AROUND THAT? HOW OFTEN DOES IT HAPPEN? WHO GETS TO SEE THIS AUDIT? WHO GETS TO CHECK TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE ISMS AREN'T HAPPENING? WHEN AN EMPLOYEE HAS A QUESTION? THERE'S MANY TIMES THAT THAT EMPLOYEES COME FOR SECOND OPPORTUNITIES BEFORE THE COMMISSION. AND WE HAVE THIS THING CALLED EXCEPTION TO THE RULE, WHERE WE GET TO HEAR OUT EACH INDIVIDUAL AND THEIR CIRCUMSTANCES AND MAKE A DECISION IF WE MAKE EXCEPTION TO THE RULES BASED ON THAT WHICH WE HAVE DONE OR NOT. 'CAUSE WE KNOW THE RULES EXIST FOR A REASON, BUT PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCE, THE HUMAN FACTOR, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE DESERVE SECOND CHANCES. SO WE GIVE THAT TO THEM WHEN, WHEN THE CIRCUMSTANCE, UH, SAYS THAT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO. SO WHEN DO THOSE PEOPLE GET TO COME BEFORE THE COMMISSION? IF, IF WE'RE NOT HAVING MEETINGS EVERY TWO WEEKS OR WEEKLY WHEN NECESSARY, WHO GETS TO DECIDE IN AN OPEN FORUM WHERE IT'S PUBLIC? THE QUESTION OF FAIRNESS AND EQUITY IS SO IMPORTANT. DIVERSITY, RIGHT? WHO'S MAKING THE DECISIONS ON THIS AMENDMENT CHANGE? IS IT A DIVERSE SET OF PEOPLE WHO UNDERSTAND THAT THE ISMS ARE NECESSARILY FAVORABLE? RIGHT? IS IT EQUITABLE? IT HASN'T BEEN INCLUSIVE. I CAN TELL YOU THAT, NOT WITH EVERYBODY. SO THIS BIG THING THAT WE HAVE WITH THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION, WE ALL WORK VERY HARD TOWARDS THOSE THINGS. ARE THE DECISION MAKERS DIVERSE? IS IT EQUITABLE FOR EVERYONE? AND HAS IT BEEN INCLUSIVE, RIGHT? IT'S THE PEOPLE WE'RE THE PEOPLE'S COMMISSION. WE WERE DUBBED THAT FOR A REASON, BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE FIRST. AND MR. MAYOR, MR. MOGA, I KNOW THAT A LOT OF WORK HAS TO BE DONE BEFORE EVEN SOME CONVERSATIONS HAPPEN. BUT TRUTHFULLY, THIS COMMISSION WAS NOT BROUGHT ON BOARD NEARLY EARLY ENOUGH. WE COULD HAVE MITIGATED, WE COULD HAVE HELPED MITIGATE SOME OF THE FEARS AND SOME OF THE MORALE WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT. AND OUR PEOPLE ARE IMPORTANT. AND WE'VE SAID IT BEFORE, WE'LL SAY IT AGAIN. WE ARE THE PEOPLE'S COMMISSION. AND WE PUT PEOPLE FIRST BECAUSE BEHIND THESE DECISIONS, THERE ARE REAL PEOPLE, REAL LIVELIHOODS, REAL CONCERNS, REAL FEARS. WE'RE HUMAN. THOSE THINGS HAPPEN PUT TOGETHER. WE COULD HAVE HELPED WITH THAT. WE REALLY COULD HAVE. SO MY QUESTIONS ARE AROUND THE MEAT OF HOW EVERYTHING WORKS. IS IT DIVERSE, EQUITABLE, INCLUSIVE, WHO GETS TO HEAR WHAT WHEN? AND IT'S ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHEN THEY GET THEIR OPPORTUNITY. AND MR. MOKA, I'M GLAD YOU SAID WE DON'T GET PAID NEARLY ENOUGH. WE DON'T, BUT WE KNOW WHO CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT. THANK YOU. AND THAT IS OUR SENIOR MEMBER OF THE COMMISSION, AND [01:10:01] I'M VERY GLAD TO ALWAYS HEAR FROM HER VICE PRESIDENT, GORDON PETERSON. GOOD MORNING. I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR TAKING TIME TO COME OUT AND HEAR, UH, WHAT MAYOR RICHARDSON AND, UH, OUR CITY MANAGER, MR. MOCA, HAVE TO SAY ABOUT, UH, CHANGING THE CIVIL SERVICE PROCESS AND HOW IT RELATES TO THE CITY. UH, THERE WERE A COUPLE OF THINGS. UM, I HAVE A LOT OF OPINIONS ABOUT THIS A LOT. UM, BUT OPINIONS, WE KNOW THAT EVERYONE HAS THEM. SO I'M GONNA START WITH THE FIRST THING. I'M GONNA START WITH THIS REPORT. I CAN'T SPEAK TO THIS REPORT BECAUSE I DIDN'T GET ENOUGH TIME TO DIGEST IT. IT DIDN'T COME TO ME IN WHAT I CONSIDER TO BE A TIMELY MANNER. SO I'M GONNA SPEAK ON THAT. WHEN I TAKE THE TIME TO DIGEST EVERYTHING THAT'S IN HERE, I WILL PUT FORTH A SELECT SET OF QUESTIONS THAT I WILL SEND TO PRESIDENT FROST HOLLANDS, AND REQUEST THAT HE SEND IT OVER TO OUR CITY MANAGER AND TO OUR MAYOR SO THAT I CAN GET, UH, MY QUESTIONS ANSWERED. BUT I AM SO HAPPY THAT I HEARD TWO THINGS. UM, SECOND CHANCES. SECOND CHANCES ARE IMPORTANT TO ME AND THAT THERE WOULD BE PREFERENCES GIVEN TO HIRING. I WANT HIRING PREFERENCES. I WANNA KNOW THAT WHEN SOMEONE HAS SERVED THEIR COUNTRY AS A VETERAN, THAT THEY'RE GOING TO GET PREFERENCES. I LIKE TO KNOW THAT THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN OUR CITY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITHIN OUR CITY AND NOT HAVE TO DRIVE TWO HOURS AWAY FOR A POSITION. WHY NOT HIRE OUR OWN? I BELIEVE IN CULTIVATING MY OWN GARDEN. AND SO WHEN I HEAR THOSE THINGS, I FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT. I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT, AND I APPRECIATE IT. NOW, I RECOGNIZE THAT SOME THINGS DO REQUIRE A CHARTER AMENDMENT, BUT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE THINGS THAT DON'T. THIS SLIDE IS IMPORTANT TO ME BECAUSE IT SAYS SOMETHING, AND THIS ISN'T NECESSARILY GONNA GIVE YOU A LOT OF QUESTIONS, BUT I WANNA MAKE A STATEMENT. AND THIS STATEMENT I HAVE SHARED, UM, WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF, UH, THE CITY, AND I'VE SHARED IT, UM, WITH, UH, PEOPLE THAT I SPEAK TO IN THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE IT'S SOMETHING I SEE THAT'S LACKING. IF YOU'LL LOOK AT SLIDE 18, AND THANK YOU FOR KEEPING IT UP THERE, BECAUSE WHEN I SAW IT, I WROTE IT DOWN. DEPARTMENTS SETTING UP MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY. THAT'S WHERE I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A LASER FOCUS. DEPARTMENTS SETTING UP MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY. YOU SEE, I USED TO RUN HUMAN RESOURCES FOR LONG BEACH TRANSIT. THERE WAS A LOT OF ACCOUNTABILITY POSITIONS DIDN'T STAY OPEN LONG BECAUSE I REVIEWED THOSE POSITIONS AND THE HIRING WAS DONE IN THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT. EACH DEPARTMENT SENT OVER SOMEONE TO REPRESENT THEM. BUT ALL OF THE HIRING WAS DONE IN ONE LOCATION. WHY? THERE'S SOMETHING CALLED DISPARATE TREATMENT AND DISPARATE IMPACT. GET FAMILIAR WITH THOSE TERMS. AND WE KNEW IF THE HIRING WAS DONE IN ONE LOCATION, THE LIKELIHOOD OF DISPARATE IMPACT AND TREATMENT WOULD OCCUR. THE HIRING IS DONE IN ONE LOCATION. YOUR HIRING IS DONE ALL OVER YOUR DEPARTMENTS. AND YOU SEE THAT LINE THERE. DEPARTMENTS SETTING UP MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY. WHERE'S YOUR ACCOUNTABILITY IF YOU KNEW THAT REFUSE OPERATORS WERE NOT BEING HIRED. WHERE WAS YOUR DEPARTMENT HEAD REPORTING TO THE CITY MANAGER? WHY THERE WAS A PROBLEM? WHO IS TALKING TO ANYONE? THAT'S WHAT I SEE HERE, AND IT CONCERNS ME, AND I AM NOT CASTING ASPERSIONS, BUT YOU HEARD HER READ OFF THE ELIGIBILITY LIST AND NO ONE'S GETTING HIRED. SO WHERE IS THE BOTTLENECK AND WHO TOOK THE TIME OR WHO IS TAKING THE TIME TO LOOK AT THIS? THAT'S WHAT I EXPECT. I WANT TO TALK ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY. WHO IS ACCOUNTABLE AND WHO IS WATCHING THE BOARD? YOU CANNOT COME HERE AND TELL ME THAT THERE ARE 70 PEOPLE ON A LIST THAT NOT ONE CAN GET HIRED. SO ARE YOU SAYING THEN THAT ALL THE PEOPLE ON THE LIST ARE INCOMPETENT? BECAUSE I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT. I HAVE A REAL PROBLEM WHEN YOU TELL ME THAT THERE'S AN ELIGIBILITY LIST FOR [01:15:01] A CROSSING GUARD THAT DOES NOT REQUIRE A DEGREE. AND YOU CAN'T HIRE FROM THAT LIST. THIS IS WHERE WE HAVE A PROBLEM. AND THIS IS WHERE I EXPECT A MEASUREMENT OF DISCUSSION. THAT ACCOUNTABILITY, I'M SO GLAD THAT IT'S THERE. WHERE HAS IT BEEN? WHERE IS IT? WE HAVE TO HAVE A BAKER TILLY REPORT TELL US THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE DEPARTMENTS SETTING UP MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY. COME ON. NOW. THAT'S BASIC. THAT'S REAL BASIC. MM-HMM, . AND IF CIVIL SERVICE WASN'T GIVING YOU WHAT YOU NEEDED, IF THE DEPARTMENT HEAD WASN'T GETTING IT, WE HAVE A CITY MANAGER. SO UHUH, I JUST WANNA KNOW WHO'S RUNNING THE BALL FOR YALE HERE, BECAUSE I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH WHAT I SEE. I'M NOT SAYING THAT YOU DON'T NEED CHANGES, I AGREE WITH YOU. BUT WHAT I'M SAYING RIGHT NOW IS THAT THERE'S BEEN NO ACCOUNTABILITY FOR HIRING. YOU SAY YOU HAVE A PROBLEM, YOU DO HAVE A PROBLEM, YOU ABSOLUTELY DO HAVE A PROBLEM. AND THE PROBLEM IS, IS RIGHT THERE IN YOUR OWN STATEMENTS, THERE'S BEEN NO ACCOUNTABILITY, BUT NOW THERE'S GONNA BE A BIG CHANGE. HAVE WE EVER GIVEN JUST A, A LITTLE BIT OF THOUGHT TO LOOKING AT THE ACCOUNTABILITY FACTOR FIRST BEFORE WE STARTED GALLOPING AROUND TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE COULD MAKE ALL THESE CHANGES? DID WE EVER THINK THAT WE COULD JUST HOLD THE DEPARTMENTS ACCOUNTABLE? SINCE YOU'RE HIRING OUT OF YOUR DEPARTMENTS AND NOT OUT OF HUMAN RESOURCES, SINCE YOUR DEPARTMENT IS RUNNING THE SHOW, THE DEPARTMENT DETERMINES WHO GETS HIRED AND WHO DOESN'T. AND THAT'S OKAY. WHATEVER YOU THINK IS BEST. I'M NOT RUNNING YOUR CITY. BUT WHAT I'M SAYING IS IF SOMETHING IS NOT OCCURRING, WHAT HAVE WE DONE ABOUT IT? THAT, THAT, THAT'S MY QUESTION. WHAT HAVE WE DONE ABOUT IT? NOT HOW CAN WE CHANGE IT TO MAKE IT BETTER? YOU HAD ISSUES. YOU'VE BEEN HAVING THESE ISSUES. THEY DIDN'T JUST GROW. AND IT'S THE SAME ISSUE. PEOPLE AREN'T GETTING HIRED. DID ANYONE LOOK TO SEE WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT WHEN CIVIL SERVICE GIVES OUT A LIST, THAT THEY THEN CAN GO INTO THE DEPARTMENT, CONDUCT THE INTERVIEWS AND HIRE THE PEOPLE? SO THAT, THAT REALLY IS THE ONLY ISSUE FOR ME, IS WHAT YOU SAY THERE. WHY ARE YOU JUST NOW TALKING ABOUT SETTING UP MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY THAT SHOULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN IN PLACE? DON'T BRING THAT TO ME TODAY. I HAVE AN EXPECTATION THAT THAT'S GOING ON RIGHT NOW, THAT THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON. BUT YOU SEE, IT HASN'T. AND THAT'S WHERE WE HAVE FALLEN SHORT OF THE MARK. THERE HAS NOT BEEN A MEASUREMENT SYSTEM FOR ACCOUNTABILITY, BECAUSE IF THERE HAD HAVE BEEN, WE WOULDN'T BE HERE TODAY. AND I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT IT IS BEING ACKNOWLEDGED TODAY. THAT'S HONESTY, THAT'S HONEST COMMUNICATION. AND I RESPECT THAT. I AM SO HAPPY TO SEE THAT THAT'S WHERE WE'RE HEADED. MY QUESTION TODAY IS, WHERE WAS IT BEFORE? THAT'S MY QUESTION TODAY. WHERE WAS IT BEFORE? WHERE WAS THE ACCOUNTABILITY BEFORE YOU DECIDED TO DO A CHANGE? AND I'M NOT SAYING CHANGE ISN'T GOOD, MAYOR RICHARDSON, YOU ALREADY KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT YOU AND HOW I SUPPORT YOU. I KNOW WHAT YOU'VE GOT IN MIND FOR OUR CITY, AND I KNOW THAT YOU INTEND TO TAKE US TO THE NEXT STEP, BUT I NEED YOU TO HEAR ME WHEN I TALK ABOUT THIS ACCOUNTABILITY. THAT'S A HOT BUTTON FOR ME. IT REALLY IS. BECAUSE, SIR, I FEEL, AND I COULD BE WRONG, I'M NOT ABOVE APOLOGIZING IF I'M WRONG, I FEEL THAT THERE HAS BEEN A BOTTLENECK IN THE HIRING PROCESS, BUT I THINK OUR FOCUS IS IN THE WRONG PLACE. AND I HONESTLY BELIEVE THAT WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS TO PUT IT ON A WHITEBOARD SO EVERYONE CAN SEE IT. YOU SEE THERE'S A LOT OF DATA FLOATING AROUND. CIVIL SERVICE HAS DATA. HUMAN RESOURCES HAS DATA. THE CITY MANAGER HAS DATA. EVERYBODY HAS DATA. AND WE ALL KNOW THAT STATISTICS CAN BE BENT ACCORDING TO THE WAY YOU WANT TO SEE SOMETHING. SO I SAY, PUT IT ALL UP THERE. LET'S BRING OUT ALL THE INFORMATION SO THAT WE'RE MAKING GOOD QUALIFIED DECISIONS TO PUT FORTH IF WE'RE GONNA PUT IT OUT THERE. I WANT US TO BE UNIFIED IN WHAT WE PUT OUT THERE. [01:20:01] I WANNA KNOW THAT IT'S THE TRUTH. I DON'T WANNA HAVE TO ANSWER A QUESTION WHEN SOMEONE ASKS ME IN MY COMMUNITY, AND I'M A LONG-TERM RESIDENT OF THIS COMMUNITY, I DON'T WANT THEM TO FACT CHECK YOU. AND THAT I HAVE TO TURN AROUND AND SAY, WELL, THAT'S NOT EXACTLY TRUE. YOU SEE, THEY GAVE THEM AN ELIGIBILITY LIST WITH 70 TO 80 PEOPLE ON IT, AND THEY WOULDN'T EVEN HIRE ONE. I I DON'T WANNA SAY THAT. AND THEN I DON'T WANNA HEAR ANYONE COME BACK AND SAY, WELL, THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE LIST. WELL, THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU GET OFF YOUR CHAIR AND GO AND TALK TO THE DIRECTOR OF THAT DEPARTMENT AND SAY THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE LIST. AND IF THAT CONVERSATION DIDN'T HAPPEN, BECAUSE YOU SAY THAT THE DIRECTOR IS NON-RESPONSIVE. THAT'S WHY WE HAVE A CITY MANAGER. YEAH. I'M ON A SOAPBOX HERE BECAUSE I'M SAYING THERE'S NOT ONLY A LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY, THERE'S A LACK OF COMMUNICATION. AND IT'S CALLED EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION. SOMEBODY'S GOING UP TO THE 13TH FLOOR, BUT THE OTHER PERSON'S ON THE FIRST FLOOR, YOU ALL NEED TO GET ON THE SAME PAGE HERE. AND DO WE NEED CHANGE? ABSOLUTELY. OUR MAYOR WOULD NOT BE LOOKING AT THIS IF THERE WASN'T A PROBLEM. HE'S HAD IT. I'VE HAD IT. AND I'M TELLING YOU RIGHT NOW, THIS DOES NOT REQUIRE ROCKET SCIENCE TO FIX. EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT THE PROBLEM IS AND IT'S RIGHT THERE. DEPARTMENTS SETTING UP MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY. AND IT'S NOT JUST THE DEPARTMENT. SO LET'S MAKE CERTAIN THAT WE'RE CLEAR ON HOW I FEEL. IT'S NOT JUST THE DEPARTMENT, BUT I WILL SAY THIS. I NEVER GAVE A DIRECTIVE WHEN I WAS RUNNING LONG BEACH TRANSIT TO ANY OF MY EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS, AND IT WASN'T FOLLOWED TO THE T TO THE LETTER. SO IF YOU ARE RUNNING AROUND WITH A 22% VACANCY, WHY ARE THESE PEOPLE WORKING FOR YOU? I'M KEEPING IT REAL. 22% VACANCY. SOMEBODY DOESN'T REQUIRE THIS JOB. 22%. AND WE'VE GOT PEOPLE OUT IN OUR CITY THAT NEED JOBS. COME ON NOW. WE CAN DO BETTER THAN THIS AND DON'T USE CIVIL SERVICE AS THE REASON. IT'S NOT ENTIRELY CIVIL SERVICE. AND I AGREE THERE MAY NEED CHANGE. BUT LET'S GET TO THE ROOT PROBLEM HERE. AND IT'S CALLED ACCOUNTABILITY. THANK YOU. I KNOW OUR MAYOR AND CITY MANAGER, UH, HAVE OTHER OBLIGATIONS. I WOULD HOPE THAT THEY COULD STAY AT LEAST FOR, UH, COMMISSIONER LOVE'S COMMENTS. AND THEN I DID PROMISE THAT IF ANYONE ELSE WANTED TO ADDRESS YOU COULD, I'M JUST GONNA LET YOU KNOW THAT I AM GOING TO, AT THE END OF THIS PROCESS, VOTE AGAINST RECEIVING A FILING. YOU KNOW, PARTIALLY BECAUSE I'VE ASKED FOR YEARS WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF I ACTUALLY VOTED AGAINST THE RECEIVE AND FILE. UM, AND ALSO BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THIS REPORT WAS READY. UM, AND I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION AGAIN, BUT IF WE COULD ASK, COULD WE RESPOND BEFORE, UM, RESPOND TO THE COMMISSIONER'S QUESTIONS FOR MS. LOVE? WELL, YEAH. LET'S, LET'S HEAR FROM COMMISSIONER LOVE. YEP. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. UM, CITY MANAGER. MR. MAYOR, THANK YOU FOR COMING. UM, THIS IS AN ATTRACTIVE, UH, PRESENTATION, BUT I HAVE TO AGREE WITH SOME, I THINK MOST OF MY COLLEAGUES THAT IT DIDN'T REALLY TELL ME ANYTHING THAT I DIDN'T KNOW. THERE'S A LOT OF FIGURES IN HERE. PERCENTAGES, YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE NUMBERS TO ME. THEY DON'T TELL ME ANYTHING. SO I WOULD BE HAPPY TO SIT DOWN WITH EITHER OF YOU OR YOUR STAFF, UM, AFTER I'VE FORMULATED SOME QUESTIONS. UM, BECAUSE THIS, IT'S, IT'S JUST NOT WORKING FOR ME. UM, I AGREE WITH MY COLLEAGUES. I'M NOT GONNA REITERATE WHAT THEY'VE SAID. UM, I'D JUST LIKE TO SEE MORE INFORMATION. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, MR. MAYOR, DO YOU WANT TO, OKAY. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR, UH, FOR YOUR QUESTIONS. UH, WHAT I'M GONNA DO IS I'M GONNA ARTICULATE SOME OF THE, SOME, SOME RESPONSES, SOME REACTIONS, UH, AND THEN WE'LL BRING UP, UH, DIFFERENT DIRECTORS, DEPARTMENT HEADS TO ADDRESS, UH, EACH OF THE QUESTIONS AS WE TOOK 'EM. I, I TOOK SOME SHORTHAND, CITY MANAGER, DISC, WHATEVER I MISSED, MR. CITY MANAGER, GO, GO AHEAD AND TAKE CARE OF IT. AND THEN IN ABOUT 15 MINUTES, I HAVE TO GET TO MY NEXT MEETING. UM, UH, COMMISSIONER SNO, THANK YOU SO MUCH, UH, FOR, UH, I, I APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS AND YOUR, UH, OBJECTIVITY. AND, UH, WE HAD GREAT CONVERSATIONS THROUGH THE APPOINTMENT PROCESS. WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE YOUR PERSPECTIVE HERE AT CIVIL SERVICE. AND I TOLD YOU VERY EARLY ON, UH, IT'S IMPORTANT TO ME TO HAVE SECOND CHANCES. IT'S IMPORTANT TO ME, UH, THAT WE OPEN UP THE DOORS OF GOVERNMENT TO PEOPLE OF [01:25:01] OUR COMMUNITIES. AND I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS, UH, CONSISTENT WITH THAT. AND I RECEIVE YOUR QUESTIONS WE'LL, WE'LL ADDRESS SOME OF YOUR QUESTIONS. AND, UH, COMMISSIONER GARCA GREAT QUESTIONS AS WELL. UH, WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR QUESTIONS AS YOU FORMULATE 'EM, AND I'M HAPPY TO MEET WITH YOU DIRECTLY. UH, AND, AND CHAIR, I I WILL TELL YOU, UH, I DIDN'T GET ANY QUESTIONS, BUT I WILL SAY, I THINK WE COULD DO A LITTLE BIT MORE WORK ON THE OBJECTIVITY PLACE. THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THE PROCESS. UM, THERE HASN'T REALLY BEEN, I'M GONNA ASK MR. MOKA TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS, BUT MOST OF OUR CHARTER REFORM PROCESSES, UH, HAVE TAKEN A VERY SIMILAR, UH, STEP. AND, AND, UM, AND I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR A YEAR. IT, IT, IT HASN'T BEEN NEW. I, THIS WAS, I SPENT SIGNIFICANT TIME IN MY FIRST STATE OF THE CITY SAYING I WANT TO DO A DEEP EVALUATION ON HIRING AND SPEEDING UP HIRING. 'CAUSE IT'S A DIRECT CONNECTION TO OUR ABILITY TO PROVIDE SERVICES. I THINK THE, THE REFERENCE TO INCOMPETENCE, IF THE, IF THAT'S THE TONE THAT'S COMING FROM THE COMMISSION, TO THE DEPARTMENT HEADS, IT'S NOT GONNA FOSTER COOPERATION. AND AS A MAYOR WHO APPOINTS COMMISSIONERS, I'M TELLING YOU, I, I WANNA SEE A BETTER, MORE COLLABORATIVE SPIRIT BECAUSE IT'S NOT ABOUT YOUR COMMISSION, IT'S ABOUT THE PEOPLE. WE ALL SERVE THE PEOPLE. COMMISSIONER GARA, YOU'RE THE PEOPLE'S COMMISSION. I'M THE PEOPLE'S MAYOR. YOU GOT THE PEOPLE CITY COUNCIL, UH, WHO ARE DIRECTLY ELECTED. WE ALL SERVE THE PEOPLE AND THE PEOPLE. IT'S INCUMBENT ON ALL OF US TO LOOK AT OUR SYSTEMS TOGETHER. UH, WHAT THEY DON'T WANNA SEE IS BUREAUCRAT ON BUREAUCRAT POINTING AT DIFFERENT PARTS OF AN ORGANIZATION SAYING, YOU'RE WRONG AND YOU'RE WRONG. THAT MEANS WE'RE ALL WRONG. THEY, THEY DON'T SEE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CITY MANAGER OR A CIVIL SERVICE DIRECTOR OR HR DIRECTOR. THEY DON'T SEE A DIFFERENCE. WHAT THEY SEE IS GOVERNMENT FAILING THEM. AND THAT'S WHAT IS CALLED, THAT IS WHY WE ARE HERE. UH, I, I WAS VERY SELECTIVE IN MY COMMENTS TO NOT NEGATIVELY FRAME, UH, THE PRO THE WORK OF CIVIL SERVICE. I GAVE CREDIT ON REFUSE, UH, SAYING THAT CIVIL SERVICE DEPARTMENTS STEPPED UP IN MY OPENING COMMENTS. AND WE MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE THIS YEAR. UH, AND SO IT'S BASED ON THOSE IMPROVEMENTS AND THOSE ENHANCEMENTS THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT, HOW WE CAN SYSTEMICALLY STRUCTURE, UH, STRUCTURE OUR ORGANIZATION TO, UH, UH, DELIVER BETTER RESULTS AND BETTER SERVICES FOR OUR RESIDENTS. UM, SO, UH, JUST A FEW THINGS. THERE WERE SOME QUESTIONS, UM, ABOUT, UH, THE PROPOSAL, MAYBE THIS SLIDE DECK YOU GOT TODAY. BUT THE PROPOSAL CAME OUT JANUARY 19TH. THIS IS A SUMMARY OF THE LONGER PROPOSAL. AND SO I ENCOURAGE YOU TO TAKE A LOOK IF YOU HAVEN'T. UM, I, I, I KNOW THAT MANY OF YOU HAVE, AND IT'S BEEN PUBLIC, WAS SENT TO ALL, UH, ALL 6,000, YOU KNOW, CITY EMPLOYEES. UH, AND I KNOW BECAUSE SOME OF THE COMMISSIONERS LOOKED AT IT AND TALKED TO ME. AND SO THE CONTENT HAS, IS, IS NOT DIFFERENT. MAYBE THERE'S SOME EXAMPLES. AND THAT'S BASED ON GIVING PRESENTATIONS AND, AND LEARNING HOW TO TALK ABOUT IT WITH PEOPLE. AND IT'S GONNA CONTINUE TO REFINE, UH, AND IT'S GONNA LOOK DIFFERENT BY THE TIME IT GETS TO THE CITY COUNCIL. THAT'S JUST THE PROCESS AS WE GO THROUGH THE COMMISSIONS. UM, UH, THERE WAS A REFERENCE ABOUT AFTER THE, UH, AND I'M GONNA ASK TOM TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THIS. AFTER THE LAST MEASURE FAILED, THERE WAS A HIT TO THE BUDGET. UM, I WAS CHIEF OF STAFF TO COUNCILMAN NEIL AT THE TIME. THERE WERE HITS TO THE BUDGETS FOR MANY, MANY YEARS, STARTING IN ABOUT 2007, 2008. UM, SO THERE WASN'T A DIRECT BUDGET HIT. UH, IN RESPONSE TO THAT BALLOT MEASURE, UH, UH, THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION. WE MET THE EMPLOYEES WHO ASSUMED THAT THE BALLOT MEASURE WAS 2008, BECAUSE THERE WERE HITS IN 2008 AND 2009, 2010. BALLOT MEASURE WAS 2010. AND, AND SO WE, LET'S JUST BE MINDFUL THAT, UM, WE WERE GOING THROUGH A, A SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC DOWNTURN AT THAT TIME. IT WASN'T A REACTION TO THE RESULT OF THE BALLOT. UM, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A COMMENT ABOUT, UM, MR. ABOUT 70 DAYS, MAY MAY GO TOO FAST, JUST TO BE CLEAR. I'M ASKING FOR 90 DAYS THEY CAN GET . WE DO 90 DAYS. I THINK IT'S MORE REASONABLE. 90 BUSINESS DAYS IS MORE REASONABLE. BUT I WILL TELL YOU, THE PUBLIC, THE PUBLIC, WHEN YOU TELL 'EM, YOU KNOW, SEVEN MONTHS, WHICH IS WHAT IS AGREED UPON UNIVERSALLY ACROSS CIVIL SERVICE AND HR, WHEN I PULLED BOTH THE DIRECTORS IN MY OFFICE, I ASKED THE DIRECT QUESTION, HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE? SEVEN MONTHS WAS THE ANSWER. AND I WILL TELL YOU, WE'RE FAILING PEOPLE. UH, IF, IF THE ANSWER IS SEVEN MONTHS, AND I THINK WE CAN WORK TOGETHER, UH, TO, TO ACHIEVE 70 DAYS, IF THE PILOT 90 DAYS, IF THE PILOT GOT TO 70, GREAT. UH, BUT, BUT I THINK WE CAN LOOK AT ALL THE FAT ON OUR, ON OUR PROCESSES AND TRIM WHERE NEEDED. UH, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO KEEP UP WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR, WE HAVE TO KEEP UP WITH, WITH OTHER GOVERNMENTS. UM, AND WHEN PEOPLE WANNA STEP UP INTO SERVING GOVERNMENT, THEY'RE NOT TAKING THE SAME SALARY THEY CAN GET IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR. AND SO WE DON'T WANNA BE MORE BURDENSOME OR CUMBERSOME IN OUR PROCESSES. WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO COMPETE TO, TO, TO BE ABLE TO ATTRACT TALENT. UM, UH, THERE WAS A, A, A STATEMENT ABOUT THE DIVERSITY. AND I'M, I'M GLAD THAT OUR CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION IS DIVERSE. AND I APPOINTED THREE OF YOU. AND, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE, WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE REFLECT. THE DIVERSITY OF OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR CITY COUNCIL IS DIVERSE, BUT THE ULTIMATE MEASURE IS THE ELECTORATE. UH, WHETHER PEOPLE COME OUT AND VOTE. AND WE DO HAVE A DIVERSE ELECTORATE [01:30:01] IN OUR CITY. IT'S PARTICULARLY AFTER WE REALIGNED OUR ELECTIONS TO LINE UP WITH THE STATE. AND SO, UH, THIS WILL BE ONE OF THE BEST SAMPLES OUR CITY CAN GET, IS ON THE BALLOT DURING A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. PEOPLE ARE VOTING, AND THIS IS THE TIME TO GET A REAL SURVEY OF WHERE THE, WHERE THE PEOPLE ARE. SO LET'S PUT THE BEST PROPOSAL FORWARD, BECAUSE THAT IS THE MOST REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS. I'M GONNA ASK, UH, TOM AND JOE TO ADDRESS SOME QUESTIONS. I'M JUST GONNA NAME SOME OF THEM. UH, TOM, I REALLY WANT YOU TO FOCUS A LITTLE BIT ON, UM, THE ACCOUNTABILITY WITH THAT MEASURES AND MEASUREMENTS THAT WAS BROUGHT UP BY THE COMMISSION AND MANY OF OUR CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'VE HAD. BECAUSE I WANT YOU TO KNOW, UH, THE CITY COUNCIL DOES PUT A LOT OF PRESSURE ON CITY STAFF. MAYBE YOU'RE NOT, YOU, MAYBE THEY'RE IN ONE-ON-ONE DISCUSSIONS, AND SOMETIMES IT'S IN PUBLIC AT COUNCIL MEETINGS. BUT IT DOES GO BOTH WAYS. AND I DON'T THINK THE COUNCIL MEMBERS EVER COME TO THIS MEETING TO PUT PRESSURE ON YOU. IT'S ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY ON STAFF. THIS IS A MORE COMPREHENSIVE, UH, DISCUSSION. SO WE'RE LOOKING THERE AND LOOKING THERE. SO TOM, I WANT YOU TO TALK ABOUT THAT. NOT YET. NOT YET. ALRIGHT. UH, I WANNA GET ALL MY QUESTIONS OUT BECAUSE I'M GONNA HAVE TO LEAVE WHILE YOU ALL RESPONDING. UM, I WANT, UH, THERE WAS A FAIR QUESTION BY, UH, BY, UH, COMMISSIONER GARA ABOUT WHAT WOULD BE DIFFERENT. SO I WANNA HEAR SOME REAL EXAMPLES ABOUT, UH, WHAT COULD BE DIFFERENT. UM, JOE, UH, THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION BY COMMISSIONER SNO ABOUT, UH, THE VERY REAL CONCERNS ABOUT WHETHER PEOPLE WILL HAVE DUE PROCESS ON THE HIRING PROCESS AND WHETHER THEY CAN COME TO THIS COMMISSION AND RAISE THESE ISSUES AND APPEAL THESE ISSUES TO THIS BODY. UH, WHETHER THAT IS CHANGING. AND I WILL TELL YOU THAT IS NOT CHANGING. YOU STILL ARE ABLE TO COME TO THIS COMMISSION AND APPEAL BOTH ON HIRING, UH, AND ON, ON, ON, UH, EMPLOYEE RIGHTS AND DISCIPLINE ACTIONS. UH, BUT IF THERE'S A, UH, THE ISMS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT, WE HAVE A SEPARATE EEOC PROCESS THAT IS NOT CHANGING AS WELL. UH, THAT, THAT LOOKS INTO EVALUATING THOSE THINGS. SO I WANT YOU TO SPEND SOME TIME ON THAT ISSUE. UH, THERE WAS A QUESTION ABOUT CAN WE STILL MEET ONCE OR TWICE A MONTH THAT WILL BE SET BY THE COMMISSION THAT IS NOT SET BY THIS CHARTER. UH, THAT'S THIS CHARTER CHANGE. UH, THE COMMISSION CHAIR AND COMMISSION STAFF WILL FIGURE OUT YOUR REGULAR CADENCE OF MEETINGS BASED ON AVAILABILITY OF COMMISSIONERS AND THE WORK IN FRONT OF YOU. SO THAT I HAVE NO OPINION THERE. AND THIS, THIS DOESN'T WEIGH IN ON THAT ISSUE. IT'S SILENT ON THE ISSUE. AND THEN, UH, WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM SOME OF THE DEPARTMENT HEADS ON WHY THEY'RE NOT HIRING FROM THE LIST. AND I WANNA HEAR SOME TANGIBLE EXAMPLES. UH, I WANT TO, YEAH, I WANNA HEAR SOME EXAMPLES. SO I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM THE PLANNING WAS BROUGHT UP. I WANNA HEAR FROM, UH, FROM, FROM, FROM, UH, DIRECTOR KING AND, UH, AND, AND, AND SO LET'S JUST JUMP IN. SO, TOM, YOU GOT, YOU GOT THE FLOOR? YES, SIR. MAYOR, MR. MAYOR, BEFORE YOU LEAVE, UM, SO YOU MENTIONED 90 BUSINESS DAYS, WHICH IS VERY DIFFERENT THAN 90 DAYS. IT'S, IT DID QUICK MATH, SO DON'T HOLD ME TO IT, BUT THAT'S ABOUT FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS, RIGHT? IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT IT'S 90 BUSINESS DAYS VERSUS 90 DAYS, BECAUSE THAT ALONE COULD SET THE, UM, EXPECTATION OFF COURSE. YEAH. GOOD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND WE AGREE. 90 BUSINESS DAYS. YES, MA'AM. YEAH. YOU ALSO CALLED ME OUT ON MY OBJECTIVITY. SO LET ME BE CLEAR. THE STATEMENT I GAVE WAS A GOVERNING PHILOSOPHY I'VE USED IN MY LIFE. IT WAS NOT DIRECTED AT ANYONE IN PARTICULAR. HOWEVER, I DO WANT TO REEMPHASIZE WHAT COMMISSIONER ASUNA SAID, WHICH IS, IF YOU'RE ASKING US FOR OBJECTIVITY, THEN YOU NEED TO HAVE US IN THE ROOM, AND WE NEED TO ALL SEE THE DATA AND COME TO A COMMON SET OF FACTS. WE CAN'T HAVE OBJECTIVITY DEFINED AS THE CITY MANAGER'S PERSPECTIVE IS OBJECTIVE AND ANY OTHER DATA IS IN OBJECTIVE. THAT IS, THAT'S NOT WHAT OBJECTIVITY MEANS. I UNDERSTAND. UH, WHAT I WOULD, WHAT I WOULD SAY IS, UH, WE HAVE A RELATIONSHIP, WE HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP. DOORS ARE OPEN, UH, BOTH WAYS. UH, CHAIRING THE MEETING AND THEN SAYING, I'M VOTING AGAINST THIS, NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY IS WHAT I MEAN BY DEMONSTRATING, NOT DEMONSTRATING OBJECTIVITY. SO, AND I UNDERSTAND YOU JUST GOT THE SLIDE DECK, BUT YOU ALL HAD THE PRESENTATION FROM THE 19TH, AND IT'S JUST A RECEIVING FILE. SO IT'S A, SO THAT'S A CEREMONIAL POSTURE. IT'S, YOU'VE NEVER DONE THAT BEFORE, YOU MENTIONED, RIGHT? SO THAT'S SENDING A SIGNAL IS WHAT THAT'S DOING. WHAT I'M SAYING IS, SURE, YOU ALL CAN DO THAT, BUT THE REALITY IS, UH, THE PUBLIC EXPECTS BETTER FROM US. THEY EXPECT US, UH, TO SHOW UP, SPEAK TO ONE ANOTHER, TRY TO FIND COMMON GROUND IF THERE ARE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT YOU HAVE. AND THERE ARE RECOMMENDATIONS AND, UH, TOPICS THAT CAME UP DURING THE EMPLOYEE MEETING. AND IT'S REFLECTED HERE IN HOW WE TALK ABOUT IT, UH, HOW WE THINK ABOUT IT. AND SO THAT'S THE OBJECTIVITY THAT'S GONNA HELP US TO FOSTER THE ABILITY TO WORK TOGETHER THROUGH THIS PROCESS. IT IS NOT DONE. THERE'S STILL THREE CITY COUNCIL HEARINGS, TWO COMMISSIONS, AND MEET AND CONFER PROCESS. SO THIS IS VERY MUCH SO THE BEGINNING OF THE FORMAL OF THE FORMAL PROCESS. NOW, COULD THERE HAVE BEEN SIX MONTHS OF GOING BACK AND FORTH TO CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION? SURE. UM, BUT I THINK THAT WAS VERY [01:35:01] DIFFERENT. THAT WOULD'VE BEEN VERY DIFFERENT THAN ANY OF THE OTHER PROCESSES THAT WE HAD PUT FORWARD. UH, WHEN I ISSUED THE REQUEST, THE RESPONSE WAS, CITY MANAGER PUT FORWARD, UH, THE, THE INITIAL PROPOSAL FROM THAT PROPOSAL. DOCUMENTS ARE SHAPED LIKE THIS PRESENTATION. ULTIMATELY LANGUAGE WILL BE SHAPED. ALL THOSE THINGS COME FROM THAT INITIAL PROPOSAL. BUT I DON'T WANT TO SPEND, SPEND MUCH TIME GOING BACK AND FORTH ABOUT LANGUAGE AND VERNACULAR AND ALL THOSE THINGS. I THINK MY, MY CALL, MY CALL IS, THIS COULD BE A PROCESS. THIS COULD BE THE RESULT, COULD BE SOMETHING THAT'S GOOD FOR OUR CITY. IT COULD BE SOMETHING THAT THE COMMISSIONERS CAN HELP USHER IN, UH, AND HELP IMPROVE AND MAKE BETTER. SHOW US WHAT WE'RE NOT SEEING. BRING THOSE PERSPECTIVES IN. IT'S BECAUSE OF SOME OF YOUR MEETINGS, LIKE THE HR, THE, LIKE THE PORT MEETING THAT WE ASKED SOME TOUGHER QUESTIONS ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY. AND SO I REALLY WANT TO WANT TO GIVE, UH, TOM THE OPPORTUNITY TO RESPOND THOSE. YEAH, BUT I, I DO APPRECIATE THAT MR. MAYOR AND I, I DON'T WANNA GET IN THE BACK AND FORTH EITHER. I MEAN, FOR GOODNESS SAKE, SHE MARRIED ME AND MY HUSBAND. I, I DIDN'T WANNA SAY IT. SO , I, I CARE DEEPLY ABOUT YOU, AND YOU ARE A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT PART OF MY LIFE. I UNDERSTAND. UM, AND, AND I CERTAINLY HOPE THAT ANYTHING THAT WE SAY, AND IF GOD FORBID, WE NEED TO BE ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF AN ELECTORAL ISSUE AT SOME POINT, THAT DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT THAT UNDERSTOOD THAT YOU'RE, I UNDERSTAND YOU ARE PERSONALLY AN IMPORTANT PERSON IN MY LIFE. I, I APPRECIATE THAT. BUT I, I, I DO WANT TO SAY THAT WHEN I FIRST HEARD ABOUT THIS, I WAS TOLD, WELL, THERE MIGHT BE A TASK FORCE. THEY'LL GO TO THE COUNCIL, THEY'LL DEVELOP AN IDEA. AND THEN I, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU RECALL THE WORDS I SAID RIGHT AFTER YOUR SAY, THE CITY INVOLVE US. YEAH, INVOLVE US. AND THEN, AND LET ME BE CLEAR, WHY, WHY, IF YOU'RE SENSING UPSET, WE CAN CALL IT ANGER, DISAPPOINTMENT, WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE. IT'S BECAUSE THE NEXT THING I HEARD WAS WHEN A NEARLY FULLY FORMED PROPOSAL DROPPED TO ALL 6,000 EMPLOYEES, YOU KNOW? YEAH. YOU GAVE US A COUPLE HOURS HEADS UP AND, OKAY, I APPRECIATE THAT. THAT'S, THAT'S NOT INCLUSION. SO WHEN I SAY, BECAUSE AGAIN, IF WE'RE GONNA CALL IT OUT, LET'S CALL IT OUT. WHEN I SAY I'M VOTING AGAINST THE RECEIVING FILE, IT'S BECAUSE THIS WAS NOT THE PROCESS WE NEEDED. WE DON'T NEED TO HAVE A QUICK CONVERSATION WHERE THE TWO OF YOU NEED TO GET TO OTHER MEETINGS. WE NEED TO SIT DOWN WITH THE DATA IN FRONT OF US AND REALLY TALK ABOUT WHETHER THE PROPOSED SOLUTION IS THE ACTUAL SOLUTION THAT'S GONNA GET US THERE. BECAUSE I AGREE WITH VICE PRESIDENT GORDON PETERSON. THERE'S ANOTHER PROBLEM HERE. THERE ARE POSSIBLY LOTS OF OTHER PROBLEMS HERE. WE KNOW BACKGROUND CHECKS TAKE MONTHS, RIGHT? MONTHS AND MONTHS AND MONTHS LONGER THAN I COME FROM HIGHER EDUCATION. WE HAVE TO BACKGROUND CHECK A LOT OF PEOPLE A LOT LONGER THAN HAPPENS IN HIGHER EDUCATION. AND I ALSO KNOW MY DISTRICT, WHICH DOES NOT HAVE A PERSONNEL BOARD, SOLVES ALL OF THEIR ISSUES, EITHER UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICES OR LAWSUITS. SO SAYING THE EEO PROCESS IS IN PLACE. YEAH. SO DO WE, IT DOESN'T WORK. I I GET IT. SO, SO THERE'S A LONGER CONVERSATION TO BE HAD. I DON'T THINK WE CAN DO IT IN THE TIME WE HAVE. THAT'S WHY FULL OF OF TIME. WHAT I WILL SAY IS, UH, YOU CAN SPEND MORE TIME ON YOUR AGENDA, UH, IN SUBSEQUENT MEETINGS DISCUSSING THIS. THERE IS A TIME TO, THERE'S A WINDOW TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK. YOU DON'T HAVE TO PROVIDE ALL YOUR FEEDBACK TODAY. THIS IS WHAT I MEAN BY ENGAGING WITH THE COMMISSION. YOU HAVE THE FULL PRESENTATION, YOU'RE GONNA GET QUESTIONS ANSWERED, AND YOU HAVE TIME TO GO THROUGH THIS AND SEND FEEDBACK, UH, THAT CAN BE INCLUDED IN WHAT IS DELIVERED TO THE CITY COUNCIL. SO THAT IS TRUE. NOW, WHAT WE HAVE A RUNWAY BETWEEN OF TIME, BETWEEN NOW AND WHEN THE PROPOSAL NEEDS TO GO TO CITY COUNCIL TO GATHER FEEDBACK. THAT IS WHY WE'VE ADDED THE ADDITIONAL ENGAGEMENT OF THIS COMMISSION AND OF THE TWO ADDITIONAL COMMISSIONS THAT ARE IMPACTED OUTSIDE OF THE CITY MANAGER STRUCTURE. BUT I WANT TO GIVE SOME TIME, UH, THE CITY MANAGER HAS, UH, HAS, UH, GREAT RESPONSES TO SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT WERE RAISED. SO I'M GONNA DEFER TO TIME. THANKS. QUICKLY. CAN YOU GIVE US THAT TIMELINE? YOU SAID THERE'S A TIMELINE? YES. I'LL GO THROUGH THE TIMELINE. LET ME ADD THAT. SO I WILL SAY, WE KNEW THIS WAS GONNA BE A LONG DISCUSSION, SO WE HAD PLENTY OF TIME. SO, UH, THE MAYOR, UM, YOU KNOW, DID FLY IN LAST NIGHT, AND HE'S GOT A LOT OF BUSY THINGS. HE'S SET ASIDE AN HOUR AND A HALF TO BE HERE. BUT MY DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS AND US WE'RE HERE ALL DAY. SO I'M, I CLEARED MY MORNING. WE KNOW WE'RE HERE. I'VE GOT ALL MY DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS MEETING, UM, THE ONES THAT AREN'T HERE. WE HAVE OUR NORMAL WEDNESDAY MEETING, WE CANCELED THAT. THEY'RE ALL, THEY'RE ALL THERE. AND WE'RE HERE. SO WE'RE HERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. THIS IS OUR DAY TO GO THROUGH IT. UM, I DO WANT, BEFORE I GET INTO SOME OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY, IS TO SAY, UM, THIS IS, THIS REALLY IS SOMETHING [01:40:01] THAT HAS BEEN TALKED ABOUT FOR A WHILE. IT'S SOMETHING THAT CHRISTINA AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT FOR A WHILE. WE TALKED ABOUT IT IN DECEMBER, UH, THAT THIS WAS COMING AT SOME POINT. UH, THE MAYOR DID HAVE A CHANCE TO TALK TO ALL OF YOU BEFORE THE STATE OF THE CITY. I WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU HEARD FROM ME PERSONALLY, UM, BEFORE IT CAME OUT TO MY EMPLOYEES. BUT THIS DOES AFFECT THEM AS WELL. AND SO I NEEDED ALL EMPLOYEES TO HEAR THAT EACH OF YOU GOT A CALL FROM ME AND A A, A PROMISE AND A COMMITMENT TO SIT DOWN INDIVIDUALLY, ONE-ON-ONE, AND GO THROUGH THE QUESTIONS. I, I APPRECIATE, UH, MS. LOVE SAID I'VE GOT QUESTIONS. I WANNA BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT THOSE. I'M HERE TO DO THAT. I WILL DO THAT. ONE-ON-ONE, UM, MS. PETERSON AS WELL, SAYING, I'VE, I'M GONNA HAVE QUESTIONS AFTERWARDS. WE CAN DO THINGS IN WRITING. AND SO, UM, THIS HAS BEEN AN ITERATIVE PROCESS. UH, UH, WHAT I PRESENTED TODAY WAS GIVEN TO EVERYBODY, ALL PUBLIC EMPLOYEES AND THE PUBLIC AND THE MEDIA AND EVERYTHING ON THE 18TH, UH, JANUARY 18TH. UM, AND SO THAT WAS OUT AND AVAILABLE. THE PRESENTATION, UH, WE PROVIDED LAST WEEK, UH, WHAT WAS GIVEN TO THE UNIONS, WHICH WAS SUBSTANTIALLY SIMILAR. SO THAT CAME TO THE, TO THE STAFF ON FRIDAY. UH, AND THEN TODAY IS REALLY JUST, IT'S A, IT'S A TOOL FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO TALK FROM. SO THAT WAS AVAILABLE ON THE, UM, LAST NIGHT, BUT IT'S THE SAME THING THAT HAS BEEN OUT THERE PUBLICLY, UH, FOR A WHILE NOW. SO, DO YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY, UM, MR. MORICA? YES. YES, MA'AM. QUICKLY, SORRY. I, UM, I DO WANNA BE MINDFUL THAT WE STILL HAVE TO HAVE OUR, OUR COMMISSION MEETING. THE REST OF THE BUSINESS PART. WE HAVE A HEARING THAT WAS SCHEDULED TO START AT 10 30, WHICH WAS 10 MINUTES AGO. UM, SO WHAT, WHAT'S IMPORTANT FOR ME TO UNDERSTAND, AND PROBABLY EVERYONE ELSE IN THE ROOM, IS WHAT IS THE TIMELINE THAT YOUR DUE DILIGENCE HAS TO BE, UH, COMPLETED BY? AND IS THERE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO COME TO COMMISSION TO HAVE MAYBE EVEN A SPECIAL MEETING DEDICATED TO THIS? SO WE HAVE THE TIME. ALL RIGHT, SO HERE'S OUR, HERE'S OUR TIMELINE. SO, UM, WE, IN ORDER TO GET SOMETHING ON FOR THE NOVEMBER BALLOT, THERE ARE VERY SPECIFIC DEADLINES THAT YOU HAVE TO HIT. SO YOU HAVE TO START IN JANUARY. SO WE DID THAT. UH, SO THAT'S ALMOST 11 MONTHS BEFOREHAND. SO, UH, WE STARTED WITH THE PROPOSAL. UH, THAT'S HOW ALL OF THESE CHARTER AMENDMENTS START. YOU START WITH, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE DOING, AND THEN YOU IMMEDIATELY START, UM, ENGAGING IN THE MEET AND CONFER WITH EMPLOYEES. AND WE'RE DOING THAT RIGHT NOW. UH, WHEN I CALLED ALL OF YOU, WE EVEN SAID I'LL TALK INDIVIDUALLY AND ANSWER QUESTIONS. WE, IT WAS AN UNKNOWN QUESTION WHETHER WE COULD COME AND DO PRESENTATIONS WHILE WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MEET AND CONFER. WE WORKED WITH A CITY ATTORNEY TEAM. THEY WERE GREAT, AND SAID, AS LONG AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE SAME THINGS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MEET AND CONFER, WE HAVE THAT ABILITY TO DO THAT. SO THAT MEET AND CONFER NEEDS TO GO, UM, UH, TO STAY ON, STAY ON SCHEDULE. THAT'LL BE HAPPENING IN, UH, FEBRUARY AND ENDING AT THE END OF FEBRUARY. AND THEN, UH, WE WILL BASICALLY PUT TOGETHER ALL THE, UM, THE PROPOSALS AND BRING THAT TO THE CITY COUNCIL, AND THEY'LL MEET THREE DIFFERENT TIMES, UH, STARTING IN MAY, APRIL 16TH. APRIL 16TH, THE LAST DAY TO REFER TO THE CHARTER AMENDMENT COMMITTEE. OKAY. AND THEN THERE'LL BE TWO HEARINGS SCHEDULED FOR. OKAY. DID WE GET, DID EVERYBODY HEAR THAT? SO LET ME JUST REPEAT WHAT I BELIEVE I HEARD, UM, TO MAKE SURE I HEARD CORRECTLY. SO, TH THIS PROCESS OF MEETING CONFER AND SPEAKING WITH COMMISSIONS ALL HAS TO HAPPEN BY THE END OF THIS MONTH WITH THE COMMISSIONS BY THE END OF THIS MONTH. YOU CAN ALWAYS TAKE YOUR FEEDBACK, PUT IT IN WRITING, YOU CAN PASS WHATEVER MOTIONS YOU WANT. YOU CAN, UH, ARE WELCOME TO COME INDIVIDUALLY, UH, TO THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING AS WELL, AND PARTICIPATE IN THAT. TODAY IS THE DAY THAT WE WERE BRINGING OUR TEAM TO COME AND TALK THROUGH IT. I'LL COMMIT TO E UM, MEETING WITH EACH OF, UM, OF YOU IN, IN PERSON, UM, SO THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE ABLE TO DO THAT IN PERSON. UH, AND, UH, WE'LL CO UM, COMMIT. IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS IN WRITING, WE CAN COME BACK WITH THOSE IN WRITING. UH, BUT I, I WANNA RESPECT YOUR TIME, BUT JUST KNOW, WE KNEW THAT THIS WAS GONNA BE A BIG DISCUSSION. WE'RE HERE TODAY AS LONG AS YOU WANT US TO BE HERE TODAY. I, I WOULD ASK ALSO, UH, I THINK THE QUESTIONS WERE ASKED, I THINK THERE'S AN EXPECTATION TO THE PUBLIC THAT THEY ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT WE'RE GIVEN TODAY. UH, AND IF THERE'S ADDITIONAL, YOU MAY NOT GET THIS PANEL OF FOLKS. IF YOU WANT TO HAVE SOME MORE DISCUSSION, I'M SURE JOE CAN COME, COME BY AND HELP, UH, BECAUSE IT'S DIFFICULT TO COORDINATE ALL OF US. MM-HMM. SO SOME EFFORT WENT INTO IT. SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ACTUALLY GET TO THOSE QUESTIONS THAT WE'RE ASKING. I UNDERSTAND. AND, AND SO MY CONCERN, UH, WITH JUST HEARING THE TIMELINE IS, IS THE, THE PUBLIC NATURE OF IT, RIGHT? WE DO WANT THE PUBLIC TO HEAR WHAT OUR QUESTIONS ARE AND WHAT THE RESPONSES ARE. SO WE KNOW IT'S ALL A FAIR PROCESS. IT'S OUT IN THE OPEN. AND SO WE HAVE TWO WEEKS TO ACCOMPLISH THAT, WHICH MEANS IS PROBABLY NOT GONNA HAPPEN. THIS, THIS, I WOULD SAY THAT ALL HAPPENS AT THE COUNCIL MEETING. SO THE COUNCIL MEETING IS REALLY WHAT IS DESIGNED IN LAW TO BE THE DISCUSSION ON THIS. AND IT USED TO BE YOU JUST HELD ONE MEETING AND PUT ON THE CHARTER THAT CHANGED, UH, BY STATE LAW. IN ORDER TO CHANGE THE CHARTER, YOU HAVE TO HAVE THREE DIFFERENT HEARINGS WHERE ALL QUESTIONS CAN COME FORWARD. CITY STAFF WILL BE RESPONDING TO QUESTIONS FROM THAT. UM, SO ABSOLUTELY, I THINK YOU SPEND THE TIME BETWEEN, LIKE THIS IS THE INTRODUCTORY. YOU HAVE THE TIME BETWEEN NOW AND WHEN WE GO TO COUNCIL TO, UH, GIVE ANY EITHER FORMAL DIRECTION FROM THE BOARD OR INDIVIDUAL, THEN YOU CAN COME AND PARTICIPATE IN THAT AS WELL. AND THEN THAT'S WHERE [01:45:01] THE COUNCIL REALLY HEARS THAT DISCUSSION. KIM PROPOSED CHARTER LANGUAGE CHANGE AFTER THE END OF THE MONTH. SO IF IT CHANGES, WE GO BACK THROUGH THE MEET AND CONFER PROCESS. SO WE HAVE GOT OUR CHARTER LANGUAGE THAT IS OUT THERE. UM, IT IS POSSIBLE, BUT IT IS ALSO GONNA BE DIFFICULT TO HIT ALL THE TIMELINES TO DO THAT. AND SO THE CHARTER LANGUAGE, UH, IS IN FRONT OF YOU. IF YOU HAVE ANY INPUT ON THAT, I WOULD LIKE TO, YOU KNOW, TALK ABOUT SOME OF THAT TODAY OR IN THE NEXT COUPLE WEEKS. YOU COULD GIVE US, UM, IN WRITING. AND THEN, UM, UH, SO THAT WE CAN WRAP UP OUR MEET AND CONFER IN MARCH, AND THEN BE ABLE TO STAY ON SCHEDULE TO BE IN FRONT OF THE COUNCIL IN APRIL AND MAY. COMMISSIONER . SO I APPRECIATE THE QUESTIONS AROUND MAKING SURE THAT THE PUBLIC IS INCLUDED, THAT THE COMMUNITY'S INCLUDED. UM, HOW, AND, AND, AND THIS CAN, I, I, THIS IS A SUGGESTION. UM, I SUGGEST THAT THE CITY DO A MUCH BETTER JOB THAN IT HAS, UM, IN RAISING AWARENESS AROUND THIS ISSUE FOR THE COMMUNITY. UM, BECAUSE IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HAVING COMMUNITY INPUT, BUT WE KIND OF JUST SLIDE THIS QUIETLY THROUGH ALL THREE COUNCIL MEETINGS, THEN I START TO THINK ABOUT THAT C WORD THAT THE PRESIDENT KEPT BRINGING UP EARLIER. UM, BECAUSE I HAVE EXPERIENCED THAT AT TIMES, NOT JUST WITH THIS CITY COUNCIL, BUT WITH OTHER, UH, GOVERNMENT ENTITIES THAT MAKE DECISIONS THAT IMPACT THE COMMUNITY BEING VERY QUIET ABOUT WHEN THOSE DECISIONS ARE GONNA BE MADE, WHEN THOSE DECISIONS ARE GONNA BE TALKED ABOUT, WHEN THE COMMUNITY CAN PROVIDE INPUT. SO IF WE'RE LETTING THE COMMUNITY KNOW THE DAY BEFORE THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING WHERE WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THIS, THAT'S NOT GONNA BE ACCEPTABLE. AND SO IF THAT HAPPENS, TOM, IF THAT HAPPENS, MAYOR RICHARDSON, UM, THEN THE GLOVES COME OFF, THEN, THEN I, THEN I JUST PUT ON MY COMMUNITY ADVOCATE HAT ON AND SAY, WHY AREN'T YOU INCLUDING THE COMMUNITY? BECAUSE I'M, I'M GIVING YOU FAIR WARNING ON THAT. IF I HAVE TO HEAR ABOUT THIS FROM OTHER COMMUNITY MEMBERS AFTER THE FACT, THAT'S NOT GONNA BE ACCEPTABLE. SO I HOPE THAT BOTH CITY STAFF, THIS COMMISSION AND THE COMMUNITY ARE KEPT ABREAST THAT WE'RE MADE AWARE OF THESE HEARINGS, ESPECIALLY AT OUR CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS, WHERE THIS IS GONNA BE DISCUSSED. LET'S BE MORE PROACTIVE, BECAUSE THAT'S BEEN MY EXPERIENCE AROUND A WHOLE BUNCH OF THINGS THAT WE DON'T LIKE TO RAISE THE FLAG WHEN SOMETHING IS GONNA BE CONTROVERSIAL, WHERE SOMETHING'S GONNA BE INTENSE. LET'S FACE THIS HEAD ON AND FIND THE SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM. BUT LET'S MAKE SURE THAT IT IS AN INCLUSIVE PROCESS. SO ALL I AGREE, UM, ALL COMMISSION MEETINGS OR ALL THOSE CHARTER AMENDMENT COMMITTEE MEETINGS ARE PUBLIC MEETINGS EIGHT DAY IN ADVANCE NOTICE, UM, EVERYTHING WILL BE AVAILABLE EIGHT DAYS IN ADVANCE. AND THEN, UM, THEY ARE SPACED SO THAT THEY CAN'T HAPPEN ONE AFTER THE OTHER, AFTER THE OTHER. SO THEY HAVE TO HAPPEN WITHIN, I THINK, 30 DAYS OF EACH OTHER. SO THERE'S TIME TO DO THAT. I WOULD PUT THAT CHARGE TO YOU AS WELL. IF YOU, IF THERE'S PEOPLE THAT YOU WANT TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS, UM, PLEASE INVITE THEM TO THOSE. I WILL HAVE MEMOS OUT THAT'LL SAY WHEN THESE TIMES ARE HAPPENING, THEY'LL ALL BE PUBLICLY NOTICED AGENDAS. AND YEAH. IT'S A CHANCE FOR EVERYONE TO COME AND GET QUESTIONS ANSWERED. YEAH. TOM, IF I CAN, I, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE, YOU'RE A GUY WHO MOVES FAST. I GOT THAT IN YOUR FIRST MEETING. I DIDN'T APPRECIATE THAT YOU RAISED YOUR VOICE AT US, BUT I GOT THAT YOU MOVED FAST. YOU MOVE FAST, YOU MOVE HARD. THAT'S YOUR, THAT'S YOUR STYLE. I, I GET IT. LET, LET'S TALK ABOUT WHERE I THINK THE ORIGINAL SIN IS HERE. UM, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A MAJOR CHANGE IN THE WAY THE CITY OPERATES IT. AND YOU ARE SAYING TO US THAT ESSENTIALLY TO MAKE YOUR DEADLINE, WHICH IS A SELF-IMPOSED DEADLINE OF THIS NOVEMBER, UH, ELECTION, YOU HAVE TO BE WRAPPED UP ESSENTIALLY WITH EVERYTHING IN TWO WEEKS. I, YOU KNOW, HIGHER ED DOES A LOT OF THINGS WRONG, BUT OUR FACULTY WOULD NEVER LET US GET AWAY WITH THAT. IF WE EVEN STARTED TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT IN HIGHER ED, OUR FACULTY WOULD HAVE US RUN OUT OF THERE. SO I THINK WE NEED TO TAKE A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO CHANGE MANAGEMENT, WHICH IS THAT THE CHANGE TAKES AS MUCH TIME AS IT TAKES TO GET THE CHANGE, RIGHT? AND IF WE DON'T MEET THAT PRESET DEADLINE, THAT'S 'CAUSE WE DIDN'T START EARLY ENOUGH. THAT'S NOT ON THE COMMISSION, THAT'S NOT ON THE UNIONS. I HAVE A FEELING THAT THERE ARE SOME REALLY GOOD, VALID QUESTIONS THAT THE UNIONS HAVE THAT MAY NOT BE ANSWERED YET. MR. CHAIR, I WANNA RAISE THE POINT OF ORDER. YEAH. I WANNA RAISE A POINT OF ORDER FOR THE SAKE OF TIME. WE, UH, TOOK YOUR QUESTIONS AND WE'RE PREPARED TO ANSWER THEM. AND NOW IT SEEMS LIKE BEFORE THE CITY MANAGER IS GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS, WE'RE RECEIVING EVEN [01:50:01] MORE FEEDBACK AND QUESTIONS. SO FOR THE SAKE OF TIME AND PROCESS AND TO BE RESPECTFUL OF EVERYONE'S TIME, WILL THE CITY MANAGER HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO RESPOND TO THOSE QUESTIONS TODAY? YEAH, I CERTAINLY THINK SO, BUT I THINK WE WERE GETTING CLARITY ON THE QUESTION, BUT YES. YEAH, THE QUE THE, I MEAN, TIMETABLE, CORRECT. AND SO THAT JUST BRINGS UP A WHOLE NEW SET OF QUESTIONS AT THAT, THAT PART WASN'T NECESSARILY PRESENTED IN DEPTH IN, IN THE PRESENTATION OR ELSE MY QUESTIONS WOULD'VE COME AT THAT POINT. SO, YOU KNOW, CIVIL, CIVIL SERVICE IS THE DEPARTMENT THAT DOES THIS HEAVY LIFTING THAT'S GONNA CHANGE. AND SO TO GIVE US TWO WEEKS TO, TO, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT JUST IS NOT CLEAR, IS NOT TWO WEEKS. YOU CAN PROVIDE YOUR FEEDBACK, UH, BETWEEN NOW, SO WE'RE PRESENTING TO YOU, BUT THE WINDOW FOR FEEDBACK IS BETWEEN NOW AND APRIL. THAT IS NOT TWO WEEKS. WELL, IT'S TWO WEEKS. IF WE WANT TO HAVE POTENTIALLY A POSITIVE EFFECT IN THE LANGUAGE OF THIS PROPOSAL OR ELSE AS, AS ONE OF YOU MENTIONED, THE MEET INCOME FIRST STARTS AGAIN, RIGHT? SO THAT'S, THAT'S THE POINT FOR ME THAT WE HAVE TWO WEEKS TO MAKE ANY POSITIVE EFFECT, ANY POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION TO THIS LANGUAGE. AND THAT DOES NOT NEARLY GIVE US ENOUGH TIME FOR THE WEIGHT THAT ALL OF THIS WORK CARRIES FOR, FOR ALL OF US, MY FOLKS, THERE'S TWO THINGS BEING CONSIDERED PREFERENCES AND ALIGNMENT OF THE HIRING. SO I WOULD OFFER MAYBE YOU HAVE HOLD A DISCUSSION ON PREFERENCES AND THEN THE WEEK AFTER YOU HAVE HOLD THE DISCUSSION ON, UM, ON THE ALIGNMENT OF THE HIRING SO THAT YOU CAN GET YOUR FEEDBACK. AND THEN AFTER YOU'VE DONE THOSE DISCUSSIONS, CONVEY, YOU KNOW, IF THERE ARE SOME IDEAS THAT YOU HAVE, UH, HAVE THAT HAVE AN ACTIVE CONVERSATION WITH STAFF, UH, BECAUSE IF THERE ARE GOOD IDEAS, WE WANT TO HEAR THEM, RIGHT? AND ABSOLUTELY. SO WE WANNA BE ABLE TO PRO TO PROVIDE THAT. AND WHEN I SAID EARLIER, THE, THE INCLUSIVITY IS IF WE'RE GONNA MAKE CHANGES, WHICH WE ALL AGREE NEED TO HAPPEN TO, TO IMPROVE OUR PROCESS, WE'RE ON THE SAME TEAM HERE IN TERMS OF TEAM MAKE IT BETTER. I WOULD ASK, I THEN, MY REQUEST TODAY WOULD BE TO HEAR FROM THE STAFF THAT ARE HERE TODAY. AND, UM, AND THEN WHAT WE DO SOMETIMES IS THERE ARE ADDITIONAL COM QUESTIONS COME UP. WE SET A PARKING LOT, WE ADD THOSE QUESTIONS, AND THEN WE RESPOND IN WRITING TO THE QUESTIONS WE WEREN'T ABLE TO GET TO IN PER, WE DO THIS ON THE CITY COUNCIL ALL THE TIME. SO IF ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS COME UP, WE TAKE THEM AND WE RESPOND, UH, WE RESPOND TO THOSE QUESTIONS IN WRITING. SO THAT, THAT IS AN OPTION TOO. BUT I, I DO WANT TO BE, UH, MINDFUL, I WANNA ASK YOU TO GIVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO STAFF WHO ARE ALL HERE AND THEY RUN DEPARTMENTS TO ANSWER SOME OF THE VERY GOOD QUESTIONS THAT YOU RAISED EARLIER. UH, BECAUSE THE PUBLIC IS PAYING ATTENTION TO THIS MEETING AND THEY NEED TO HEAR THAT. I, I UNDERSTAND. AND LIKE I SAID, RESPECTFULLY, HAVE THE TIMELINE BEEN BROUGHT UP DURING THE PRESENTATION, THEN THOSE QUESTIONS WOULD'VE BEEN INCLUDED WITH MY COMMENTS EARLIER. OKAY. UM, BUT WE HAVE, WE HAVE THIS BRAIN TRUST HERE WITH EVERY CITY, EVERY, UH, EMPLOYEE OF THE DEPARTMENT THAT CAN PROVIDE SOME GOOD POSITIVE FEEDBACK FOR THIS CHANGE. AND I JUST DON'T BELIEVE WE'RE BEING AFFORDED THAT OPPORTUNITY. YOU, AND THIS IS THE IMPARTIALITY THAT WE'RE SAYING. LET'S HEAR, LET'S GET THE, GET THE CLARITY, AND THEN WE CAN, WE CAN GO ON NEXT STEPS. THANKS A LOT, MR. MR. PRESIDENT, MAYOR, YOU WANNA QUALIFY THAT ALL OF THE TIMELINE WAS LAID OUT IN THE JANUARY 18TH PROPOSAL. SO ALL OF THAT IS IN THERE. WE TALKED ABOUT DOING THIS THROUGH MARCH, AND WE TALKED ABOUT MEET AND CONFER. WE TALKED ABOUT THE SCHEDULE. SO I DO THINK IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A MISNOMER TO SAY IT'S TWO WEEKS, IT IS NOT. IT STARTED JANUARY 18TH. YOU HELD A MEETING RIGHT AFTER THAT TO DISCUSS. SO DISCUSSIONS IN WHICH WE ASKED YOU TO SHOW UP BEFORE US, AND WE WERE NOT READY AT THAT POINT. I GAVE YOU EVERYTHING THAT WE HAD, AND NOW WE CAME TO HAVE ANOTHER DISCUSSION. AND YOU HAVE ALL THE WAY THROUGH, UH, FEBRUARY, MARCH, AND THEN WE GET INTO THE HEARINGS IN APRIL. UH, CHANGES CAN OCCUR, BUT IF THEY DO OCCUR, IF THERE'S SOMETHING MAJOR, IT'S GONNA GO BACK TO ME AND CONFER IF IT'S SOMETHING MINOR. THOSE ARE QUICK DISCUSSIONS. SO AGAIN, THIS IS, UH, IT IS NOT, UH, REALLY ACCURATE TO SAY IT'S ONLY TWO WEEKS. MR. MR. PRESIDENT, CAN I, UM, ASK A QUESTION? WOULD IT, WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE, MR. MONICA, TO GET THE SCHEDULE THAT I UNDERSTAND A LOT OF THAT THE BARGAINING UNITS HAVE, UM, THAT SCHEDULE IS NOT BEING GIVEN TO THE COMMISSION AND THAT MIGHT, THAT, THAT WAS IN THE MEMO, BUT YES. UM, WE'LL, WE CAN RESEND IT AGAIN. OKAY. THAT WOULD BE GREAT. AND I'M SORRY, WHAT MEMO? WHAT MEMO WAS JANUARY 18TH PROPOSAL? THE SIX PAGES WHERE WE TALKED ABOUT ALL OF THIS. SO WHERE EVERYTHING WAS LAID OUT. SO THERE WAS A SECTION, IF I REMEMBER THAT SAID, THIS IS WHEN MEET AND CONFER WAS LOOKING TO HAPPEN. SO WE CAN, AND JOKING TALKED TO THAT AS WELL. OKAY. DID THAT GO TO THE COMMISSION DIRECTLY? YES. THAT WENT OUT TO EVERY SINGLE CITY EMPLOYEE. AND THAT WENT TO, [01:55:01] YOU KNOW, TO THE COMMISSION AS WELL. AND I EMAILED IT INDIVIDUALLY TO EVERY SINGLE COMMISSION MEMBER. YES, WE HAVE SEEN THAT REPORT. IT WAS VAGUER THAN WHAT WE JUST DISCUSSED. SO I THINK CLARITY ON ACTUAL DATES NOW WOULD BE HELPFUL. OKAY. WE CAN GIVE THE SPECIFIC DATES IF IT DIDN'T HAVE SPECIFIC DATES, BUT IT DID TALK ABOUT THROUGH THE END OF MARCH, UM, FOR THE MEET AND CONFER SIDE. AND WE JUST WERE TOLD THROUGH THE END OF FEBRUARY, SO YOU'RE JUST TELLING US THAT THAT SIX PAGE MEMO WAS WRONG. WE SAID WE'RE GOING THROUGH, UM, THROUGH FEBRUARY AND INTO A LITTLE BIT OF MARCH, AND THEN WE WOULD, WE WANNA WRAP UP BY THAT TIME. OKAY. I SAY IF I MISSPOKE, I DID NOT MEAN TO SAY TWO WEEKS. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, BUT OUR SCHEDULE IS MARCH AND FEBRUARY AND MARCH, SO TO BE ABLE TO GET ON, AND JOEY, IF YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT THE ACTUAL DATE THAT WE NEED TO LIKE, PUT SOMETHING FORWARD. ALRIGHT, WE'RE PLEASE, PLEASE CONTINUE. OKAY. UM, I DO WANT TO TALK, UH, THE MAYOR ASKED ME TO TALK TO A COUPLE THINGS. UM, ONE IS ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY. SO, UH, UM, COMMISSIONER GORDON, YOU AND I HAVE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THAT. UM, I, UH, I DO WANT TO SAY IS PART OF WHAT WE SHOWED ON THAT SLIDE WAS BECAUSE WE HEARD FROM ALL OF YOU THAT YOU WANT A HIGHER LEVEL OF, OF ACCOUNTABILITY. THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS I TALKED TO EACH ONE OF YOU ABOUT. AND WE HEARD THIS CONCEPT COME UP. UM, AND SO WE WERE TRYING TO HIGHLIGHT THAT THERE ARE ADDITIONAL STEPS. IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE DON'T HAVE ACCOUNTABILITY. I MEET WITH MY DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS EITHER EVERY TWO WEEKS OR EVERY MONTH. WE TALK ABOUT HIRING, WE TALK ABOUT THE PROCESS. UM, WHAT I AM COMMITTING TO DO, UM, AND THIS IS SOMETHING I TALKED TO CHRISTINA ABOUT TOO, IS SHE BRINGS UP THE POINT THAT IT, YOU KNOW, ARE THERE LISTS WHERE PEOPLE ARE NOT HIRING FROM? WE HAVE OUR EXPERTS IN THE, IN THE, UH, AUDIENCE TODAY WHO ARE GONNA TELL YOU SOME OF THOSE STORIES. I THINK YOU NEED TO HEAR THEM, THE INPUT DIRECTLY FROM DEPARTMENTS ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING THERE. BUT I AM BRINGING IT TO ANOTHER LEVEL WHERE, UM, WE ARE NOW GRADING PEOPLE. WE HAVE A NEW PROCESS FOR HOW YOU GET YOUR COMPENSATION. AND THAT JUST STARTED THIS YEAR. UM, AND SO WE'RE BRINGING UP AND SAYING, MY EXPECTATION TO ALL OF YOU AS DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS IS THAT YOU ARE GONNA CREATE EVEN MORE ACCOUNTABILITY WITHIN YOUR DEPARTMENT. THAT I'M GONNA BE GRADING YOU SPECIFICALLY ON HOW YOU'RE PAYING ATTENTION TO HIRING. MEANING THEY'RE GONNA BE PUSHING THAT DOWN TO THEIR BUREAU MANAGERS, TO THEIR DIVISION OFFICERS, UH, AND THEN ALSO THERE. SO I DON'T MEAN TO IMPLY THAT THERE IS NOT ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE SYSTEM. THERE ABSOLUTELY IS. UH, BUT THAT, THAT IS AN EXTRA LEVEL. I THINK WE'RE FOCUSED HERE A LOT TODAY ON THE HIRING. WHEN THERE IS AN ELIGIBILITY LIST, I WILL TELL YOU, AND YOU'RE, YOU'LL HEAR FROM THE DEPARTMENTS TODAY, THE BIGGER ISSUE THAT WE HEAR FOR ALL THE TIME IS HIRING. WHEN THERE IS NO ELIGIBILITY LIST, WHEN IT GOES TWO YEARS, THREE YEARS, WHEN LISTS ARE EXTENDED. WHEN WE ASK YOU, UH, AND ASK THE STAFF, PLEASE DO NOT EXTEND THOSE LISTS. AND THEY'RE EXTENDED ANYWAY. THAT IS WHAT WE HEAR IS SAY, WELL, THERE'S PEOPLE ON THIS LIST. UM, AND WHY SHOULD WE EXTEND THEM? I DO WANT TO ANSWER ONE OF THE QUESTIONS ABOUT, UM, CROSSING GUARDS. 'CAUSE SOMEBODY ACTUALLY JUST PROVIDED THAT. SO IN OCTOBER, THERE WERE 83 CANDIDATES, UM, FROM CIVIL SERVICE. UH, WE CALLED EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. 16 RESPONDED TO INTERVIEW OFFERS, ONLY 16. EVERY SINGLE ONE WAS INTERVIEWED, ALL 16 WERE INTERVIEWED. 12 WERE DEEMED QUALIFIED AND GOOD TO FIT. UM, FOUR WERE, UH, DEEMED TO BE UNQUALIFIED OR NOT A GOOD FIT. UH, WE THEN, UH, TWO CLEARED BACKGROUNDS RIGHT AWAY IN NOVEMBER. UH, ONE OF THOSE OPTED OUT DUE TO IMPACTS TO THEIR PENSION. UH, AND THEN, UM, AS A PRESENT TODAY, WE'VE HIRED 11 GUARDS. UH, TWO ADDITIONAL ONES WERE RELEASED BECAUSE THEY WERE, UM, CALPERS RETIREES FROM ANOTHER CITY. AND WE HAVE MORE INTERVIEWS NEXT WEEK. AND SO I DON'T THINK IT'S A CLEAR PICTURE TO SAY 0, 0, 0, 0, 0. UH, WE REACHED OUT TO ALL OF THOSE. I CAN PUT THIS AS IN WRITING AS WELL. I THINK THAT WE HEAR THIS EXAMPLE FROM TIME TO TIME. SO THAT'LL BE A FOLLOW UP FOR US, UH, TO BE ABLE TO DO AS WELL. TOM, CAN I MAKE A POINT ON THAT REAL QUICK? YES, SIR. THAT'S VERY HELPFUL. THAT'S WHAT WE NEED. THAT'S WHAT WE'VE BEEN ASKING FOR. WHEN HARBOR CAME AND TALKED TO US AND GAVE US THAT TYPE OF NARRATIVE. WHEN DIRECTORS TAKE THE TIME TO COME AND, AND TALK TO THE COMMISSION, THINGS CHANGE FOR US. OUR PERCEPTION CHANGES. YOU SEE, THAT INSTANTLY CHANGED MY PERCEPTION OF THAT. I DIDN'T HAVE ALL THAT INFORMATION. IT SHOULDN'T ALL BE ON CIVIL SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO SEEK OUT THAT INFORMATION, EITHER. IF DEPARTMENT HEADS DON'T WANT US ASSUMING THINGS, THEY NEED TO PROVIDE US THAT KIND OF INFORMATION. MORE IN DEPTH INFORMATION. SO I APPRECIATE THAT. YOU JUST FAIR POINT. DID THAT AND YOU DID IT LIKE THAT, RIGHT? YEAH. YOU KNEW WE NEEDED THAT INFORMATION. YOU'S CRITICAL TODAY. I APPRECIATE THE URGENCY. SHOULDN'T HAVE TO BE URGENT EVERY TIME. AND WE'RE PREPARED TO TALK TO THE PLANNER AS WELL. THAT WAS ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT CAME UP. WE'D LIKE TO BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT THAT AND, AND, UH, WHAT HAPPENED THERE. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS WE TALK ABOUT DATA, UM, AN AREA WHERE, UM, WE ARE HAVING SOME CHALLENGES IS CITY STAFF DO NOT HAVE THE SAME ACCESS TO DATA THAT CIVIL SERVICE STAFF DO. THIS IS SOMETHING WE'VE TALKED ABOUT WITH CHRISTINA, UM, FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF. AND WE WERE MAKING SOME PROGRESS. IT WENT A LITTLE SLOWER, BUT WE WERE ASKING YOU FORMALLY TO HAVE ACCESS TO THE NEO GOV SYSTEM AT THE SAME LEVEL THAT YOU HAVE ACCESS TO NEO GOV. WE CANNOT RUN YOU THOSE REPORTS TO BE ABLE TO SAY, THIS IS TIME TO HIRE. THIS IS, YOU KNOW, WHERE ALL THE REQUISITIONS ARE. UM, SO THAT IS, I I AGREE. DATA IS DATA. AND, UH, AS A FOLLOW UP FOR THIS, I, UH, I WANNA PROVIDE YOU SOME OF THE DATA THAT WE'RE GETTING FROM [02:00:01] DEPARTMENTS ABOUT THEIR PAIN POINTS. UM, I ACTUALLY HAVE A DOCUMENT, IT'S ABOUT 40 PAGES LONG. WE WILL PROVIDE THAT, UH, TO BE ABLE TO SAY, THESE ARE THE AREAS WHERE YOU'RE GETTING ACTUAL FEEDBACK FROM DEPARTMENTS ON SOME OF THE, THE ON THE GROUND ACTIVITIES THAT ARE HAPPENING. UM, THE MAYOR WANTED ME TO TALK ABOUT, UM, WHAT IS DIFFERENT. UM, I WILL ACTUALLY COMBINE THAT WITH JOE. UM, BUT WHAT WILL BE DIFFERENT IS WE'LL HAVE ALL OF OUR TEAMS IN THE SAME PLACE. I MENTIONED THIS, UM, UH, EXAMPLE TO THE CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEES. WE HEARD SOME GOOD POINTS WHERE THEY SAY, HEY, WE NEED MORE HELP RECRUITING. WE HAVE RECRUITING STAFF. YOU HAVE RECRUITING STAFF. WE HAVE TWO NOW GROUPS OF RECRUITING STAFF. WE CAN DECIDE, YOU KNOW, WHAT, PUT 'EM TOGETHER. TODAY WE'RE GONNA FOCUS ON CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES, AND TOMORROW WE'RE GONNA FOCUS ON UNCLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES. RIGHT NOW, THEY BOTH DO THEIR SEPARATE WORK. SAME THING WITH RECRUITMENTS. WE'VE GOT TALENT ACQUISITION DIVISION. I THINK WE HAVE ABOUT FOUR PEOPLE IN THAT, PLUS A MANAGER. AND I BELIEVE THERE'S ABOUT EIGHT RECRUITMENT FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE SIDE. SO FOR THE 60% POSITIONS, THERE'S ABOUT EIGHT. WE HAVE ABOUT FOUR. WE NOW WILL HAVE 12. AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO SAY THEY'RE GONNA NOW FOCUS ON THESE PRIORITY RECRUITMENTS. SOME MIGHT BE CLASSIFIED AND UNCLASSIFIED. THEY'RE NOW GONNA WORK ON, ON THESE OVER HERE. AND SO WE DO NOT HAVE THAT OPTION TODAY THOUGH. THAT IS DEFINITELY ONE OF THE WAYS THAT WOULD BE DIFFERENT. UM, SO WE CAN FOCUS AND BRING A LOT OF THAT, BUT IN TERMS OF THE RULES AND THE LISTS, UM, YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE STILL GONNA EXIST. I PERSONALLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE LISTS, UH, TURNAROUND EVERY SIX MONTHS. MAYBE IF YOU HAVE A HUGE LIST, YOU EXTEND IT ONCE TO 12 MONTHS. ONE OF OUR BIGGEST PAIN POINTS WE HEAR IS THAT PEOPLE ARE ON LISTS FOR 12 MONTHS, 18 MONTHS, YOU KNOW, TWO YEARS. AND, AND AT THE SAME TIME, WE'VE GOT TOP TALENT OUT THERE THAT ARE GRADUATING FROM OUR LOCAL HIGH SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, AND THEY WANT A CHANCE TO BE ABLE TO COMPETE AS WELL. AND SO FINDING WAYS TO REFRESH THE LIST AND STILL KEEP A MERIT SYSTEM, I THINK WILL ALSO BE ONE OF THE WAYS, THE WAYS WE REALLY WANT TO PRIORITIZE WITH THE DUAL STAFF THAT WE WOULD HAVE. AND TOM, JUST TO CLARIFY, THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO REASON WE WOULD NEED A CHARTER AMENDMENT TO MAKE THAT CHANGE TO OUR ROLES. I I JUST WANNA CLARIFY THAT RIGHT NOW. WE COULD EASILY CHANGE. I MEAN, NOT EASILY. IT WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH MEET AND CONFER BECAUSE IT HAS TO GO THROUGH MEET AND CONFER. UM, THAT IS A RESPONSIBILITY WE HAVE TO THE UNIONS. BUT WE COULD ADOPT A RULE CHANGE TOMORROW. IF THE CITY HAD PRESENTED THIS SIX MONTHS AGO, WE COULD HAVE ADOPTED THAT RULE CHANGE SIX MONTHS AGO AND PROBABLY BE ADOPTING. YOU PROBABLY HAVE IT IN PLACE NOW. WELL, WE'VE BEEN ASKING FOR TWO YEARS, SO, UH, HAVE YOU ASKED ME, THAT'S WHERE WE ARE. HAVE YOU ASKED ME, TODD, ASKING OUR STAFF. HAVE YOU ASKED ME? I WORK WITH OUR STAFF. WE ASKED WITH OUR STAFF ON, HAVE YOU ASKED THE PRESIDENT OF THE COMMISSION? YES. WHEN YOU WERE LOOKING TWO, THREE YEARS AGO. IN, IN FUSE FELLOW STUDY, ONE OF THE BIG THINGS WAS GIVE MORE DIRECTION AND ABILITY FOR YOUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO HIRE, REMOVE THINGS FROM THE COMMISSION AND GIVE IT TO THE DIRECTOR. THAT WENT THROUGH A WHOLE PROCESS. VERY FEW OF THOSE WERE, WERE IMPLEMENTED. AND SO WE HAVE BEEN ASKING FOR THIS TYPE OF THING. OKAY. SO JOE, DO YOU WANT TO COME UP AND TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, THERE WERE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE HIRING PROCESS. THERE WERE QUESTIONS ABOUT, UM, UM, UH, SOME OF THE AUDITS, IF YOU CAN, THE ONES THAT THE MAYOR MENTIONED. YEAH, GOOD MORNING COMMISSIONERS. I KNOW THERE WAS A COUPLE QUESTIONS ON SORT OF THE DUE PROCESS AND HOW IT'S GONNA LOOK FOR EMPLOYEES WHO MAY WANT TO APPEAL OR HAVE CONCERNS IN THE HIRING PROCESS. SO THE, THE CHARTER LANGUAGE, UM, WOULD STILL KEEP THE COMMISSION'S, UH, CURRENT AUTHORITY AND POWER TO HEAR ALL APPEALS. SO EVERY LEVEL OF THE HIRING PROCESS THAT COULD BE APPEALED TO NOW WOULD CONTINUE TO BE APPEALED TO THE COMMISSION. SO MY UNDERSTANDING NOW IS WHEN EMPLOYEES HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT MAYBE THEIR TEST SCORES, THEIR APPLICATION WAS LATE, WHATEVER, THEY WORK THROUGH THE CIVIL SERVICE STAFF AS A STARTING POINT, AND IT WORKS ITS WAY UP THROUGH THE, THROUGH THE CHAIN AND THE CIVIL SERVICE DEPARTMENT. ULTIMATELY IT COULD BE AT THE, AS THE FINAL STEP APPEAL TO THIS COMMISSION, WE WOULD PROPO THAT WOULD BE THE SAME PROPOSAL, UH, NOW UNDER THE NEW CHARTER AMENDMENT LANGUAGE. SO WE BELIEVE THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT ANY APPEALS, ANYTHING THAT COULD BE APPEALED, UM, NOT JUST DISCIPLINARY WISE, BUT THROUGH THE HIRING PROCESS OR THE APPLICATION PROCESS, THE COMMISSION WOULD STILL HAVE THAT FINAL SAY IN THAT. UM, THERE WAS COMMENT, UH, I THINK I, I THINK COMMISSIONER GARA, YOU HAD A COMMENT ABOUT, UM, THAT THERE'S AN EXCEPTION TO THE RULE PROVISION THAT THERE COULD BE EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE. AND THOSE GO BEFORE THE COMMISSION, THE CIVIL SERVICE RULES, UM, AS THEY ARE NOW, WHICH WOULD REMAIN, AND THEY WOULD BE ONLY, COULD BE CHANGED UPON APPROVAL OF THE COUNCIL FOLLOWING MEET AND CONFER. AND THAT EXCEPTION TO THE RULE REQUEST WOULD BE A REQUEST TO THE CITY COUNCIL IN THE FUTURE. SO IT'S NOT HR, IT'S NOT THE CITY MANAGER THAT ARE MAKING THOSE FINAL DETERMINATIONS ON RULE EXCEPTIONS OR, UH, ON, ON THE, ON THE APPLICANT'S APPEALS PROCESS. SO EACH OF THOSE STEPS WOULD BE HEARD. I HEARD SOME CONCERNS ABOUT A DISCRIMINATION IN THE HIRING PROCESS. UM, HOW, HOW DO WE, HOW ARE WE ON ON GUARD AGAINST THAT WOULD BE THE SAME THING AS IT IS NOW. UM, OUR UNDERSTANDING WOULD BE IF EMPLOYEES HAVE, UH, CONCERNS THAT ANYTHING IN THEIR PROTECTED STATUS WAS THERE WAS DISCRIMINATION THAT WOULD FALL UNDER THE CITY'S POLICIES, IT WOULD GO TO THE EEO UH, DIVISION WITHIN THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT. OF COURSE, YOU ALL AS COMMISSIONERS WOULD RETAIN YOUR AUTHORITY TO MAKE A DECISION. UM, IF SOMEBODY SAYS, I I WAS JUST, YOU KNOW, THE TESTING PROCESS WAS DISCRIMINATORY, YOU, YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE YOUR DECISION, RIGHT? IF YOU SAY, I WANT, I WANNA PUT THEM ON THAT LIST, I WANNA, I WANNA MOVE THEM FORWARD IN THE PROCESS, YOU'D STILL HAVE THAT ABILITY. BUT AS IT IS NOW, [02:05:01] UM, THE EEO DIVISION WOULD BE THE ONES CONDUCTING THAT A COMPREHENSIVE AND THOROUGH EVALUATION ON A DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINT. UM, WE TALKED ABOUT APPEALS AND, AND, AND HOW THE CONCERNS YEAH, THE, THE, THE APPEALS, WE WOULD BE HEARD AT THE, AT A REGULAR BUSINESS MEETING, RIGHT? SO IT WOULD FUNCTION THE SAME WAY AS IT DOES NOW, RIGHT? UH, CIVIL SERVICE STAFF IS AWARE THAT AN APPLICANT OR AN EMPLOYEE WANTS TO FILE AN APPEAL. THEY'LL WORK WITH THE, THEY WOULD WORK WITH THE HR DEPARTMENT AND INSTEAD, INSTEAD, NOW THEY'RE WORKING WITH THE COMMISSION OR THE CIVIL SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT WOULD GET PUT ON A COMMISSION AGENDA. IT WOULD BE AGENDIZED AND BE A PUBLIC HEARING. SO IT WOULD BE A VERY, VERY PUBLIC FORMAL HEARING FOR THAT APPLICANT TO COME AND APPEAL THE STEPS OF THE PROCESS JUST AS THEY DO RIGHT NOW. I BELIEVE THAT WAS ALL THE QUESTIONS ON APPEALS, BUT SO, SO JOE, YEAH, RIGHT NOW WE APPROVE EXTENSION OF NON-CAREER HOURS. WHO HAS THAT AUTHORITY? UH, JUST AS IT IS UNDER ALL THE AGENCIES WE'VE STUDIED EXCEPT SAN DIEGO. UM, THAT'S GONNA GO TO PROFESSIONAL AND TECHNICAL STAFF IN THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT. AGAIN, SUBJECT TO THE RULES, ANYTHING OUTSIDE THE RULES THAT HAS TO GO TO THE CITY COUNCIL FOR APPROVAL OR IF IT'S AN APPEAL THAT COMES FORWARD TO YOU. SO LET ME POINT OUT THE PROBLEM HERE. AND I THINK OUR FRIENDS, UH, AT I AM, UH, KNOW THIS WELL. WE HAVE CLASSIFIED WORK GOING TO NON CAREER HOURLY. OUR ALL RIGHT, MY, MY FELLOW COMMISSIONER HERE, VICKI, LOVE CALLS THE DEPARTMENTS OUT ON IT EVERY SINGLE TIME. EVERY SINGLE TIME. THAT'S WHAT SILENCED, OKAY, SO ANO ANOTHER QUESTION. JOE, UH, WHO APPROVES PROVISIONAL APPOINTMENTS? APPLE PROVISIONAL APPOINTMENTS. AGAIN, IT'S, THERE'S, THERE, THERE IS CRITERIA IN THE RULES ABOUT APPROVING, UH, PROVISIONAL APPOINTMENTS. AGAIN, THAT'S GONNA BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD GO TO TECHNICAL PROFESSIONAL HR STAFF TO REVIEW AND APPROVE. UM, BUT I THINK OVERALL, I, I THINK YOUR POINT'S TAKEN, IF THERE'S SOME FEEDBACK THAT WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR THAT, RIGHT? IF YOU HAVE A CONCERN ABOUT THOSE AREAS BEING HANDLED, BUT THAT THOSE ARE THE PROCESSES THAT ARE HANDLED IN HR DE DEPARTMENTS UP AND DOWN THE STATE. SO PROVISIONAL APPOINTMENTS, WE HIRE OUR FAVORITE PERSON INTO A PROVISIONAL APPOINTMENT, AND THEN THIS ALREADY HAPPENS. WE'VE HEARD IT, WE WAIT, THE DEPARTMENT'S WAIT ON A HIRING WAIT ON THE LIST UNTIL THAT PREFERRED PERSON CAN GET ONTO THE LIST. OKAY? SO WE, WE WON'T HAVE A VOICE IN THAT OTHER, UM, JOE WHO, WHO WOULD VOTE ON EXTENDING PROBATIONARY PERIODS, EX EXTENSION OF PROBATIONARY PERIODS. AGAIN, THAT'S IN THE, THOSE, THESE ARE, UM, WHAT, UM, ARE DEEMED AS LIKE THE ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS THAT ARE PERFORMED, AGAIN AT HR DEPARTMENTS ACROSS, UP AND DOWN THE STATE. AGAIN, SUBJECT, SUBJECT TO RULES THAT ARE IN PLACE. YOU KNOW, AS A PERSON WHO IS EMPLOYEES FIRST, WHEN YOU TAKE AWAY THE OVERSIGHT, TAKE AWAY THE COMMISSION'S AUTHORITY TO QUESTION WHY IS A DEPARTMENT TIME AFTER TIME, AFTER TIME AFTER TIME, REQUESTING AN EXTENSION OF PROBATION WITH ALL THE UNCERTAINTY, WITH ALL THE IMPACTS ON SALARY, ALL THE IMPACTS ON LIVELIHOOD, WELLNESS, THAT THAT INCLUDES TO BE PUT ON PROBATION FOR ANOTHER TWO MONTHS, FOUR MONTHS, SIX MONTHS AFTER YOU'VE ALREADY DONE WHAT WE HAVE AGREED THE CITY SHOULD DO. SO YEAH, LET, LET'S BE CLEAR. WE'VE, WE MADE THIS OUT THAT THE COMMISSION DOES A LOT OF UNNECESSARY THINGS, BUT THEY'RE NECESSARY. WE HAVE FULL ON CONVERSATIONS BECAUSE THEY'RE NECESSARY. WE HAVE, I I I THINK THIS IS BEING TREATED IN A SIMPLE WAY WHEN IT'S NOT SIMPLE. NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT STAFFING. IF WE'RE PROVIDING INDEPENDENT OVERSIGHT, WHERE IS OUR INDEPENDENT INFORMATION IN CONSOLIDATED DEPARTMENT? ALL OF OUR INFORMATION WOULD BE COMING FROM YOU NOW, CORRECT? YEAH. OKAY. ALL DUE RESPECT. NEVER SEEN YOU IN ONE OF OUR MEETINGS UNTIL NOW. UM, INFORMATION CONTROL IS CONTROL. OKAY. I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY WHAT WE'RE ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT AS, AS CHANGES, [02:10:01] BECAUSE THERE ARE, THEY ARE SIGNIFICANT. YEAH. AND I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY ONE POINT YOU MADE THAT ABOUT A, A, THE TERM LIKE UNNECESSARY LIKE DUTIES. I DON'T THINK THAT'S HOW WE PORTRAYED IT IN THE, IN THE PROPOSAL. IT'S THAT THESE ARE ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS THAT, UM, MOST COMMISSIONS ARE NOT OBSERVING UP AND DOWN THE STATE, AND SO THAT THE COMMISSION IS BURDENED WITH THOSE TASKS. SO I, I JUST WANNA CLARIFY, I DON'T THINK THAT THERE WAS AN INTENT TO CALL THEM UNNECESSARY REVIEW AND OVERSIGHT OF THOSE TASKS ARE NECESSARY, UM, VERY NECESSARY. THAT'S WHY THERE'S RULES ESTABLISHED BEHIND THEM. IT'S JUST THE STEP OF HAVING EACH STEP OF THE HIRING PROCESS GO TO A COMMISSION IS WHAT WE SEE AS NOT IN ALIGNMENT WITH WHAT THE INDUSTRY STANDARDS ARE. SO, UM, JUST TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTOOD CORRECTLY, EVERY PART OF THE PROCESS THAT, THAT WE APPROVE, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE, WILL GO TO HR AND ANY EXCEPTION TO THE RULE WILL GO TO CITY COUNCIL. DID I UNDERSTAND THAT CORRECTLY? YES. WITH THE EMPLOYEES WHO APPEAL, HAVE APPEAL, UM, RIGHTS AT EACH OF THOSE STEPS, THOSE WOULD STILL COME TO THIS COM COMMISSION. OKAY. AND JUST, UM, PRACTICALLY SPEAKING, I'M THINKING OF, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAVE BUSINESS MEETINGS TO DISCUSS THIS BUS, THIS BUSINESS AND APPROVALS AND ALL THAT STUFF AND ASK QUESTIONS. AND SO IN WITH THE ABSENCE OF BUSINESS THEN, I'M, I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT VERY QUICKLY WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE, RIGHT? SO IS IT A STANDING ONCE A MONTH MEETING TO POTENTIALLY CAPTURE THOSE THINGS, YOU KNOW, OR, AND THEN THAT ADDS SOME TIMELINE, IF, YOU KNOW, SO WE HAD SOMEONE ASK FOR AN EXCEPTION TO THE RULE. UM, I BELIEVE THEY WERE TERMINATED AND THEY JUST WANTED THE OPPORTUNITY TO APPLY. AND SO WE APPROVED THAT EXCEPTION. SO THEY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO APPLY. AND SO HOW DOES THAT WORK WITH THE TIMING OF THE LIST? I MEAN, THERE'S JUST LIKE THESE REAL THINGS THAT WE DO IN OUR, IN OUR DAY-TO-DAY BUSINESS AS A COMMISSION. THAT, THAT'S THE MEAT OF THE THINGS THAT I WANNA UNDERSTAND IS HOW DOES THIS COMMISSION CONDUCT ITS BUSINESS FOR THE EMPLOYEES, FOR THE RESIDENTS, YOU KNOW, OR PERSPECTIVE EMPLOYEES OF THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. UM, SO I KNOW THAT THERE'S TIME TO FIGURE THAT OUT. HOWEVER, IN MY OPINION, THERE'S AN ABSENCE OF TIME WITH POTENTIALLY HAVING UNTIL THE END OF FEBRUARY TO KIND OF FIGURE SOME OF THESE THINGS OUT AND MAYBE CHANGE THE LANGUAGE. UM, THE OTHER THING I WANT TO JUST COMMENT BASED ON SOME OF THE RESPONSES THAT YOU'VE HAD IS THAT, UH, IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S THESE SILOS. AND, AND I'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE, AGAIN, BEING ON THE COMMISSION FOR FIVE YEARS, I'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS PLENTY OF TIMES THAT AS DEPARTMENTS WE'RE WORKING AS SILOS WHEN WE'RE NOT. I RAN FOR CITY COUNCIL PROBABLY LIKE EIGHT YEARS AGO OR SO, AND MEETING WITH THE DEPARTMENT HEADS AT THAT TIME, I WAS JUST BLOWN AWAY AT HOW LITTLE PEOPLE TALKED TO EACH OTHER. AND I GOT TO SEE, CONNECT THE DOTS WITH THE OVERLAPPING WORK THAT SHOULD HAPPEN. AND SO I AM HAPPY TO KNOW THAT SINCE I'VE BEEN ON THE COMMISSION, YOU AND CHRISTINA HAVE A MUCH BETTER WORKING RELATIONSHIP THAN PREVIOUSLY EXISTED. THESE CONCERNS, WE ARE HERE EVERY TWO WEEKS, AND I'M A LITTLE BIT DISAPPOINTED TO HEAR THAT, THAT MR. MOCA, YOU HAVE A 40 PAGE LIST OF THINGS THAT, UH, DEPARTMENTS, YOU KNOW, THINGS THAT DEPARTMENTS WOULD LIKE TO SEE DIFFERENT. IF OUR DEPARTMENT HEAD HERE IN THE CIVIL SERVICE, CHRISTINA IS NOT ADDRESSING THESE THINGS, COME TO THE COMMISSION. THERE'S A REASON WHY WE EXIST IN OVERSIGHT. JUST LIKE MR. MOKA, YOU EXIST TO HOLD YOUR DEPARTMENT HEADS ACCOUNTABLE. WE ARE HERE TO HOLD CHRISTINA ACCOUNTABLE AND THE DEPARTMENT ACCOUNTABLE, BUT WE CAN'T DO THAT IF WE DON'T KNOW SOMETHING IS WRONG. I HAVE HAD THE DESIRE, AS LONG AS I'VE BEEN ON HIS COMMISSION, TO HAVE OUR DEPARTMENT HEADS OR SOMEONE HIGH UP WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT COME TO OUR MEETINGS, TELL US WE WANT TO HEAR WHAT WE'RE NOT REALLY DOING EFFECTIVELY, EFFICIENTLY, BEST PRACTICES. WE DO WANNA HEAR ABOUT THAT. AND SO I JUST AM DUMBFOUNDED [02:15:02] AT HOW SILOED WE ARE. YOU COULD TAKE ALL OF THIS, HAVE THE CHARTER PASS, ALL OF THAT. THERE'S STILL GONNA EXIST PROBLEMS IF WE'RE STILL CONTINUING TO WORK IN SILOS. WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO, WE'RE A CITY. WE ARE COLLECTIVELY A BRAIN TRUST FOR THE PEOPLE OF LONG BEACH. WE SHOULD ALL BE WORKING TOWARDS THAT GOAL FOR THE PEOPLE OF LONG BEACH. NOW THERE'S THIS PERCEPTION, RIGHT? WE ALL HEAR THIS PERCEPTION OF THIS AND THAT, AND MAYOR RICHARDSON AND MR. MOOCH, I THINK YOU TALKED ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT, BUT ARE BE, ARE WE BEING REACTIVE TO PUBLIC PERCEPTION AND NOT ADDRESSING THE REAL ISSUE? I MEAN, I'VE WORKED WITH PUBLIC LONG ENOUGH. I'VE HAD A LONG YEAR IN PUBLIC SERVICE, A LONG TIME IN PUBLIC SERVICE. AND SO THERE WAS A THING THAT THAT WOULD SAY, IT'S LIKE, OH, WHAT SHINY THING DID YOU WORK ON? BECAUSE THE SHINY THINGS ARE WHAT PEOPLE, PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, LOOK AT. BUT WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO ADDRESS THE ROOT ISSUES. SO IT'S NOT JUST THE SHINY THING THAT'S GONNA MAKE THE PUBLIC HAPPY BECAUSE IT LOOKS GOOD. WE REALLY WANNA TACKLE THE ISSUES AT THEIR CORE. AND SO I IMPLORE OUR CITY DEPARTMENTS AND OUR CITY LEADERSHIP TO WORK OUTSIDE OF THE SILOS SO WE CAN PROVIDE SOLUTIONS SO WE CAN BE A BRAIN TRUST FOR THE PEOPLE OF LONG BEACH. UH, IF I CAN ASK JOE TO GO OVER A LITTLE BIT OF THE TIMELINE, UM, UM, LET'S JUST MAKE THAT CLARIFICATION TODAY OF LIKE, WHERE ARE WE LOOKING TO DO MEET AND CONFER AND WRAP IT UP AND THEN, AND EVERYTHING ELSE. SO I DO WANNA SAY THAT WAS IN THE PRESENTATION. I WASN'T MISTAKEN IT WASN'T IN THE MEMO. WE, IT WAS PRETTY, IT BASICALLY SAID THROUGH LIKE START THE MEET AND CONFER. IT WAS IN THE PRESENTATION THAT WE DID IN THE MEET AND CONFER THE ONE THAT WE SENT LAST WEEK, WHICH IS THE ONE THAT KIND OF WALKED THROUGH IT. SO I'D LIKE, UH, UH, JOE TO GO THROUGH THAT. SO WE HEAR IT FOR THE RECORD? YEAH. OKAY. SO IN TIMELINE, UH, WE HAVE APRIL 16TH COUNCIL MEETING IS, IS MY UNDERSTANDING THE LAST DAY TO REFER THIS ITEM TO THE CHARTER AMENDMENT COMMITTEE FOR THE TWO OTHER HEARINGS. SO PRIOR TO THAT DATE, WE HAVE TO HAVE MEET AND CONFER WRAPPED UP, BUT WE HAVE TO HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO HAVE IT WRAPPED UP AND TIME TO DO THE COUNCIL LETTER AND START THE AGENDA PROCESS, RIGHT? SO WE REALLY HAVE UNTIL SOMEWHERE IN EARLY MARCH, I THINK TO WRAP UP, MEET AND CONFER. THAT'S PROBABLY THE BEST TIMEFRAME TO GET IT WRAPPED UP. THEN WE HAVE THE APRIL 16TH COUNCIL MEETING, WHICH IS THE LAST DAY FOR THEM TO REFER TO THE CHARTER AMENDMENT COMMITTEE. AND THEN THE TWO TENTATIVE DATES AFTER THAT, I HAVE OUR MAY 21ST AND THEN JUNE 25TH, UM, AUGUST 6TH BEING THE VERY LAST DAY IT COULD POSSIBLY BE BEFORE IT GOES TO THE VOTERS. SO I KNOW THERE'S PERHAPS A COUNCIL RECESS IN JULY, THAT'S WHY THEY'RE TRYING TO LOOK AT GETTING IT WRAPPED UP IN JUNE. THAT MAY NOT HAPPEN. SO THOSE DATES ARE KIND OF TENTATIVE THERE, BUT WE REALLY DO NEED TO HAVE THE MEET AND CONFER WRAPPED UP AT THE LATEST IN EARLY MARCH TO GIVE ENOUGH TIME TO MOVE THE AGENDA ITEM FORWARD IN THE PROCESS. SO SOME OF THE OTHER QUESTIONS WE HEARD FROM WAS, UH, WE HEARD SOME VERY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT PLANNING, UM, PLANNER. UH, WE HAVE OUR DIRECTOR OF, UH, DEVELOPMENT SERVICE HERE. I'D LIKE HIM TO, UH, SPEAK TO THAT. UH, WE ALSO, UM, HAVE WITH US CHRISTINA, JASON FROM HARBOR. UH, I'D LIKE TO HAVE HER COME UP, UH, 'CAUSE THERE WERE A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAD ABOUT HARBOR AND SHE CAN KIND OF TALK ABOUT FROM HER PERSPECTIVE. AGAIN, A DEPARTMENT THAT DOESN'T REPORT TO THE CITY MANAGER. UM, SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE. AND THEN I WOULD LIKE, UM, UM, ALLISON KING, UH, WHO IS OUR ACTING DIRECTOR OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. BUT BEFORE THAT WAS A VERY, VERY ACTIVE, UM, HANDS-ON HIRING MANAGER TO BE ABLE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT OF HER PERSPECTIVE OF, OF SOME OF THE THINGS, UH, THAT SHE'D LIKE TO SHARE. CHRISTOPHER, THANK YOU CHAIR AND, UH, MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION AND, UH, COMMISSIONER KARNICA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR COMMENTS. JUST A MOMENT AGO, AT THE RISK OF BEING IMPOLITE, I THINK THERE IS A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT IS COMMUNICATED FROM DEPARTMENT HEADS TO CIVIL SERVICE STAFF AND THE CIVIL SERVICE DIRECTOR THAT NEVER MAKES IT TO THIS COMMISSION. SO I'M VERY GLAD TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT WITH YOU THIS MORNING, AND I'M GLAD TO MAKE MYSELF AVAILABLE TO ANY OF YOU. I WILL FOLLOW UP IN WRITING WITH ALL OF THE ISSUES THAT CAME UP TODAY. UM, AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU KNOW EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON. SO, UM, IN THE THE CHAIR STATEMENT, THERE WAS AN ACCUSATION THAT THE DEPARTMENT I RUN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, UM, DELAYED THE PLANNER HIRING PROCESS TO ADVANTAGE A FAVORITE CANDIDATE. IT'S CATEGORICALLY NOT TRUE, BUT LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY OR THE DAY BEFORE. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED IN DECEMBER OF 2022 RELATED TO A ONE SPECIFIC EXISTING EMPLOY AND HOW THAT WAS DEALT WITH IN A REQUISITION PROCESS WHILE THE HIRING AND LIST CREATION PROCESS CONTINUED. SO IT'S, UM, REQUISITION 22 0 8, 7 0 9 1 AND OH NINE THREE IF YOU WANT TO CHECK THE RECORDS. I'M GLAD TO PRODUCE THE EMAILS FROM MS. MCDONALD TO THE STAFF AT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT REGARDING THAT [02:20:01] MATTER. WE'VE HIRED MORE THAN SIX CANDIDATES OFF OF THE PLANNER LIST. WE'RE HIRING MORE RIGHT NOW. WE WAITED MORE THAN TWO YEARS FOR THAT LIST. I WAS TOLD THE REASON THAT WE HAD TO WAIT SO LONG WAS BECAUSE IT WASN'T OUR TOP THREE PRIORITY. UM, IN THE WORK THAT I DO FOR TOM AND FOR THE PUBLIC, EVEN IF SOMETHING'S NOT THE HIGHEST PRIORITY, THAT MEANS MAYBE I DON'T HAVE TO DO IT TODAY, BUT I DO STILL HAVE TO GET THAT WORK DONE. SO I THINK THERE'S A FUNDAMENTAL, UH, WAY OF SEEING THINGS DIFFERENT BETWEEN WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IN THE DEPARTMENTS IN TERMS OF HIRING AND THE EXERCISE THAT WE GO THROUGH WITH STAFF OF PRIORITIZING. SO OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY WAS INSPECTOR POSITIONS BECAUSE THERE'S A PUBLIC SAFETY IMPACT TO THAT. BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THE PLANNER POSITIONS DIDN'T MATTER. WE WAITED TWO YEARS FOR THAT LIST. WE WERE THEN TOLD THAT, UH, CIVIL SERVICE STAFF WAS UNAVAILABLE. WE AND THE DEPARTMENT DID ALL THE SCREENING. GLAD TO DO IT, BUT, UH, WOULD LIKE TO HAVE NOT WAITED TWO YEARS, UM, TO MAKE THAT LIST IF WE WERE GONNA DO THE SCREENING FOR THAT LIST. AS SOON AS WE RECEIVED THE LIST, WE BEGAN INTERVIEWING CANDIDATES AND WE'RE HIRING CANDIDATES. NOW FOR THAT CBII THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU HAVE ALL OF THE INFORMATION. SO ON YOUR AGENDA TODAY IS TO CERTIFY NEW CBI LIST, AND IT SHOWS THAT THE DEPARTMENT HAS NOT BEEN HIRING COMBINATION BUILDING INSPECTORS. THAT WOULD BE HORRIBLE IF THAT WERE TRUE. TEST NUMBER NINE, ONLY ONE CANDIDATE WAS FORWARDED TO THE DEPARTMENT. WE OFFERED THAT CANDIDATE A JOB. THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH DOJ WITH THEIR BACKGROUND CLEARANCE. THEY MAY NOT CLEAR BACKGROUND CHECK. THAT'S NOT IN THE DEPARTMENT'S AIR OR FAULT. WE HIRED THAT EMPLOYEE AND THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO START. TEST NUMBER THREE, THREE CANDIDATES ALL CONTACTED. ONE GOT BACK TO US ONCE WE TOLD THEM WHAT THE JOB WAS AND REMOVED THEMSELF FROM CONSIDERATION, INTERVIEWED THE OTHER CANDIDATES. TEST NUMBER 11, THREE CANDIDATES, ONE OPTED OUT DURING THE INTERVIEW BECAUSE IT BECAME CLEAR TO THEM THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE EXPERIENCE FOR THE JOB. THE TWO THAT WERE INTERVIEWED WERE NOT QUALIFIED. I DESPERATELY NEED BUILDING INSPECTORS, BUT I CAN'T SEND SOMEONE INTO THE FIELD THAT DOESN'T UNDERSTAND FRAMING, DOESN'T UNDERSTAND SAFETY OF BUILDINGS. THEY'RE THE LAST LINE OF DEFENSE FOR THINGS THAT GET BUILT, THAT THEY DON'T FALL DOWN, THAT THEY DON'T CATCH ON FIRE, THAT THEY'RE SAFE FOR OCCUPANCY. SO WE ARE IN PROCESS ON ALL OF THE NAMES THAT WERE GIVEN TO US. I DON'T THINK SHARED WITH THIS COMMISSION WAS THAT FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR ON COMBINATION BUILDING INSPECTOR, THE CIVIL SERVICE STAFF WAS INCORRECTLY DISQUALIFYING CANDIDATES. HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? THERE WAS NO CONSULTATION WITH SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS LIKE HAPPENS IN OTHER JURISDICTIONS. IT'S BEEN CORRECTED. NOW, I DON'T THINK YOU, AS COMMISSIONERS WERE INFORMED. OUR DEPARTMENT LOST A WHOLE YEAR OF BEING ABLE TO HIRE PEOPLE. THIS IS ONE OF OUR HIGHER NEED TO FILL POSITIONS. I'M NOT DELAYING ANYTHING. MY DESIRE IS TO FILL THOSE POSITIONS. THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT YOU WERE GIVEN INCORRECT INFORMATION. SO ON SEPTEMBER 25TH, 2023, A PACKET WAS OUT FOR YOUR COMMISSION MEETING. I CONTACTED THE DIRECTOR OF CIVIL SERVICE. YOU WERE TOLD THAT WE WERE HIRING NO PERMIT TECHS. NOT TRUE. HAVE THE EMAIL RIGHT HERE. I DON'T THINK THE CORRECTION WAS EVER GIVEN TO YOU AS COMMISSIONERS. PERMIT TECH TEST NUMBER ONE, SIX CANDIDATES, TWO OFFERS FROM THE DEPARTMENT. ONE OFFER DECLINED. ONE INDIVIDUAL HIRED TEST NUMBER TWO, SIX CANDIDATES, ONE OFFER, ONE HIRED TEST NUMBER THREE, FOUR CANDIDATES, TWO OFFERS BOTH OFFERS DECLINED. TEST NUMBER FOUR, FOUR INTERVIEWED TWO OFFERS MADE BOTH DECLINED AND SO ON AND SO ON. UH, IT'S NOT IN MY CONTROL. WHAT INFORMATION THAT WE SUBMIT THROUGH PROPER CHANNELS TO YOUR STAFF THEN FLOWS BACK TO THE COMMISSION. SO I JUST, I WANTED YOU TO KNOW THAT WE'LL FOLLOW UP. THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH TIME. I'M GLAD TO FOLLOW UP ON EVERY QUESTION THAT YOU MAY HAVE AND PROVIDE ALL OF THAT INFORMATION. I WANT YOU TO KNOW I AM HELD ACCOUNTABLE. THE CITY MANAGER, HE'S TALKS TO ME EVERY DAY, AND WE HAVE FORMAL MEETINGS EVERY OTHER WEEK. AND PART OF WHAT WE TALK ABOUT IS HIRING. AND I HAVE TO SHOW HIM MY VACANCY RATE. AND I HAVE TO EXPLAIN EVERY VACANCY THAT EXISTS, IT'S KILLING OUR EMPLOYEES TO HAVE HIGH VACANCY. I HAVE NO DESIRE TO HOLD BACK THE HIRING PROCESS. SO IF THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE BEING TOLD, THERE'S A BIGGER STORY HERE. ARE THERE IMPROVEMENTS TO BE MADE OTHER PLACES, NOT JUST CIVIL SERVICE? ABSOLUTELY. BUT CLEARLY THERE NEEDS TO BE IMPROVEMENTS IN CIVIL SERVICE. OUR LAST PLAN CHECKLIST IS FROM 2018. THAT'S A CRITICAL POSITION TO OUR DEPARTMENT. WE CAN'T GET A LIST. UM, AND THERE'S CROSS EFFECTS OF VACANCY. SO IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT MY DEPARTMENT. I WORK WITH MS. KING ON A DAILY BASIS. HOMELESSNESS IS IN THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT. PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING IS IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. [02:25:01] WE HAVE TO WORK DIRECTLY WHEN SHE DOESN'T HAVE STAFF. EVEN IF I HAVE A POSITION FILLED, WE CAN'T WORK TOGETHER. WE CAN'T GET THINGS DONE. WE ARE TRYING TO WORK TOGETHER. THERE ARE SILOS AND WE'RE TRYING TO MOVE PAST THOSE SILOS AND WORK TOGETHER. UM, IT'S, I TAKE THIS INCREDIBLY SERIOUSLY. THERE'S MANY PLACES I COULD WORK THAT I'M SURE WOULD BE EASIER. THIS JOB IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE. I THINK WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT BETTER BY HAVING A BETTER HIRING PROCESS. I LOVE THE MAYOR, BUT HAS GOT NEW IDEAS EVERY DAY ABOUT THE WONDERFUL THINGS THE CITY SHOULD DO. I CAN'T DO MORE THINGS WITHOUT MORE PEOPLE. I JUST CAN'T. SO I'M GLAD TO FOLLOW UP, MAKE MYSELF AVAILABLE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE TO YOU, BUT I WANTED TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS QUITE DIRECTLY AND PROVIDE YOU THAT INFORMATION AND I HOPE YOU CONSIDER IT. SURE. WHAT IS YOUR NAME AGAIN? HI, MY NAME'S UH, CHRISTOPHER KUNTZ. I'M THE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. WE OVERSEE PLANNING, BUILDING CODE ENFORCEMENT, AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. RIGHT. AND THE REASON I ASK YOU THAT IS VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT I COMMENTED TO TOM. I HOPE THIS ISN'T THE LAST TIME THAT I SEE YOU, SIR. YEAH. UM, TODAY, I, I GAVE YOU PLENTY OF TIME TO, TO SAY A LOT OF THINGS, SIR. WE DID. WE GAVE YOU PLENTY OF TIME. UM, SO I APPRECIATE ALL OF THE INFORMATION. UM, I WOULD ALSO ASK FOR OBJECTIVITY IN THIS SPACE AS WELL AND UNDERSTAND THAT, UM, YOUR BOSS IS IN THE ROOM. SO, UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU'VE REALLY GOT TO PRESENT INFORMATION THAT IS FAVORABLE TO, UM, EVERYTHING YOU JUST STATED, WHICH IS ALL BASED ON FACT. I'M NOT SAYING IT'S NOT FACTUAL, RIGHT? BUT THERE ARE MANY, MANY DIFFERENT COMPONENTS TO THIS ISSUE. UM, WE'RE TAKING ONE SLICE OF IT. UM, I'M VERY GLAD THAT YOU SHOWED UP. UM, THAT'S ONE OF THE FRUSTRATIONS FOR ME IS THAT IT'S TAKING AN ISSUE LIKE THIS FOR DEPARTMENT HEADS TO SHOW UP. WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO REQUEST FOLKS TO SHOW UP. IT SHOULDN'T TAKE FROM 2018 UNTIL TODAY FOR YOU TO BRING, IF CIVIL SERVICE DEPARTMENT IS NOT DOING THEIR JOB AND PROVIDING YOU A LIST, I WANNA KNOW ABOUT IT. AND IF YOU'VE GONE TO THE DIRECTOR AND WE DON'T, WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT BEING TOLD AND YOU THINK WE'RE NOT BEING TOLD, THEN I THINK IT'S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AS YOU DID TODAY, TO COME PRESENT THAT INFORMATION TO US AND NOT WAIT UNTIL AN ISSUE ARISES, SUCH AS A POSSIBLE BALLOT IN THE NOVEMBER ELECTION OF THIS YEAR. RIGHT? SO, FOR ME, THAT'S THE RESPONSE TO THAT. THAT I, I KEEP FEELING THIS FRUSTRATION THAT DEPARTMENT HEADS SHOW UP BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO NOW, WHEN THESE ISSUES HAVE BEEN EXISTING, AND THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO THIS COMMISSION. THIS HAS NOT BEEN BROUGHT TO ME ONE TIME SINCE I'VE BEEN ON THE COMMISSION, NOT IN A, NOT IN A HEARING. I WOULD'VE LOVED TO HAVE THIS INFORMATION, MR. KUNZ, BEFORE ALL OF THIS HAPPENED, BEFORE THIS PROPOSAL WAS EVER WRITTEN, WE WOULD'VE STARTED TO ADDRESS THIS. SO I'M VERY GLAD THAT YOU ARE ABLE TO FINALLY MAKE SOME TIME FOR THIS COMMISSION AND COME TALK TO US ABOUT THESE CONCERNS AND MAKE THESE CLARIFICATIONS, WHICH I APPRECIATE IMMENSELY BECAUSE I BASED ALL OF MY DECISIONS ON FACTS. AND SO THE MORE FACTS I HAVE FROM ALL THE PARTIES INVOLVED, AS I SAID EARLIER, THE BETTER DECISION I'M GONNA BE ABLE TO FORM ON WHAT KIND OF OPINION I HAVE ON THIS. 'CAUSE AT THIS TIME, I HAVE NO OPINION ON THIS PROPOSAL. LET'S BE CLEAR ABOUT THAT. I HAVE NO OPINION ON IT BECAUSE I DON'T FEEL I HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION. I APPRECIATE THAT YOU'RE PROVIDING MORE INFORMATION. THANK YOU, MR. KONZ. COMMISSIONER , MR. KUNZ, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND PROVIDING INFORMATION. I WILL ASK STAFF, UH, JUST AS WE DID WITH HARBOR TO FOLLOW UP WITH, UH, ALL THE INFORMATION THAT WAS PROVIDED. AND I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE, UH, FURTHER CONVERSATION ON THAT. UM, WE DID THE SAME WITH HARBOR. ONCE WE ASKED THOSE QUESTIONS, THEIR INFORMATION WAS BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION. SO YOU'VE SAID YOU BROUGHT THINGS, UH, THROUGH PROPER CHANNELS, WHICH I APPRECIATE. UM, ECHOING COMMISSIONER OSUNA HIS FEEDBACK, IF YOU ARE NOT GETTING THE RESPONSE OR THE DESIRED OUTCOME BASED ON THE DEPARTMENT NEEDS, HIRING NEEDS. AGAIN, I WILL SAY THAT THIS COMMISSION IS HERE EVERY TWO WEEKS AND AT SPECIAL MEETINGS WHENEVER WE NEED TO HAVE THOSE, UM, TO ADDRESS THESE THINGS. SO WHILE IT'S NOT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE THAT CIVIL SERVICE STAFF COMMUNICATES THINGS TO THE COMMISSION, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO KEEP TRACK OF THE TIMELINE OF HOW LONG IT TAKES AND ESCALATING THAT IF, IF YOU'RE NOT GETTING THE INFORMATION THAT YOU NEED. SO, UM, I'LL SAY THAT WITH, WITH EVERYONE SO FAR. NOW, WE'LL, WE'RE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION. UM, ONCE, ONCE WE FIGURE OUT A LITTLE BIT [02:30:01] MORE, I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE YOU BACK TO MAYBE HAVE A, A FURTHER CONVERSATION ON THAT, UH, JUST LIKE WE DID WITH HARBOR, AND THESE ARE THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE NEED. SO I APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE. UM, AND I HOPE THAT ANYBODY ELSE THAT IS REPRESENTING A DEPARTMENT AND HAS ISSUES WITH HIRING OR ANY OF THE CIVIL SERVICE PROCESS, THAT YOU'LL MAKE US AWARE OF THAT BECAUSE WE DO ACT ON THESE THINGS. THANK YOU. SO, SO I'LL, I'LL SHARE AS WELL. AND THERE'S VERY LITTLE I CAN ADD TO WHAT EITHER COMMISSIONER OR COMMISSIONER , UM, SAID. BUT I SAW CAPRICE PREPARE TO ACTUALLY REFUTE SOME OF THE POINTS YOU MADE. I GOT RECEIPTS. YOU'VE GOT RECEIPTS. I KNOW YOU'VE GOT RECEIPTS. WE'RE NOT GONNA GET INTO THIS RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE FRANKLY, THAT'S GONNA DELAY US EVEN FURTHER. BUT THIS IS WHY WE TAKE TIME. THIS IS WHY WE TAKE THE TIME THAT IS NEEDED. BECAUSE IF SHE'S GOT THE RECEIPTS, YOU'VE GOTTA CLAIM, WE'VE GOTTA VALIDATE, WE'VE GOTTA MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF THESE THINGS, THAT WE'RE GETTING THE RIGHT STORY ON ALL SIDES, AND THEN YOU COME UP WITH A SOLUTION. WE'RE DOING THIS BACKWARDS. WE'RE DOING THIS BACKWARDS. OKAY. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. I, I THINK I SAW THE CITY MANAGER TRYING TO JUST LOGISTICALLY FOR COMMENT, ALL THE COMMISSIONERS, THESE MEETINGS ARE HELD DURING THE DEPARTMENT HEAD MEETING. SO THAT'S WHY DEPARTMENT HEADS DON'T COME TO YOUR COMMISSION. AND THE PROTOCOL IS FOR CITY STAFF NOT TO APPROACH YOU DIRECTLY AS COMMISSIONERS. IF WE NEED TO CHANGE THE PROTOCOL, WE CAN CHANGE THE PROTOCOL, BUT I JUST WANT TO BE, WHOSE PROTOCOL IS THAT? I JUST WANNA BE VERY CLEAR, WHETHER IT'S THIS COMMISSION OR ANY OTHER COMMISSION, I, WE HAVE A CITY MANAGER, WE HAVE PROFESSIONAL STAFF. I DON'T AS A DEPARTMENT HEAD GO CALL UP A COMMISSIONER AND TELL THEM MY THOUGHTS. SO THAT'S NOT THE PROTOCOL CITY EMPLOYEES IN HERE. UH, SOME OF YOU SEE ME. HOW MANY OF YOU TALK TO ME FOR FAIR? NUMBER OF YOU? WHO'S, WHOSE PROTOCOL IS IT THAT CITY EMPLOYEES DON'T TALK TO COMMISSIONERS? THIS IS A RESPECT THING, COMMISSIONER. WE TALK ABOUT THIS. WE WORK THROUGH THE STAFF. I WILL SAY CHRISTINA IS ONE OF THE BEST CIVIL SERVICE DIRECTORS THAT YOU HAD. WE MEET ALL THE TIME. SHE COMES TO MY DEPARTMENT HEAD MEETINGS ON WEDNESDAYS. UH, SHE HEARS THESE THINGS FROM OUR DEPARTMENT. SHE HAS AN OPEN DOOR AND ASKS TO TALK TO THEM. THEY TALK TO HER. AND SO THAT IS OUR, OUR SIDE. UM, WE DON'T GO TO COMMISSIONS. I PREVENT VER I PRESENT VERY INFREQUENTLY TO COMMISSIONS. I GO TO THE CIVIL SERVICE STAFF. WE HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND SO DO OUR DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS. SO NO, THEY'RE NOT GONNA COME AND AIR DIRTY LAUNDRY OF THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, TO A COMMISSION THAT THAT IS A RESPECT THING. WE WORK THAT THROUGH AS BEST AS WE CAN WITH THE STAFF. WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A GOOD, UM, HIRING RELATIONSHIP OR WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM BECAUSE THEY'RE SO IMPORTANT TO OUR HIRING EFFORTS. AND SO THAT, THAT IS NOT A CUSTOM, THAT'S NOT JUST A CIVIL SERVICE THING THAT, THAT, THAT IS IN, IN GENERAL AS WELL. SO, SO HOLD ON. OH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. VICE PRESIDENT GORDON PETERSON. SORRY. YEAH. OKAY. SO, UM, I WANNA BE RESPECTFUL OF EVERYONE'S TIME, ALL RIGHT? WE'RE NOT GONNA GET INTO A BACK AND FORTH TODAY. HOWEVER, AND THIS, THIS BURDENS MY HEART WHEN YOU TELL ME THAT YOU HAVEN'T HAD A PLAN CHECKLIST SINCE 2018, THAT'S BOTHERSOME AND TROUBLESOME TO THIS COMMISSION. AND THEN TO SAY THAT YOU'RE WORKING THROUGH THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BUT YOUR NEEDS ARE NOT GETTING MET. AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FIVE YEARS FOR A LIST. WE'RE NOT GONNA GET INTO A BACK AND FORTH, BUT I'M TELLING YOU, THESE COMMENTS ARE TROUBLESOME. AND THEY'RE TROUBLESOME BECAUSE THEY'RE JUST ALLOWED TO CONTINUE FIVE YEARS WHO'S AT THE TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN AFTER FIVE YEARS. I HAVE EXPECTATION FROM YOU THAT IF SHE WASN'T GIVING THAT DEPARTMENT WHAT THEY NEEDED, YOU WOULD'VE TAKEN CARE OF IT. NOW, I'M JUST GONNA BE VERY DIRECT ABOUT IT, THAT YOU WOULD NOT ALLOW SOMEONE WHO REPORTS TO YOU NOT TO FULFILL A NEED OF A DEPARTMENT. I RESPECT THIS MAN FOR GETTING UP AND TELLING US EXACTLY WHAT HE FEELS TO BE HIS STORY, HIS FRUSTRATION. I'VE GOT SOMEONE OVER HERE WHO'S BURNED IN THE SEAT TRYING TO GIVE US THOSE RECEIPTS. BUT WE CANNOT DO THIS BECAUSE WE'LL BE HERE ALL DAY. THEY HAVE A STORY OVER THERE TOO. BUT TO SAY THAT THERE WAS A NO PLAN CHECKLIST FROM 2018, AND YOU'RE TAKING MY TAX DOLLARS, COME ON, PEOPLE. THIS IS, THIS IS A TRAVESTY. I'M NOT SAYING IT'S NOT TRUE. I'M NOT SAYING IT IS TRUE. I'M ASKING YOU TO LISTEN TO WHAT YOU'RE HEARING HERE, HERE. THERE'S AN EXCUSE FOR FIVE YEARS [02:35:01] NOT TO HAVE A LIST. THERE IS NO EXCUSE WHETHER IT'S TRUE OR VALID OR NOT. I WOULDN'T EVEN BROUGHT THAT UP IN HERE. LET'S MOVE ON BECAUSE WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME. SO LET'S GET THIS THING GOING SO WE CAN CONTINUE AND FINISH. OKAY. I'D LIKE TO HAVE THE HARBOR DEPARTMENT AND, UH, AND OUR ACTING DIRECTOR OF HEALTH, UM, GIVE A COUPLE OF BRIEF THOUGHTS AND THEN, UM, WE'LL ANSWER ANY OTHER QUESTIONS. SO, SO I'LL MAKE A REQUEST OF THIS BECAUSE I, I AM DONE WITH ACCUSATIONS THAT WE HAVE DATA ON AND WE CAN'T RESPOND 'CAUSE WE'RE, WE'RE OUTTA TIME. LET'S TALK ABOUT WITH THOSE TWO REMAINING SPEAKERS WHERE THIS COMMISSION CAN BE HELPFUL IN COMING UP WITH A SOLUTION, BECAUSE YOU'RE STILL GONNA HAVE TO WORK WITH US FOR THE NEXT NEARLY A YEAR, REGARDLESS OF HOW SUCCESSFUL THIS BALLOT INITIATIVE IS. SO, I DON'T WANT TO HEAR SPECIFIC CASES THAT STAFF OVER THERE IS, WANTS TO DISPUTE YOU ON. AND, YOU KNOW, PARTICULARLY WITH HARBOR, WE'VE ALREADY HAD THAT CONVERSATION. I WANNA HEAR WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SOLUTIONS THAT WE CAN WORK ON TOGETHER, MR. PRESIDENT, UM, I HAVE A RECOMMENDATION, UH, THE FEEDBACK FROM MR. KUNZ AND THE OTHER, I BELIEVE TWO, RIGHT? MR. MOCA, TWO OTHER DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE HERE TO SPEAK. ONE HARPER AND HEALTH. YEAH. SO TWO OTHERS. UM, RESPECTFULLY, I WOULD REQUEST THAT THEY COME INTO OUR NEXT MEETING BECAUSE AGAIN, WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT SOME SOLUTIONS, UM, TO THESE THINGS. HARBOR, THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN. UM, I USE YOU AS AN EXAMPLE BECAUSE IT WAS, UH, A FRUITFUL, I BELIEVE SO FAR. WE, THERE'S STILL MORE WORK TO DO, BUT A, A FRUITFUL MEETING THAT WE HAD WHERE YOU CAME TO ANSWER A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND PROVIDED US A LOT OF INFORMATION. SO I WOULD LIKE TO HOLD THOSE, UH, POTENTIALLY AT, UH, THE NEXT MEETING SO WE CAN GET THAT INFORMATION. IT DOESN'T REALLY ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS IN TERMS OF, UH, THIS PROPOSAL. UM, SO IN, IN, IN JUST BEING CONSCIOUS OF TIME, WE'RE, WE'RE HOUR LATE TO OUR HEARING. UM, WE STILL WANT TO HEAR, AND WE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM EVERY DEPARTMENT WHERE THE HOLDUP IS, WHERE, YOU KNOW, ANY OF THAT STUFF WE WANNA HEAR. AND I TRULY APPRECIATE THE RESPECT AND HIERARCHY, UM, WITH WORKING WITH STAFF. UM, I DO BELIEVE THAT, THAT, THAT IS, THAT SHOULD BE ALWAYS. HOWEVER, WHEN SOMETHING IS NOT BEING ADDRESSED, THIS, THIS HAPPENS WITH OTHER BOARDS AS WELL, RIGHT? YOU HAVE YOUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, YOUR PRESIDENT OF OTHER THINGS, BUT WHEN THINGS DON'T HAPPEN, THINGS ARE THEN TAKEN TO THE BOARD, OR IN THIS CASE THE COMMISSION. WE ARE AN INDEPENDENT DEPARTMENT FROM THE CITY MANAGER. SO IF YOU ARE UNDER THE CITY MANAGER, I WOULD EXPECT THE DEPARTMENT TO GO TO THE CITY MANAGER TO ADDRESS ANY ISSUES. UH, BUT SINCE WE ARE INDEPENDENT, UM, AND AFTER YOU HAVE RESPECTFULLY FOLLOWED THIS PROTOCOL, IF THINGS AREN'T GETTING, GETTING RESOLVED OR QUESTIONS ANSWERED, THEN PLEASE, THIS IS YOUR INVITATION FORMALLY TO COME TO THE COMMISSION AND MAKE US AWARE OF WHAT ISSUES ARE AND HOW WE CAN BE OF SERVICE. WE REALLY, TRULY, I CANNOT EXPRESS THAT ENOUGH THAT WE TRULY, TRULY WANNA BE PART OF THE SOLUTION. BUT AGAIN, ABSENT OF INFORMATION, WE DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIX IT. SO, UM, MR. PRESIDENT, RESPECTFULLY, I WOULD LIKE TO TABLE THE FEEDBACK FROM THOSE TWO DEPARTMENTS AND OTHER DEPARTMENTS TO FUTURE MEETINGS SO WE CAN GET TO OUR BUSINESS OF THIS MEETING. AND THEN OUR HEARING TO THE MAYOR'S POINT, UH, YOU KNOW, PERHAPS WE SHOULDN'T VOTE AGAINST IT, IT'S TO FILE AND RECEIVE. BUT, UH, CAN WE JUST SIMPLY TABLE THIS TO THE NEXT AGENDA? YOU CAN, YOU CAN TABLE IT. OKAY. WE'RE GONNA TABLE THIS TO THE NEXT AGENDA THEN. IF THERE IS NO OBJECTION, I WOULD ASK, CAN I MAKE A COMMENT, MR. CHAIR? UH, ONE THING. FIRST, UH, I WOULD INVITE ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC, INCLUDING OUR OWN STAFF IN CIVIL SERVICE. I PROMISED YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO SAY SOMETHING. UM, IF YOU, ANYONE IS SO MOVED, PLEASE, PLEASE DO FEEL THAT YOU CAN OR ANY, ANY RESPONSES TO THE QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS PROPOSAL. SO WE STILL WANNA HEAR FROM YOU IN REGARDS OF, OF WHAT ISSUES ARE HAPPENING WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT, BUT, UH, SPECIFICALLY TO THIS PROPOSAL, WE WANNA HEAR THE, THE ANSWERS TO OUR QUESTIONS. UM, IF THERE ARE ANY REMAINING, AND THEN PUBLIC COMMENT. AND IF I CAN JUST MAKE A REQUEST, UM, WE WOULD, UH, REALLY LIKE YOU TO CALL A SPECIAL MEETING. SO IF WE CAN DO THIS NEXT WEDNESDAY, UM, WE WOULD, UM, THAT WOULD WORK FOR US AND BE ABLE TO HAVE THE DEPARTMENTS COME BACK AND, AND DO THAT. SO, UM, I THINK THIS WAS A GOOD DISCUSSION AND IF, AND I CAN ISSUE THAT, UM, THAT INFORMATION THAT WE'VE BEEN COMPILING, WE'VE BEEN USING THAT TO SHARE WITH THE CONSULTANT. UM, 'CAUSE THERE HAVE IS A STUDY GOING ON RIGHT NOW THAT WAS ITS PURPOSE. IT'S NOT BEEN PUBLISHED YET, AND WE'D LIKE TO BE ABLE TO GET THAT [02:40:01] TO THE CIVIL SERVICE STAFF AS WELL AS TO THE COMMISSION. AND, UH, SO THAT WOULD BE THE REQUEST IS TO TABLE THIS OR TO NEXT WEEK AS A SPECIAL MEETING. PERFECT. AND THEN MR. MOKA, I DO HAVE ONE REQUEST. UM, NOT BE, NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF OUR OWN, UH, DEPARTMENT HEAD, UH, BUT POTENTIALLY WE CAN FIGURE OUT WAYS TO HAVE EITHER THE DEPARTMENT HEAD OR NEXT IN LINE ATTEND OUR MEETINGS. I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S A POSSIBILITY OF ANOTHER TIME, UM, FOR THE DEPARTMENT HEAD MEETING. UH, BUT WE DO FIND THAT THIS WORK IS VERY IMPORTANT AND THE FEEDBACK IS VERY IMPORTANT. SO MAYBE, UH, BEHIND THE SCENES WE CAN, WE CAN WORK ON MAKING SURE THAT, UM, PEOPLE WHO NEED TO BE PRESENT WILL BE PRESENT. LOOK AT THAT. UM, YEAH, I NEED TO, I NEED TO HAVE MY MEETINGS ON WEDNESDAYS, UM, BECAUSE THE COUNCIL MEETINGS, BUT WE, WE WILL LOOK AT HOW DO WE GET BETTER REPRESENTATION TO TALK THROUGH ISSUES, RIGHT? MY APOLOGIES TO ALL OF THOSE WHO ATTENDED TO SPEAK AND, AND DIDN'T GET AN OPPORTUNITY. AND I DO VERY MUCH HOPE TO SEE YOU NEXT WEEK. ALRIGHT? UH, YES, MR. GARON, THANK YOU FOR COMING. I KNOW EVERYTHING THAT YOU HEARD WASN'T NECESSARILY WHAT YOU WANTED TO HEAR, BUT I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR LISTENING. I COULD SEE YOU TAKING A LOT OF NOTES AND I KNOW THAT YOU WERE ACTIVELY LISTENING AND I APPRECIATE YOU FOR THAT. THANK YOU. OKAY. WELL, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, WE STILL DO HAVE A FULL AGENDA. UM, SO, UM, WITH THAT WAS, WAS THERE A MOTION TO, OR UH, WE TABLING, BUT DID, WAS THERE A MOTION? DO WE NEED A MOTION TO TABLE? UM, OKAY, I'LL MOVE SECOND. OKAY, SO I'M HEARING SAME, UH, AS OUR ORIGINAL MOTION, ASUNA AND GARCA. SO WE CAN JUST CONSIDER THAT A SUBSTITUTE MOTION. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTIONS? ALRIGHT, THIS IS TABLED. WE WILL HAVE A SPECIAL MEETING IF WE CAN ARRANGE THAT. THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR ATTENDING FOR THE PURPOSE OF, OF, UH, THIS TOPIC, UH, THIS LENGTHY TOPIC. I DO WANNA APOLOGIZE IF YOU WERE HERE TO SPEAK AND, UH, DID GET AN OPPORTUNITY. UH, PLEASE KNOW THAT WE'RE STILL VERY INTERESTED IN, IN HEARING FROM YOU. IT'S JUST THAT, UH, WE HAVE ATTORNEYS ON THE CLOCK, SOME OF THEM CHARGING THE CITY OF LONG BEACH AND SO WE'RE ALREADY LATE AN HOUR, SO I WANNA BE RESPECTFUL OF, OF THAT AS WELL. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. OUR CONSENT CALENDAR, OUR AGENDA ITEMS ONE THROUGH THREE. IS THERE ANY REQUEST FOR SEPARATE CONSIDERATION? I'D LIKE TO UH, PULL ITEM NUMBER ONE, PLEASE. ONE. ANY ADDITIONAL? MY AGENDA? ALRIGHT, WITH THAT WE THEN HAVE A CONSENT CALENDAR OF ITEMS TWO AND THREE. ALL THOSE, UH, IS THERE A MOTION? SO MOVED. SECOND. I SECOND UNA. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTIONS? OKAY, THESE ARE ADOPTED A REGULAR AGENDA. UH, ITEM FOUR IS, OH, SORRY, ITEM ONE. ITEM ITEM ONE. YEAH, YEAH, SORRY. GOT IT. GOT IT. UM, THAT BRINGS US BACK TO ITEM NUMBER ONE. RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE EXAMINATION RESULTS. DO I HAVE A MOTION? WAIT IF I HAVE TO. OH YES. SO MOVED. IKA, I'LL SECOND. I HEARD GORDON PETERSON BEAT YOU ON THAT ONE. UH, AND GORDON PETERSON. SO IKA. GORDON PEARSON? YES. COMMISSIONER GARCA. OKAY, SO I JUST WANT TO, UH, POINT OUT AND GET THE CORRECT INFORMATION FOR CIVIL ENGINEER. THE LAST TEST, UH, REF REFLECTS THE DATE OF NOVEMBER 8TH, 2024. IS IT NOVEMBER OF 23 OR, OR JANUARY OF 24? YOU KNOW WHAT I WOULD, OH, I GOT MY COMPUTER. OKAY, WELL I JUST, UH, WANNA REFLECT THAT THAT NEEDS TO BE CHANGED, THAT TYPO AND IT'S THE LAST, UH, TEST OF CIVIL ENGINEER. SO WE DON'T NEED TO FIGURE THAT OUT RIGHT NOW, BUT JUST GARY THERE? YEAH. CAN WE APPROVE IT WITH A, EXCEPT IT'LL BE CORRECTED. WHY DON'T YOU JUST GO AHEAD AND TABLE IT FOR NOW. OKAY. GO TO THE ITEM NUMBER FOUR ON THE REGULAR AGENDA. WE'LL COME BACK TO ONE ONCE SHE FINDS THE DATE. THE ANALYST IS ACTUALLY HERE. I COULDN'T SEE HER, BUT SHE IS THE NAIL'S BACK THERE. SHE CAN, OKAY. AFFIRM THERE. CAN YOU COME UP TO THE PODIUM PLEASE AND JUST LET US KNOW WHAT THE CORRECT DATE IS. [02:45:09] IF WE NEED SOME TIME, WE CAN, UH, FOLLOW GARY'S RECOMMENDATION. WE'LL COME BACK TO ONE. YES. SO TABLE, TABLE ITEM NUMBER ONE AND MOVE TO ITEM NUMBER FOUR. PERFECT. OKAY, I ASSUME WE DON'T NEED TO VOTE ON THAT 'CAUSE WE'RE GONNA COME BACK. NO, COME BACK TO IT. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, ITEM FOUR IS RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE BULLETIN ACCOUNTANT ONE THROUGH THREE. IS THERE A MOTION? SO MOVED . SECOND. I HAVE A QUESTION FOR GARY. YES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. GARY, WE ALL RECEIVED THE REPORT, UH, THAT IN THIS CASE SAL WILL READ TO US IN THE, YOU KNOW, EFFORT TO SPEED THIS UP. IS IT POSSIBLE TO, UM, ASK ANY QUESTIONS IF WE HAVE THEM? BUT DOES SAL NEED TO READ THE FULL REPORT? NO. ONLY IF THE COMMISSION REQUESTS A COUNCIL OR A STAFF REPORT. DO YOU GET A STAFF REPORT? WE'VE, WE'VE READ THIS. WELL, I I BELIEVE WE'VE ALL READ THE STAFF REPORT FROM OUR AGENDA. SO YES, IF YOU, OUR AGENDA, IF YOU'RE NOT REQUESTING A STAFF REPORT, YOU CAN JUST CALL THE ITEM AND VOTE ON IT. ALL RIGHT, SO COMMISSIONERS A HEARING. UH, WHAT AGAIN? OUR DISTINGUISHED MEMBER, UH, OFF THE HOOK. SO YEAH, , THEY'RE ALL OFF THE HOOK TODAY AS SUGGESTED. UM, IT'S A ONE TIME THING THOUGH, , THIS IS THE WAY WE WILL APPROACH THIS TODAY. SO ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS SPECIFIC TO ITEM NUMBER FOUR? DISCUSSION? NONE. OKAY. SEEING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTIONS? THIS ITEM PASSES ITEM FIVE, RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE BULLETIN COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST ONE THROUGH SIX. IS THERE MOTION? THAT'S UNA. SECOND GARA. ALRIGHT, ANY QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY A AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTIONS? I'M ALSO IN THE AYE. SO THAT PASSES. UH, ITEM SIX, RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE BULLETIN NURSE PRACTITIONER. MAY I HAVE A MOTION? SO MOVED. SECOND IKA, GORDON PETERSON. ANY QUESTIONS? DISCUSSION ON THIS ONE? SEEING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? NAY. ANY ABSTENTIONS? OKAY. UH, ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE BULLETIN PLUMBING SUPERVISOR. IS THERE A MOTION? I'LL MOVE SECOND KARICA. ANY QUESTIONS? DISCUSSION? OKAY, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTION? UH, ITEM PASSES. ITEM EIGHT, RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE BULLETIN TRAFFIC ENGINEERING AID ONE THROUGH TWO. IS THERE A MOTION? GORDON PETERSON, SECOND FAUNA. ANY QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTIONS? ALRIGHT, ITEM NINE, RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE BULLETIN TRAFFIC SIGNAL TECHNICIAN ONE THROUGH TWO. SECOND GORDON PETERSON, GARA DISCUSSION QUESTIONS? NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTION? THIS ITEM CARRIES ITEM 10, RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE BULLETIN WATER TREATMENT SUPERVISOR ONE THROUGH TWO. IS THERE A MOTION? IKA? IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND. UH, I'LL GIVE THAT ONE TO GORDON PETERSON. UM, ALL UH, ANY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTIONS? THIS ITEM CARRIES ITEM 11, RECOMMENDATION FOR EXTENSION AND PROBATIONARY PERIOD FOR DANIELA ALVARADO CALDERON PUBLIC SAFETY DISPATCHER ONE. AND WE MAY HAVE A DISCUSSION ON THIS ONE. SO, UM, BUT MOTION SO MOVED. I HEAR SECOND. SECOND BY GORDON PETERSON. YES. , I THINK WE, UH, DO YOU WANNA DO THE, ARE YOU FOLLOWING THE SAME PROCEDURE OR ARE YOU, I I THINK MAYBE WE CAN ASK QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION. WE HAVE QUESTIONS? YEAH. CAN WE AT LEAST GET JUST A QUICK OVERVIEW, QUICK OVERVIEW OF WHY THIS ONE IS BEING EXTENDED? YEAH. UM, SO THE DEPARTMENT IS REQUESTING THE EXTENSION FOR MRS. ALVARADO. CALDERONE. UM, THE DEPARTMENT DOES HAVE VERY SPECIFIC, UM, TIMEFRAMES AND MEDIUMS. YOU KNOW, THAT BEING AT NINE WEEKS A TRAINEE, UM, THERE'S [02:50:01] CERTAIN MARKS THAT THEY NEED TO HIT, UM, AGAIN AT 36 WEEKS AND THEN AT 52 WEEKS IN THIS, UM, INDIVIDUAL'S CASE, UH, THEY ARE NOT AT THE 36, UH, WEEK MARK THAT THEY SHOULD BE AT AT THIS TIME DURING THEIR PROBATION. UM, SO THE DEPARTMENT IS REQUESTING THAT THEY, UM, YOU KNOW, ARE ABLE TO EXTEND THE PROBATION, UM, TO OFFER AN OPPORTUNITY, UH, FOR THEM TO SECURE THEIR, UH, PROBATION. AND I DO HAVE THE DEPARTMENT HERE, UM, TO ANSWER SPECIFICALLY WHAT THOSE METRICS ARE. UM, SO 1, 2, 3. SO YOU HAVE FOUR EXTENSIONS IN THIS ONE DEPARTMENT? UH, FOUR, CORRECT. HOWEVER, ONE WAS TO BE PULLED. WE ARE PULLING ITEM, UH, 12. OH, THE DEPARTMENT HAS REQUESTED THAT ITEM 12 BE MOVED. I'M SORRY, REMOVED FROM THE AGENDA. THANK YOU. FROM THE SAME DEPARTMENT? FROM THE SAME DEPARTMENT, CORRECT. THANK YOU. JUST DISCUSS ALL THREE? YEP. SAME POSITION? I THINK SO. ARE WE ABLE TO, UH, I WOULD TAKE THEM SEPARATELY. AND I THINK YOU HAVE A DEPARTMENT, UM, PERSONNEL HERE TO ADDRESS ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE ON NUMBER 10. THANK YOU. I, SO WE'RE GONNA TAKE TAKE 11, SORRY, 11, NUMBER 11. SO WE'RE GONNA TAKE THE ITEM SEPARATELY, BUT I'M GONNA ASSUME JUST FOR EXPEDIENCY, THE DISCUSSION WE HAVE ON ITEM 11 APPLIES TO ALL APPLIES TO ALL. OKAY. YES, PLEASE, PLEASE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. SO GOOD MORNING, AND I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. UM, THESE ARE DISPATCHERS AND THE RADIO PORTION BEING ABLE TO WORK OUR POLICE FREQUENCY RADIO IS VERY INTENSE. UM, WE DO HAVE BENCHMARKS. WE TRY TO PULL THEM ALONG AS SMOOTHLY AS POSSIBLE. UM, UNFORTUNATELY THESE ARE ALL OUT OF THE SAME CLASS, SO OF COURSE WE STARTED LOOKING BACK AT OUR TRAINING METHODS. WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PROVIDED THEM WITH EVERYTHING THAT WE DID. UNFORTUNATELY, THEY'RE RIGHT UP AGAINST THE WALL. THEY ARE KNOCKING ON THE DOOR. WE'RE PRETTY CONFIDENT THAT THEY'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO MAKE IT. THEY JUST NEED A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME, AND WE DON'T WANNA LOSE THEM BECAUSE AGAIN, THIS IS A YEAR LONG PROCESS AND IT TAKES SEVERAL MONTHS TO GET HIRED. UM, WE CAN GET A LIST OF 10 OR 15, BUT TO GET OUT OF A BACKGROUND PROCESS, WE MIGHT GET TWO OR THREE. AND THEN TO GET THEM ALL THE WAY THROUGH TRAINING IS ALSO VERY, A DIFFICULT PROCESS FOR US TO DO. IT'S A HUGE ACHIEVEMENT FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO WORK THE POLICE FREQUENCY, UM, BY THEMSELVES AND INDEPENDENTLY. BUT IT DOES COME WITH, UM, GREAT RESPONSIBILITY AS WELL. SO WE'RE JUST LOOKING TO GIVE THESE GUYS THE OPPORTUNITY SECOND CHANCES IF YOU WOULD SAY A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME SO THAT WE CAN GET THEM WHERE WE THINK THAT THEY WILL BE SUCCESSFUL AND HOPEFULLY HAVE LONG CAREERS HERE AT LONG BEACH. YEAH. YES. COMMISSIONER OR VICE PRESIDENT GORDON PETERSON. UM, WHAT'S SOMETHING THAT I HEARD? FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR COMING. I APPRECIATE THAT. UM, THE THING THAT I HEARD, UH, WAS THAT SINCE THEY ALL CAME, I'M GOING TO ASSUME NUMBER 12 CAME FROM THE SAME CLASS AS WELL. YES. MM-HMM. . OKAY. SO, HMM. SO, UM, YOU SAID THAT THEY ALL CAME FROM THE SAME CLASS THAT CAUSED YOU TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT THE TRAINING, THE METHODOLOGY AND THE, WAS THERE SOMETHING LACKING THERE WAS NOT THERE. WE, WE TYPICALLY LOOK EVERY COUPLE OF YEARS WE REVAMP THE TRAINING SYSTEM. MM-HMM. JUST LOOKING AT TRENDS AND WHAT ARE WE SEEING YOUNG PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING THROUGH HAVE DIFFERENT KINDS OF LEARNING MODALITIES. AS YOU KNOW, FOLKS THAT ARE A LITTLE BIT OLDER, WE ALWAYS TAKE A HARD LOOK AT THAT TO ENSURE MM-HMM. THAT WE'RE DOING AND PRACTICING BEST PRACTICES TO GET SOMEBODY SUCCESSFUL. HOWEVER, AGAIN, IT DOES TAKE, UM, ALMOST A YEAR'S WORTH OF TIME TO GET, UM, PROFICIENT ENOUGH WHERE WE CAN HAVE THEM WORK INDEPENDENTLY. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ALSO FOCUS ON IS ENSURING THEIR WELLBEING. SO WE DON'T WANNA LET SOMEBODY GO WHO'S NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO DO THE JOB, UM, AND THEN HAVE SOMETHING HAPPEN AND WE CAN'T GET THEM BACK AS FAR AS WELLNESS GOES. SO IT'S THE TOTALITY OF EVERYTHING THAT GOES ON. UM, THE CLASSES ARE VERY, UM, THEY'RE VERY STRUCTURED. THEY'RE PART OF THE POST, THE CALIFORNIA POST CERTIFICATION. MM-HMM. . SO WE GIVE THEM THAT, PLUS WE GIVE THEM AGENCY SPECIFIC, SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT LONGER. SO THE CLASS ITSELF, THE CLASSROOM, UM, THEY DID GET EVERYTHING THAT EVERYONE ELSE HAS GOTTEN. UNFORTUNATELY, IT JUST DIDN'T CLICK AS QUICKLY AS WE HAD HOPED IT WAS GOING TO. AND WE'RE JUST LOOKING FOR A LITTLE BIT EXTRA TIME BECAUSE WE REALLY DO BELIEVE THAT THEY'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO GET IT. AND I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT, UM, YOU'RE GIVING THAT ADDITIONAL TIME AND RE UH, ACTUALLY REQUESTING THAT ADDITIONAL TIME BECAUSE YOU'VE PUT SO MUCH OF YOUR RESOURCES INTO THIS PERSON, AND IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY ALSO WANT TO CONTINUE TO GIVE. SO I GUESS THEN MY, MY NEXT QUESTION WOULD BE, UH, HOW LARGE WAS THAT CLASS? FIVE. SO OUT OF A CLASS OF FIVE, FOUR ONLY, ONLY ONE IS BEING SUCCESSFUL IN THE TIMELINE. SHE'S ACTUALLY GONE, SHE ACTUALLY FAILED OUT OF THE PROGRAM PRIOR TO GETTING OUT OF, UH, BEING ABLE TO ANSWER THE PHONES, THE NINE ONE ONE CALLS BY HERSELF. SO WE HIRED [02:55:01] FIVE, UH, ONE, ONE DIDN'T MAKE IT, AND WE'RE DOWN TO THE FOUR AND ALL FOUR NEED MORE, A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME. OKAY. SO JUST A PERSONAL COMMENTARY. I I STILL WOULD, UM, I'D HAVE TO GO BACK AND TAKE A LOOK, UM, TO SEE WHY AN ENTIRE CLASS IS FALLING OUT. UM, BUT I CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT YOU'VE RECOGNIZED THAT WITH ADDITIONAL TRAINING, UM, THEY COULD BE VIABLE EMPLOYEES FOR OUR, FOR OUR ABSOLUTELY. WE SELF-REFLECTION IS A BIG THING. I APPRECIATE THAT TRAINING PROGRAM. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CHAIR. THANK YOU. SO THE ODD THING I ALWAYS HAVE, OH, IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE BEFORE I JUMP IN? OKAY. UH, THE ODD THING I ALWAYS FEEL WITH PROBATIONARY IS IN THEORY WE'RE DOING IT IN THE INTEREST OF THE EMPLOYEE. SO OF COURSE, I THINK OUR NATURAL INSTINCT, ALL OF US, IS TO NOT LOSE THE EMPLOYEE. IN PRACTICE, THOUGH, IT'S ACTUALLY LETTING THE DEPARTMENT OFF THE HOOK, UM, A LITTLE BIT, RIGHT? BECAUSE THE TRAINING PROGRAM FOR A SIX MONTH PROBATIONARY PERIOD SHOULD BE COMPLETED BY THE DEPARTMENT IN SIX MONTHS. THAT'S THE EXPECTATION OF THE UNION. THAT'S THE EXPECTATION OF THIS COMMISSION. THAT'S THE EXPECTATION OF OUR RULES. AND IF WE DON'T, THEN WE LEAVE THAT. IF WE DON'T COMPLETE THAT PROGRAM IN SIX MONTHS, WE EXTEND THE TIME THAT A EMPLOYEE'S NOT RECEIVING THE SAME SALARY AS THEIR PEERS AND IS IN JEOPARDY, POTENTIALLY OF LOSING THEIR JOB WITHOUT DUE PROCESS RIGHTS. ABSOLUTELY. UM, OUR PROBATION IS ACTUALLY A YEAR LONG. OKAY. SO WE'RE EVEN LONGER THAN THAT. I, I WOULD POINT OUT THOUGH THAT INDUSTRY-WIDE ACROSS THE NATION, UM, DISPATCH CENTERS TYPICALLY TEND TO LOSE AT LEAST 50% OF THE CLASS THAT THEY PUT THROUGH. OKAY. IT, IT'S JUST, IT'S AN UNFORTUNATE, AND NOT EVERYONE'S MADE TO BE A 9 1 1 OPERATOR. AND IT'S NOT JUST THE CALLS, IT'S BEING ABLE TO WORK. THAT OFFICER THAT'S BEEN SHOT ON THE RADIO COMING ON, BEGGING THE DISPATCHER TO SAVE THEIR LIFE, I MEAN, THE TOTALITY OF THE EMOTION AND THE SKILLSET THAT GOES INTO THE JOB THAT WE DO, UNFORTUNATELY IS VERY HIGH STRESS. AND NOT EVERYONE CAN DO IT. AND SOME PEOPLE RECOGNIZE THAT EARLY ON, UM, THROUGH THE TRAINING PROGRAM AND SOME, WE TRY TO FOSTER THAT, NO, YOU'VE GOT IT. COME ON, WE'RE GONNA KEEP GOING. YOU KNOW, LET US KNOW. WE ARE HERE TO SUPPORT YOU TYPE OF SITUATION. SO AS FAR AS THE DEPARTMENT GOES, AND I'VE BEEN THERE FOR 30 YEARS, SO I, I REFLECT UPON THE TRAINING PROGRAM AS PART OF LIKE MY BABY. UM, BUT WE MAKE SURE THAT WE TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION EVERYTHING, AND IT'S CONSTANTLY EVOLVING BECAUSE WE UNDERSTAND THAT THAT'S NECESSARY. YEAH. AND I HAVE ABSOLUTELY RESPECT. I MEAN, I'VE BEEN ON THE PHONE WITH A DISPATCHER AND SITUATIONS WHERE, YOU KNOW, THINGS WERE VERY SCARY, SCARY. UM, AND THE DISPATCHER WAS AMAZING. A LONG BEACH DISPATCHER. OH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I APPRECIATE THAT WAS, WAS AMAZING AND SOLID. UH, WE TRY TO DO OUR BEST. YEAH. UM, YEAH, I I'M JUST, I'M JUST MAKING THE GENERAL POINT THAT 100% I, YOU, I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO SAY THAT THERE WERE NO MISTAKES MADE. I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO SAY WITH EVERY SINGLE TRAINEE THAT WE BRING THROUGH, THAT IT'S A HUNDRED PERCENT EVERY SINGLE DAY. MM-HMM. . WE, WE KNOW THAT NOT TO BE TRUE, WE'RE, WE'RE HUMAN. WE UNDERSTAND THAT. WE APPRECIATE THAT, BUT WE ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT SOMETIMES WHEN PEOPLE COME TO DO THE JOB, WHEN THEY THINK THAT THEY'RE READY TO DO THE JOB, THEY MAY NOT NECESSARILY BE READY TO DO THE JOB. WE'D LIKE TO TRY TO SEE IF WE CAN'T SNOWBALL THAT INTO A CAREER THAT THEY CAN HAVE WITH US. OKAY. QUESTION. OH, YES. UH, COMMISSIONER GORDON PETERSON. UM, I, I DO HAVE ONE CONCERN YOU, UH, BECAUSE, UM, YOU'VE REQUESTED THAT THEY REMOVE, UM, A PERSON'S NAME FROM THE LIST. I'M NOT GONNA SAY THE NAME. IT'S NOT NECESSARY. UH, IS IT YOUR INTENT BECAUSE IT'S THE ENTIRE CLASS? YES. SO IS IT YOUR INTENT TO COME BACK TO REQUEST FOR HIM AT ANOTHER LO AT ANOTHER TIME? NO, ACTUALLY, WE'RE GOING TO, UM, GIVE HIM THE OPTION TO EITHER BECOME A PSD ONE PHONE BODY ONLY PERSON AND KEEP HIM AS A CALL TAKER, ONLY WITH THE HOPES THAT EVENTUALLY HE WILL GO BACK TO RADIO TRAINING ONCE HE GETS A LITTLE BIT MORE EXPERIENCE. HE'S JUST TOO FAR BEHIND AT THIS POINT TO HOPE THAT EVEN THREE MONTHS WOULD PROVIDE HIM THE OPPORTUNITY TO ACTUALLY MAKE IT THROUGH THE TRAINING PROGRAM. ALSO, HE'S A CURRENT, UH, HE WAS A CURRENT CITY EMPLOYEE BEFORE, SO WE'RE LOOKING TO SEE IF HE WOULD RATHER GO BACK TO HIS PREVIOUS DEPARTMENT. BUT WE ARE GOING TO GIVE HIM THE OPPORTUNITY TO KEEP HIM AS A CALL TAKER ONLY AT THIS POINT. I APPRECI I APPRECIATE THE INVESTMENT AND, UM, THOSE SECOND CHANCES ARE IMPORTANT TO ME. SO THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE IT. AND THANK YOU FOR, UH, BEING SO TRANSPARENT WITH YOUR RESPONSES. ABSOLUTELY. YES. ALL RIGHT. IS THERE ANYTHING FURTHER? [03:00:01] THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT THE DISPATCHERS DO. OKAY. IS THERE SEEING NO ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? UH, COMMISSIONER GARCA? NO, NO, NO APPROVE. OKAY, GREAT. UM, SO WE HAVE A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER GARCA. WE HAVE A SECOND BY, UH, VICE PRESIDENT GORDON PETERSON. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTIONS? ITEM 11 CARRIES ITEM 13 IS A RECOMMENDATION FOR A EXTENSION PROBATIONARY PERIOD FOR OMAR CHARI PUBLIC SAFETY DISPATCHER ONE. IS THERE A MOTION? I'LL MOVE SECOND. ASUNA KARICA, ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSIONS? OKAY. SEEING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. ALL THOSE OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTIONS? OKAY. ITEM 14, RECOMMENDATION FOR EXTENSION OF PROBATIONARY PERIOD FOR SIERRA MCDOWELL PUBLIC SAFETY DISPATCHER. ONE MOTION. SO MOVED. SECOND IKA, UNA. ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS? DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTIONS? ITEM 15, RECOMMENDATION FOR EXTENSION PROBATIONARY PERIOD FOR KU AZUMA SPECIAL SERVICES OFFICER THREE. SO MOVED IKA SECOND. UH, I HEARD GORDON PETERSON ON THAT ONE. THANK YOU. AND WOULD YOU LIKE A REPORT FROM MARIA? UH, CAN YOU DO THE SAME THING? JUST GIVE US A QUICK, QUICK, QUICK, UH, WHY ON THIS SURE THING. SO, UM, MS. ZUMA WAS HIRED BY THE DEPARTMENT AS A JAIL, UM, SERVICES JAIL. IN THE JAIL DIVISION. SO IF YOU RECALL FROM PREVIOUS REPORTS, THE JAIL DIVISION REQUIRES A TWO WEEK ORIENTATION FOLLOWED BY A 16 WEEK TRAINING, FOLLOWED BY AN EIGHT HOUR ATION PERIOD. SO, UM, MS. ZUMA HAS COME, WE, WE HAVE BROUGHT A STAFF REPORT BEFORE YOU BEFORE, UH, THIS IS HER SECOND. UM, THIS IS OUR SECOND REQUEST TO YOU, THE DEPARTMENT SECOND REQUEST TO YOU, UH, FOR A SECOND EXTENSION BECAUSE SHE WILL NOT COMPLETE IT UNTIL APRIL. UH, BUT IT, THAT'S ACTUALLY TWO MONTHS AHEAD OF TIME. UM, SO SHE'S BEEN DOING VERY WELL, UM, AND WILL COMPLETE IT IN APRIL. UM, AND SO SHE REQUIRES SOME EXTRA HOURS TO COMPLETE THE TRAINING AND SOME OBSERVATION ON THE JOB. UM, THANK YOU. SO, UM, SHE DOES REQUIRE THE 5 22 HOURS, UH, SO THAT SHE, SHE CAN BE, UM, IN COMPLETION OF THE, THE TRAINING. AND THEN, UM, SHE IS VERY CLOSE TO COMPLETING PROBATION, UM, ACTUALLY TOMORROW. UH, BUT, AND IT WAS RECEIVED LATE, BUT, UM, WE HAVE BROUGHT SOME BEFORE YOU AND WE DO UNDERSTAND THAT, UH, IS NECESSARY TO, UM, WEAN THE DEPARTMENTS FROM THIS PRACTICE OF BRINGING THESE, UH, REQUESTS TO US UNDER 30 DAYS. UH, AND WE HAVE HAD THAT, THAT DISCUSSION WITH THE DEPARTMENT AND THEY HAVE PUT IN PLACE SOME MEASURES SO THAT THIS IS NOT REPEATED. UM, AND THE DEPARTMENT IS HERE TO ANSWER THOSE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS OF, THAT YOU MAY HAVE ABOUT THIS SITUATION. OKAY. DO WE HAVE, I'M SEEING SOME EYES, BUT ANYBODY, UH, YEAH, I THINK IT WOULD BE BEHOOVE THE DEPARTMENT TO COME TO. I'M SORRY. IT WOULD HELP IF THE DEPARTMENT COULD COME TO THE MIC IN CASE THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS. I DON'T WANNA BELABOR YOU WITH THEM. NO, THANK YOU. MM-HMM. , UH, MADAM VICE PRESIDENT, ANYTHING YOU WANNA START US OFF WITH ON QUESTIONS? YES, SIR. UM, I JUST HAVE A, JUST A REAL QUICK QUESTION. UM, WHY ARE WE AT A SECOND EXTENSION? UM, I UNDERSTAND THE FIRST, UH, BUT I'M CURIOUS ABOUT WHY WE'RE AT A SECOND EXTENSION AND THEN, UM, WHEN DID WE KNOW WE KIND OF NEEDED TO MAKE THAT EXTENSION? I'M CURIOUS. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER GARNER PETERSON FOR YOUR QUESTION. UH, WE ARE DOING A SECOND EXTENSION BECAUSE WE'RE, THE RULE DOES NOT ALLOW US TO ADD FOR MORE THAN ONE REQUEST AT A TIME OF A MAXIMUM 90 DAYS. SO THE RULE KIND OF FORCES US TO DO TWO REQUESTS. UH, THIS PARTICULAR REQUEST, UM, ONE OF THE MEASURES THAT WE'RE PUTTING INTO PLACE THAT WHEN WE DO REQUEST AN EXTENSION, IMMEDIATELY UPON THE APPROVAL, WE'RE GOING TO SUBMIT THE FOLLOW UP EXTENSION REQUEST UNLESS THERE'S AN EXCEPTION TO THE RULE THAT THE COMMISSION WOULD LIKE US TO REQUEST, THAT WE REQUEST THE TOTALITY OF THE TIME WE WOULD NEED FOR THAT PERSON TO [03:05:01] COMPLETE THE TRAINING AND, AND A SUGGESTIVE TIME FOR US TO EVALUATE. SO, SO THEN WHAT I'M HEARING IS THAT YOU KNEW ALL ALONG, YOU ACTUALLY NEEDED 180 DAYS, BUT THE RULES ONLY ALLOW YOU TO ASK FOR THEM AN INCREMENTAL, UH, I, I GET THAT CORRECT. AND, AND THEN, UM, AND, AND I HEARD THAT THE PROBATION IS DUE TO END TOMORROW. SO DID THE RULE, CAUSE YOU NOT TO GET TO US A LITTLE BIT QUICK? WAS THERE, AND THAT WAS AN OVERSIGHT ON OUR DEPARTMENT. OKAY. WE'RE HUMANS, IT'S NOT SUBMITTED IN TIME. THE CIVIL SERVICE DEPARTMENT REQUIRES US TO SUBMIT OUR REQUEST THE THURSDAY AFTER COMMISSION FOR THE FOLLOWING MEETING. AND SO WE MET, WE MISSED THAT INITIAL DEADLINE AND SO THAT'S WHY IT GOT PUSHED OUT. UM, AND IT GOT WITHIN THE 30 DAYS. AND THAT IS AN OVERSIGHT IN OUR DEPARTMENT. LIKE I SAID, ONE OF THE MEASURES IN ADDITION TO A COUPLE OF OTHER TRACKING SYSTEMS, AUTOMATED TRACKING SYSTEMS THAT WE'RE PUTTING INTO PLACE, IS THAT WE ARE GOING TO IMMEDIATELY SUBMIT THE SECONDARY REQUEST UNLESS THIS COMMISSION SAYS THAT WE'RE ALLOWED TO DO AN EXCEPTION TO THE RULE AND JUST GIVE YOU THE, UH, REQUEST UPFRONT FOR THE ENTIRETY OF THE TIME AND WE WOULD BE OPEN TO EITHER OPTION THAT THE COMMISSION SUGGESTS. THANK YOU FOR ANSWERING THAT QUESTION. THANK, I WANNA ADD JUST ONE THING. THIS, UM, CLASSIFICATION IS BEING WORKED ON WITH HR AND THE DEPARTMENT. SO IN THE FUTURE YOU MAY SEE LESS OF THESE BECAUSE IT MAY MIRROR THE PROBATIONARY PERIOD FOR THIS CLASSIFICATION MAY MIRROR THAT OF HARBOR PATROL OFFICER. SO THE ONE YEAR LONG IN THE PUBLIC SAFETY. SO THE REMEDY WILL BE ALONG, YOU KNOW, PERMANENT IN THE FUTURE. I WASN'T GONNA BRING THAT UP ONLY BECAUSE WE'RE IN THE MEET AND CONFER PROCESS ON THAT . THANK YOU. IF IT HAPPENS, WE UNDERSTAND BEING RESPECTFUL OF THE PROCESS. THANK YOU FOR THAT. THE OTHER, EXCUSE ME, THE OTHER THING THAT THE, UM, MOTION SHOULD REFLECT IS IT NEEDS TO BE RETROACTIVE BECAUSE OUR RULES ALSO SAY THAT THIS CAN ONLY HAPPEN, UM, AFTER THE FIRST PAY PERIOD FOLLOWING A COMMISSION MEETING THAT IT'S APPROVED. AND SO THE STAFF REPORT DOES CALL OUT FOR IT TO BE RETROACTIVE. SO THAT'S, UM, RETROACTIVE TO FEBRUARY 10TH? YES. OKAY. I WANNA SAY, UM, THANK YOU. MM-HMM, FOR THINKING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX AND, UH, SEEING A POSSIBILITY IN AN EXCEPTION TO THE RULE TO BRING BOTH OF THOSE TOGETHER. UM, CERTAINLY HELPS THAT YOU'RE AT CIVIL SERVICE, BUT YOU KNOW, THOSE OUTSIDE OF THE BOX THOUGHTS CAN HAPPEN ANYTIME. AND SO YOU'RE RIGHT, WE CAN TAKE THAT APPROACH AS WELL. UM, AND SO THAT'S IT. ALRIGHT. IS THERE ANYTHING FURTHER? YOU KNOW, I WOULD SAY MY ONLY SUGGESTION WOULD BE, I MEAN, SO THIS IS A SIX MONTH PROBATIONARY PERIOD AND WE'RE ADDING ESSENTIALLY ANOTHER FULL SIX MONTHS. THAT'S QUITE A, QUITE A PERIOD OF TIME FOR AN EMPLOYEE TO BE IN LIMBO, ESSENTIALLY TWICE AS LONG AS THEY WOULD NORMALLY BE. UM, SO I, I WOULD HOPE THAT WITH WHAT'S GOING THROUGH MEET AND CONFER, AND I'LL HONOR THAT PROCESS. I'LL ALSO SAY THAT THAT'S NOT A GAG ORDER TO ANYONE MEET AND CONFER IS ACTUALLY NOT A GAG ORDER TO NOT TALK TO THE COMMISSION ABOUT THINGS THAT THAT WAS A MADE UP IDEA. UM, BUT, UM, IF, UM, IF WE CAN AIM FOR WHEREVER THAT PROBATIONARY PERIOD ENDS UP, UH, AFTER MEET AND CONFER, THAT REQUIRED TRAINING IS REASONABLY ACHIEVABLE WITHIN THAT, THAT WOULD BE, UH, WE COMPLETELY AGREE. AND YEAH. YOU KNOW, IN DISCUSSIONS WITH THAT, I WILL ADD THAT UPON HIRE, WE ARE VERY CLEAR OF THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE PROBATIONARY PERIOD. AND SO WHEN EMPLOYEES ARE HIRED ON, WE'RE MAKING IT VERY CLEAR WHAT THOSE REQUIREMENTS ARE OF THE TRAINING PROCESS. SO THERE IS NO SURPRISE TO THE EMPLOYEE THAT THEY'RE LIKELY GOING TO BE EXTENDED IN THEIR PROBATIONARY PERIOD. ULTIMATELY, THERE'S A LOT OF RISK AND LIABILITY WITH MANAGING THE JAIL. SO YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE CERTIFIED TO BE ABLE TO DO ALL THE OPERATIONS OF WHAT THE JAIL DOES REQUIRE OF THEM. UM, AS PART OF OUR MEET AND COME IS REALLY LOOKING AT ALL TRAINING OF THIS PARTICULAR CLASSIFICATION, AND NOT JUST THE JAIL TRAINING, BUT ALL OTHER, UM, JURISDICTIONAL REQUIREMENTS THAT THEY DO, WHETHER THEY'RE WORKING AT THE AIRPORT, AT MARINE PATROL, AT OTHER, UM, CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS THAT WE HAVE WITH OTHER, UM, PROPERTIES. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT IT AS A WHOLE AND NOT JUST THIS PARTICULAR, UM, ASSIGNMENT, BUT, UH, THIS WILL NOT IMPACT TO THE EMPLOYEE AND THEIR STEP PLACEMENTS. THEY'RE, THEY HAVE ALREADY GOTTEN THEIR FIRST STEP PLACEMENT, THEIR NEXT STEP PLACEMENT IS SCHEDULED FOR MAY. AND, UM, THE ONLY THING THAT WOULD BE DELAYED WOULD BE THE INCENTIVE BONUS THAT THEY WOULD GET UPON COMPLETION OF THEIR PROBATION. AND, AND THEY'VE, AGAIN, THIS HAS BEEN VERY STRAIGHTFORWARDLY COMMUNICATED TO THEM AT THE VERY BEGINNING SO THAT THERE IS NO, UM, CONFUSION IN THE PROCESS. OKAY. UM, I KNOW THAT, UH, WELLNESS OF OUR [03:10:01] EMPLOYEES HAS BEEN A TOPIC THAT'S BEEN BROUGHT UP AND SO, UM, WE'VE REALLY MADE THAT PART OF OUR INITIAL ONBOARDING PROCESS FOR PEOPLE TO FULLY UNDERSTAND THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE PROBATIONARY PERIOD BECAUSE WE, I MYSELF CAN UNDERSTAND HOW STRESSFUL THAT COULD BE IF THINGS ARE BEING CONTINUED ON. SO WE'RE VERY, VERY MINDFUL OF THAT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. SO THERE'S BEEN A MOTION, BUT I JUST WANNA MAKE A QUICK COMMENT. SURE. ON THAT LAST POINT, UM, I'M REALLY GLAD THAT Y'ALL ARE LOOKING AT THE WELLNESS, UM, IN PARTICULAR FOR THE FOLKS THAT, UM, WORK OUR JAIL. UM, YOU KNOW, WITHOUT GETTING INTO SPECIFICS, UM, THEY DO EXPERIENCE SOME THINGS AND WITNESS SOME THINGS THAT, UM, MANY OF THEM, UH, IN MY EXPERIENCE, HEARING THEM OUT ON DIFFERENT SITUATIONS, UM, DON'T SEE AS TRAUMATIC. SO I HOPE THAT, UM, THE DEPARTMENT IS BEING PROACTIVE IN, UM, COMMUNICATING TO OUR NEW HIRES, UM, AND FOLKS, UH, THAT ARE ON, ON PROBATION AND ALL OF THAT. I HOPE THAT WE'RE COMMUNICATING THAT NEED, AND I HOPE THAT, AND I DO BELIEVE THAT THE DEPARTMENT HAS TAKEN A LOT OF STEPS TO CREATE A CULTURE WHERE IT'S SAFE FOR FOLKS TO SEE TRAUMA FOR WHAT IT IS AND UNDERSTAND THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO PARTICULARLY PARTICIPATE IN A SITUATION. JUST WITNESSING IT OR HEARING ABOUT IT FROM FELLOW WORKERS CAN BE VERY TRAUMATIC. SO I'M REALLY GLAD TO HEAR THAT. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE THAT POINT. I'D BE HAPPY TO COME BACK AND SHARE SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING AROUND WELLNESS, UM, IN THE DEPARTMENT. UM, WELLNESS IS, UH, ONE OF THE TOPICS WE TWO DISCUSS AT ORIENTATION FOR OUR EMPLOYEES, ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE DOING SPECIFIC SAFETY WORK. UM, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE AGENDAS ITEMS THAT WE HAD TODAY AS WE'RE DOING POLICE RECRUIT ORIENTATION THIS MORNING AND THIS AFTERNOON. SO ABSOLUTELY. NEXT SESSION AT ONE AND, AND I ENCOURAGE Y'ALL TO COME TALK ABOUT THAT MORE. UH, YOU KNOW, I, I HAVEN'T HAD A CONVERSATION WITH, WITH THIS CHIEF, BUT WITH OUR PREVIOUS CHIEF, I HAD A CONVERSATION ONE TIME AROUND A LOT OF THE WORK THAT NOT JUST, UM, THAT DEPARTMENT DOES, BUT THE CITY IN GENERAL DOES. AND THE COMMUNITY IS JUST NOT AWARE OF IT, THE DIFFERENT CHANGES THAT WE'RE MAKING. AND THIS IS A PUBLIC FORUM WHERE Y'ALL CAN COME AND PRESENT TO US, AND WHEN YOU'RE PRESENTING TO US, YOU'RE PRESENTING TO THE COMMUNITY AS WELL. SO THAT ALSO I THINK, BUILDS A MUCH BETTER RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DEPARTMENTS AND THE COMMUNITY. SO, THANK YOU. YEAH. UM, CHRISTINA, LEMME KNOW WHEN YOU WOULD LIKE US TO COME BACK. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE A MOTION THEN BY COMMISSIONER , SECOND BY VICE PRESIDENT GORDON PETERSON. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? YES, WHEN OPPOSED, ANY ABSTENTIONS? OKAY. SO FOR THE RECORD, THAT WAS, UH, COMMISSIONER LOVE OPPOSED? ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONERS. THANK YOU. UH, ITEM 16, UH, RECOMMENDATION FOR PROVISIONAL APPOINTMENT OF VANESSA VELAS, UH, ACCOUNTANT THREE. DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTION? OH, WHAT WAS THAT? DO WE NEED A REPORT? UH, WE DON'T, UNLESS YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, BUT I DO NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND. MOTION MOVED. OKAY. SO I HAVE A AND GORDON PETERSON. ALL RIGHT. UM, YES. UH, DO YOU WANNA JUST GIVE A JUST COUPLE SENTENCES AND THEN IT SOUNDS LIKE WE HAVE A QUESTION. NO QUESTIONS. I JUST, OH, THE QUESTION IS, DO WE NEED A REPORT? 'CAUSE NO, I HAVE NO, I HAVE A, I HAVE A QUESTION. OKAY. SO WE DO HAVE QUESTIONS, SO MAYBE IF YOU CAN GIVE JUST A FEW SENTENCES FIRST AND THEN WE'LL ASK THOSE QUESTIONS THAT MIGHT TAKE CARE OF IT. OKAY. YEAH. SO THE TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION DEPARTMENT HAS SUBMITTED THEIR REQUEST FOR, TO APPROVE THE PROVISION APPOINTEE VE FOR THE CLASSIFICATION OF ACCOUNTING THREE. UH, AND SOME QUICK FACTS. UH, THE ORIGINAL REQUEST TO RECRUIT FOR THE PROVISION APPOINTMENT WAS FIRST RECEIVED ON OCTOBER 10TH. UH, TWO DAYS LATER, TID YOU KNOW, JUMPED ON THE, THE MENT RIGHT, RIGHT WAY. THEY HAD 28 APPLICANTS, 11 QUALIFIED, UH, SEVEN PEOPLE INTERVIEWED FOR DAY AFTER. AND THEN AFTER A SECOND ROUND OF INTERVIEWS, UH, THE TOP CANDIDATE WAS SELECTED. UH, I, MS. VANESSA VELES HAS SIGNED THE, A PROVISIONAL APPOINTMENT OF CONDITIONS FORM, WHICH OUTLINES THE PROVISIONAL APPOINTMENT IS TEMPORARY. AND, AND SHE'S AWARE THAT, UH, ONCE THE, UH, BULLETIN OPENS UP THAT SHE, SHE WANTS TO CONSIDERED FOR A PERMANENT POSITION, SHE DOES NEED TO REAPPLY. UH, LUCKILY THE BULLETIN WAS APPROVED THIS MORNING HERE AT THE COMMISSION. ITEM NUMBER FOUR. SO THE FOLLOWING PERIOD WILL BE OPENING UP THIS FRIDAY, UH, FEBRUARY, UH, 16TH. AND THE EXAM RESULTS ARE ANTICIPATED, COME TO COMMISSION ON MARCH, UH, 26 [03:15:02] EXTERNAL ASSAULT. OKAY. DOES, DOES THAT CLARIFY OR DO WE NOT REALLY. OKAY. COMMISSIONER LOVE. THIS IS PROBABLY THE SECOND TIME THAT I'VE NOTICED THAT WE HIRE SOMEBODY PROVISIONALLY AND THE BULLETIN COMES OUT AT THE SAME TIME OR GETS APPROVAL AT THE SAME TIME. I HAVE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THAT. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S A CIVIL SERVICE MATTER OR A DEPARTMENT MATTER. SO THEY MADE A REQUEST, UM, WHEN OCTOBER, UH, 10TH WAS APPROVED, THE ORIGINAL REQUEST OKAY. IN OCTOBER. SO AT THAT TIME, UM, IT WAS PROBABLY ON STAFF'S RADAR TO GET THAT DONE, BUT WE SAID YES, IF YOU CAN DO THAT, GO AHEAD, PLEASE GO FORWARD WITH THE PROVISIONAL. UM, SO IT'S TAKEN THEM A COUPLE OF MONTHS TO DO THAT. TYPICALLY, THE PROVISIONAL APPOINTMENT IS DONE MORE QUICKLY. AND SO, UM, IT, THE NORMAL TIME CAME UP TO DO THE ACCOUNTANT, UM, UM, RECRUITMENT. AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE DEPARTMENT ALSO SELECTED SOMEONE. SO THEY HAD IT, THEY'VE HAD IT SINCE OCTOBER. THEY COULD HAVE BROUGHT SOMETHING TO US SOONER THAN THAT, BUT NOW THEY DON'T, UM, HAVE TO WAIT. THEY WILL BE WAITING FOR THE EXAM TO BE COMPLETED. AND SO THIS PERSON WILL BE ABLE TO, THEY'LL BE ABLE TO KEEP THE WORK GOING. I DON'T KNOW WHY IT'S TAKEN LONG. THERE IS SOMEONE HERE FROM THE DEPARTMENT, IF YOU'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM THEM WHY IT TOOK THEM SO LONG TO HIRE SOMEBODY PROVISIONALLY. I'M CONFUSED. AND ONCE THAT ELIGIBLE LIST IS ESTABLISHED, AND THAT'S WHAT MY QUESTION ACTUALLY IS. YEAH, YOUR MIC IS OFF. THAT, UH, THAT ACTUALLY IS, WHEN I, UM, INITIALLY LOOKED AT THIS, I SAID, IS THERE AN ELIGIBILITY LIST FOR THIS POSITION, IF I MAY ANSWER OR RESPOND? YEAH. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, WE DID, UH, PUT IN A REQUISITION IN ORDER TO USE THE PRIOR ELIGIBLE LIST. WE PUT IN A REQUISITION REALLY QUICK, KNOWING THAT THE ELIGIBLE LIST WAS GOING TO EXPIRE. UHHUH , WE PUT IN THAT REQUISITION. WE INTERVIEWED, UM, NONE OF THE CANDIDATES MET THE SKILLS THAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR. UM, AND SO WE ASKED FOR PROVISIONAL, WE ASKED FOR A PROVISIONAL TO CIVIL SERVICE ON SEPTEMBER 5TH, 2023. WE DID NOT GET APPROVAL UNTIL OCTOBER 10TH, 2023. WE THEN PUT IN, UM, THE, UH, RECRUITMENT. WE DID A TWO WEEK RECRUITMENT. UM, WE GOT THE NAMES, WE HAD TO, UH, UH, REVIEW THEM, MAKE SURE THAT THEY MET THE MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS, INVITED FOR AN INTERVIEW. UM, WE HAD THE HOLIDAYS IN BETWEEN THERE AS WELL. SO THAT'S PARTLY WHAT DELAYED THE, UH, HIRING PROCESS, MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF INTERVIEWS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GOT A CANDIDATE THAT WAS QUALIFIED THAT WE KNEW WOULD MEET THE NEEDS THAT WE HAD IN THE DEPARTMENT, AND WOULD ALSO MEET THE, UM, ELIGIBLE LIST SO THAT WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO DISMISS THIS PERSON BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T MAKE THE ELIGIBLE LIST. OKAY. I THOUGHT I READ SOMEWHERE IN HERE THAT SHE PASSED THIS, UH, WHAT'S HER NAME? THERE IS NOT AN ELIGIBLE LIST AT THIS TIME. OKAY. THEN MAYBE I'M LOOKING AT ANOTHER CASE. OKAY. THANK YOU. UM, COMMISSIONER, LOVE, CAN YOU TURN YOUR MICROPHONE ON? IT'S ON, JUST NEEDS TO BE OH, IS IT? OKAY. SO SORRY. THERE. OH, SORRY. OH, THAT'S THE FIRST TIME SOMEBODY'S EVER SAID MY VOICE WAS SOFT. WOW. OKAY. I JUST, I I UNDERSTAND YOUR DIFFICULTIES. I JUST HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THIS BEING SO CLOSE TO THE FACT THAT WE'VE APPROVED YOUR BULLETIN SO YOU CAN START RECRUITING. YOU'VE HAD SINCE LAST YEAR, AND I UNDERSTAND YOUR DIFFICULTIES AND I, I HEAR YOU WHEN YOU EXPLAIN, BUT SOMETIMES IT'S JUST NOT ENOUGH. YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? WHEN WE MADE THE REQUEST IN SEPTEMBER FOR THE PROVISIONAL, THERE WAS NOT A PLANNED DATE TO DO THE ACCOUNTANT RECRUITMENT. OKAY. SO WE DIDN'T KNOW WHEN THAT WAS GONNA HAPPEN. OKAY. THAT'S IT, I THINK, WHICH IS WHY WE ALLOWED THE PROVISIONAL. YEAH. OKAY. ANYTHING FURTHER? NO. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. UM, I DO KNOW WE HAD DISCUSSED PROVISIONALS. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS WAS BEFORE, AFTER. I THINK WE DISCUSSED A FASTER TURNAROUND ON SOME OF OUR PROVISIONAL REQUESTS. YEAH. YOUR ASKING. MM-HMM. IS IT? I I THINK IT'S POST. OKAY. IT'S AFTER. ALRIGHT. OKAY. THERE HAS BEEN A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER ASUNA, SECOND BY VICE PRESIDENT GORDON PETERSON. ARE THERE, IS THERE ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? [03:20:03] ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTIONS? OKAY, MR. PRESIDENT? YES. I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, MOVE TO TABLE ITEM 17 AND 19. UH, WE HAVE KEPT OUR HEARING WAITING A VERY, VERY LONG TIME AND THESE, UH, DESERVE THE ATTENTION. ABSOLUTELY. OKAY. UH, WITH THAT, I WILL TAKE A MOTION TO TABLE ITEM 17 AND 19. I'LL MOVE SECOND. UNA AND . ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTIONS? ALRIGHT. THAT BRINGS US TO ANNOUNCEMENTS. I'M ALSO ITEM NUMBER ONE, NUMBER ONE BRINGS US TO ITEM NUMBER ONE. DID WE GET A QUESTION ON THAT ONE? YES. THE DATE. JUST CLARIFICATION ON THE DATE FOR THE LAST HI, UM, CLARIFICATION. THE CORRECT DATE IS 11, UM, NOVEMBER 8TH, 2023. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YOU'RE WELCOME. AND SO I JUST WANNA, UM, UH, MOVE TO APPROVE WITH THE CORRECTION IN THE TYPO. SO YOU WERE THE ORIGINAL MOTION? YES. SO AS LONG AS VICE PRESIDENT GORDON PETERSON AGREES? I DO. WE FRIENDLY AMENDED THE MOTION. ALRIGHT. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTIONS? ALRIGHT. UH, THAT WILL THEN BRING US TO ANNOUNCEMENTS AGAIN, SAKE OF TIME. GOING TO SKIP THAT, UM, PUBLIC COMMENT. IS THERE ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC WISHING TO ADDRESS THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION ON NON AGENDA ITEMS? THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PATIENCE. MY GOODNESS. THIS WAS A LONG ONE. THANK YOU. AND DO YOU HAVE, UH, BEFORE YOU ADJOURN, MR. PRESIDENT, I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, RECOMMEND TO HAVE OUR FOLLOW UP MEETING NEXT WEEK ON A DAY OTHER THAN WEDNESDAY. AND THAT IS BECAUSE WE'VE ALREADY GIVEN OUR HEARING TWO HALF DAYS NOW WHERE THERE AT THREE FULL DAYS. AND SO NEXT WEEK WILL BE THEIR ONLY OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A FULL DAY. UM, SO IF, IF IT'S DOABLE. I KNOW, AND THIS IS PART OF THE ISSUE WITH, WITH HAVING SUCH LITTLE TIMEFRAME FOR THIS BIG TOPIC OF, UH, THE CHANGE IN THE CHARTER IS THAT WE'RE HAVING THROUGH TO JUMP THROUGH HOOPS. AND, UM, EVEN THOUGH I VERY MUCH DISLIKE THAT HAVING TO RUN THIS FIRE DRILL BECAUSE OF SOMEONE ELSE'S LACK OF, UH, PREPARATION, I BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HEAR FROM EVERYONE AND WE HAVE OUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED IN REGARDS TO THE CHARTER AMENDMENT. UH, I AGREE WITH THAT. I AM, AS, I THINK I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE, UH, HERE, BUT, UH, I HAVE A FULL-TIME JOB, SO WE MAY NEED TO CONSIDER AN AFTER HOURS MEETING, UNFORTUNATELY. UM, SO , UM, SO WE WILL, WE WILL TRY TO IDENTIFY AN APPROPRIATE TIME. OKAY. SO IF, IF THAT'S POSSIBLE, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO, UM, HAVE ITEM 17 AND 19 AT THE SAME MEETING WHERE WE HAVE, UH, THE SAME BUSINESS MEETING. UM, BECAUSE NEXT WEEK AGAIN WEDNESDAY WE HAVE, WE HAVE THAT HEARING. SO, UH, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE GET, UM, THAT CLOSED SESSION DONE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. UNDERSTOOD. WHY DON'T I SUGGEST THIS ITEM 19, WE CAN DO AHEAD OF OUR PUBLIC MEETING ON, UH, ITEM 18. UM, AND WE'LL SET A TIME CERTAIN TO START ITEM 18 BECAUSE WE HAVE GUESTS WHO WILL BE JOINING US FOR THAT. AND THEN, UH, ITEM 17, RESPECTFULLY, I THINK WE CAN PUSH TO OUR NEXT REGULAR BUSINESS MEETING. OKAY. THAT WORKS. OKAY, I'M GOOD WITH THAT. CAN I JUST GET ONE CLARIFICATION ON ITEM ONE? EXCUSE ME. ON ITEM ONE, I HAD, UH, COMMISSIONER GARA TO COMMISSIONER OONA ON THE ORIGINAL. DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING DIFFERENT? I HAVE GARA AND GORDON PETERSON IN MY NOTES. OKAY, THANK YOU. AND ALSO, SORRY I, THERE'S A LOT, THERE'S A LOT TO, UH, BUT I DO REALLY TRULY WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE CHRISTINA AND THE REST OF, UH, LEADERSHIP FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE DEPARTMENT FOR SITTING THROUGH A LOT OF TIME OF A LOT OF INFORMATION AND SITTING PATIENTLY. I'M SURE THERE WAS A, A BURNING DESIRE TO SPEAK . AND SO, UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL OF YOU SITTING VERY PATIENTLY, VERY PROFESSIONALLY WITHOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK FOR YOURSELVES. [03:25:01] I KNOW THAT MUST HAVE BEEN VERY DIFFICULT HEARING THE FEEDBACK THAT WE GOT TODAY. SO I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT, UM, THAT WE, I'M SURE THAT I SPEAK FOR THE REST OF THE COMMISSION AS WELL, THAT WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU AND CHRISTINA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR, UM, BEING OUR FEARLESS LEADER. WE WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY AT THE NEXT MEETING. UH, BUT HOW YOU DID IT, I DON'T KNOW, BECAUSE IT WAS HARD FOR US TO YEAH, WELL, TO KEEP OUR MOUTHS ON BEHALF OF STAFF. I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT. WE APPRECIATE IT. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DO OUR VERY BEST. SO NEVER TO BE NOT AT THE END. WE, WE KNOW WE HAVE MORE WORK TO DO, BUT WE DO APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT. SO THANK YOU CONSUMMATE PROFESSIONALS. I COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT. I, THERE'S NO WAY I COULD HAVE SAT WITH MY FACE AND NOT SAID A WORD. THERE'S JUST NO WAY. MAXINE SAID, MAXINE SAID, I GOT THE RECEIPT. YEAH. I JUST, I COULDN'T, I COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT. ALL RIGHT. WITH THAT, WE, UH, THERE BEING NO FURTHER AGENDIZED BUSINESS, WE ARE ADJOURNED AT 12:26 PM OH MY GOSH. CAN I SUGGEST ONE O'CLOCK AND THEN I KNOW WE'VE GOTTA DO SOMETHING FOR LUNCH. I NEED A DRINK AND A CIGARETTE. , I. * 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.