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[CALL TO ORDER]

[00:00:03]

THE TIME IS 3 0 3.

COMMISSIONER

[ROLL CALL]

GILLETTE.

HERE.

COMMISSIONER GILL.

HERE.

COMMISSIONER EATON? HERE.

COMMISSIONER D BENEDICTUS.

HERE.

COMMISSIONER NOVE.

HERE.

VICE CHAIR COLEMAN.

CHAIR P*****K.

HERE WE HAVE CORUM AGENDA ITEM NUMBER

[1. 26-57383 Recommendation to approve the minutes for the Ethics Commission meeting of Wednesday, December 10, 2025.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]

ONE, RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FOR THE ETHICS COMMISSION MEETING OF WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10TH, 2025.

I HAVE A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER GILL, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GILLETTE.

IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? DO WE ASK FOR PUBLIC COMMENT? IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? LET'S MOVE TO A VOTE.

DO.

MOTION CARRIES AGENDA ITEM NUMBER TWO, RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE A PRESENTATION FROM THE DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES ON THE DEPARTMENT'S ROLE IN WORKFORCE STRUCTURE, INCLUDING CONDUCTING

[2. 26-57384 Recommendation to receive and file a presentation from the Director of Human Resources on the department's role in workforce structure, including conducting and/or monitoring administrative investigations, managing intake and review of Equal Employment Opportunity complaints, and ethics-related personnel policies.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]

AND OR MONITORING ADMINISTRATIVE INVESTIGATIONS, MANAGING INTAKE AND REVIEW OF EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY, COMPLAINTS AND ETHICS RELATED PERSONNEL POLICIES.

I HAVE A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER EATON, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER D BENEDICTUS.

THANK YOU CHAIR.

WE'RE GONNA HAVE, UH, BRYCE TYLER, OUR DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES PRESENT.

THANK YOU.

GOOD AFTERNOON, COMMISSIONERS.

UM, MY NAME IS BRYCE TYLER.

I'M THE DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES.

AND JUST WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR, UH, CREATING SOME SPACE FOR ME TO COME AND MEET YOU IN THIS, UH, IN THIS SETTING.

AND, UH, LOOKING FORWARD TO PRESENTING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT AND, UH, WHAT WE'RE DOING.

UH, SO I HAVE A BRIEF PRESENTATION, UM, THAT I'LL GO THROUGH, AND THEN I WILL OPEN UP FOR, UH, Q AND A, UM, AT THE END.

SO, UM, PRETTY MUCH, UH, DURING THIS, UH, PRESENTATION, JUST GONNA DO A QUICK INTRODUCTION, UH, HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF OUR DEPARTMENT, UM, AND SOME OF THE WORK WE'VE BEEN DOING ON IMPLEMENTATION, UH, SINCE THE CHARTER AMENDMENT.

UM, ALSO, UH, PROVIDE A, UH, HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF OUR INVESTIGATION, UH, WORKFLOWS SPECIFICALLY ON, UH, THE EEO, UM, PROCESS, AS WELL AS, UH, COMPLAINT INTAKE AND ROUTING, UH, WHO HANDLES WHAT AND WHEN.

AND THEN WALK THROUGH SOME OF THE STEPS THAT, UM, MY TEAM TAKES WITH RESPECT TO DISCIPLINE AND CORRECTIVE ACTIONS.

UM, ALSO JUST HIGHLIGHT, UM, SOME OF THE PRESENT AND FUTURE STEPS IN TERMS OF, UH, REVIEWING POLICIES, UH, TRAINING, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND WORKFORCE CULTURE AND MORALE.

SO, UH, FIRST I'LL JUST DO A VERY HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF HR.

UM, I'VE PROVIDED A ORG CHART OF THE TEAM.

UM, ESSENTIALLY THIS, UH, TEAM HAS GROWN SINCE THE CHARTER AMENDMENT, UM, EFFECTIVE MAY 6TH.

UM, WE MERGED WITH THE CIVIL SERVICE DEPARTMENT.

UM, SO WE BROUGHT ON, UM, THE EMPLOYEES FROM THAT TEAM, AND THEY, WE ARE, UM, EFFECTIVELY MOVING FORWARD AS A NEW DEPARTMENT.

UM, I WANT TO ALSO JUST KIND OF GO OVER, UM, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, MYSELF AND JUST A QUICK INTRODUCTION.

UH, SO, UM, HAPPY TO SHARE THAT I AM A, UH, LONG BEACH BORN AND BRED, UH, INDIVIDUAL.

SO FOR ME, COMING BACK AND WORKING FOR THE CITY, IT'S, UH, TRULY A FULL CIRCLE, UH, MOMENT.

UM, I ACTUALLY BEGAN MY CAREER IN PUBLIC SERVICE, UH, BACK IN THE YEAR 2000, UH, IN A NON-CAREER ROLE WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.

AND THEN LATER WITH, CAN YOU STOP FOR JUST ONE SECOND? SURE.

YEAH.

AND I KNOW IT'S PROBABLY, UH, JUST FROM THE POWERPOINT, BUT I CAN ALSO SEND YOU A COPY OF THE ORG CHART DIRECTLY SO YOU CAN HAVE THAT.

UM, IT'LL BE A LITTLE CLEARER TO EXPAND.

GOT IT.

OKAY.

NO PROBLEMS. SO, UM, AS I MENTIONED, UH, I STARTED MY CURRENT PUBLIC

[00:05:01]

SERVICE IN THE YEAR 2000, UH, WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IN A NON-CAREER ROLE, UH, WORKING IN THE JAIL, WHICH WAS A VERY EXCITING EXPERIENCE, UH, UH, SAW A LOT IN THAT TIME.

UM, BUT THEN LATER WORKING WITH, UH, PARKS AND REC, UM, AND YOUTH SPORTS.

UM, SO AFTER A FEW, UH, JOBS, UH, IN THE, IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, UM, I START, STARTED WITH THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES IN 2005, UM, WHERE DURING MY TIME THERE FOR ALMOST APPROXIMATELY 19 YEARS, I WORKED FOR A TOTAL OF FIVE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, UM, INCLUDING THREE DIFFERENT, UH, STINTS WITH THE INTERNAL SERVICE DEPARTMENT.

UM, THAT WAS, UH, THE ROLE THAT I SAY I GREW UP IN HR, UM, DID A LOT OF WORK, UM, WITH RESPECT TO THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION AND ALSO CONDUCTING ADMINISTRATIVE INVESTIGATIONS.

UH, IN 2024, I LEFT THE COUNTY AND STARTED, UM, ASCENT CONSULTING WITH THE CITY OF HUNTINGTON PARK.

AND THEN IN MARCH, UH, 24TH, UH, 2025, UM, I CAME ON BOARD AS THE DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES FOR THE CITY.

SO ALSO AS A, UH, BRIEF, JUST KIND OF RECAP OF, UH, MEASURE JB UH, THE CHARTER AMENDMENT, UM, AGAIN, UM, EFFECTIVE MAY 6TH, THAT WAS AFTER ALL THE MEET AND CONFER PROCESSES WERE CONCLUDED, AND THE TRUE DATE THAT WE BEGAN OUR WORK AS A CONSOLIDATED AND UNIFIED DEPARTMENT.

UM, THE, THE MAIN, UM, YOU KNOW, CARRYOVER, WE EXPANDED, UM, AGAIN, OUR STAFFING WITH RESPECT TO, UM, OUR TALENT, UM, MANAGEMENT BUREAU, UM, WHERE WE, UM, HAVE A LOT OF FOCUS ON HIRING AND RECRUITING.

UM, ALSO WITH THE, UH, MERGER, THERE WAS AN ESTABLISHMENT OF AN INDEPENDENT CIVIL SERVICE, UH, EMPLOYEE RIGHTS AND APPEALS COMMISSION, WHICH REPLACED, UH, THE PREVIOUS, UM, UH, CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION.

UH, THIS NEW COMMISSION, UM, WAS AIMED AT RESOLVING COMPLAINTS REGARDING CIVIL SERVICE RULES, ALSO ADJUDICATING CLASSIFIED, UH, EMPLOYEE DISCIPLINARY PILLS AND RECEIVING COMPLAINTS FROM APPLICANTS, UH, REGARDING, UM, ANY STEP OF THE CLASSIFIED HIRING PROCESS.

UM, SO THAT, UH, COMMISSION BEGAN SHORTLY, UH, AROUND THE SAME TIME AS, UH, ACTUALLY JULY 1ST THAT COMMISSION BEGAN ITS WORK.

ALSO WITH THE CHARTER AMENDMENT, THERE WAS AN IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW LOCAL HIRING PREFERENCES FOR LONG BEACH RESIDENTS, UM, AND STUDENTS FROM LOCAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, UH, CURRENT NON-CAREER CITY EMPLOYEES AND CANDIDATES WHO HAVE PARTICIPATED IN INTERNSHIPS OR APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS RELEVANT TO THE POSITION, UH, THEY'RE APPLYING FOR.

SO NOW WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ADMINISTRATIVE INVESTIGATIONS AND COMPLAINT HANDLING.

UH, I WANNA START OFF WITH THE, UH, EEO COMPLAINT PROCESS.

UM, AND ON THE SLIDE, THERE'S JUST SOME, SOME STEPS THAT KIND OF SHOW THE WORKFLOW FROM, UH, WHEN EEO RECEIVES A COMPLAINT TO, UM, KIND OF THE END PROCESS OF THE STUFF.

BUT I'LL JUST GO THROUGH SOME HIGHLIGHTS.

SO ANY EMPLOYEE, UH, MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC, UH, CAN SET A, SUBMIT A COMPLAINT, UH, TO THE EEO DIVISION VIA TELEPHONE, EMAIL, OR A COMPLAINT FORM, UM, ALSO, UH, VIA THEIR SUPERVISOR.

ONCE THE EEO TEAM IS MADE AWARE OF THE COMPLAINT, UH, THE FIRST STEP INVOLVES REACHING OUT, UH, TO THE COMPLAINANT TO SCHEDULE AN INTAKE, UM, MEETING, UH, DISCUSSION.

AND ALSO NOTIFICATION GOES TO THE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER OF THE DEPARTMENT, UH, THE EEO OFFICER DISTRIBUTES CASES, UH, TO THE ANALYST ON THE TEAM.

BASED ON VARIOUS CASELOADS, UH, INTAKES ARE CONDUCTED BY THE ANALYSTS AND OR THE EEO OFFICER INTAKES TYPICALLY CONDUCTED, UM, ARE CONDUCTED VIRTUALLY, UM, EXCUSE ME, OR VIA TEAMS. HOWEVER, ANY PARTY, UM, BEING INTERVIEWED CAN EXPRESS OR A REQUEST TO MEET IN PERSON OR VIA TELEPHONE, AND TAKES HER SCHEDULED, UM, USUALLY FOR AN HOUR AND DURATION.

UH, THROUGH THOUGH THE TIMEFRAME IS FLEXIBLE, THE EEO DIVISION, UM, ADHERES TO THE ASSOCIATION OF WORKPLACE INVESTIGATORS GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR CONDUCTING WORKPLACE INVESTIGATIONS.

UH, TWO OF THE FOUR CURRENT TEAM MEMBERS ARE CERTIFIED AS A WI, UM, UH, CERTIFICATE HOLDERS AND THE OTHER TWO ARE CURRENTLY, UM, GOING THROUGH THE PROGRAM.

ALL EEO INVESTIGATORS, UM, ALSO ADHERE TO ANY RELEVANT MOUS, UM, OR, UM, UH, FO BAR OR PO BAR, UM, MATTERS WHERE APPLICABLE.

UH, CURRENTLY, THE EEO TEAM IS MANUALLY TRACKING ALL INVESTIGATIONS, UH, ON A LOG, UM, HISTORICAL.

THERE'S AN HISTORICAL EXCEL LOG.

UM, AND THE TEAM IS ALSO TRANSITIONING TO USING MICROSOFT LISTS AS A LOG, UM, WHILE ALSO EXPLORING VARIOUS OPTIONS TO CREATE A DASHBOARD.

UM, AND HOPEFULLY ONE DAY WE WILL HAVE A TRUE CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.

UM, LET'S SEE, GOING OVER, UH,

[00:10:01]

NEXT IN OUR DISCIPLINE PROCESS.

SO, UM, ESSENTIALLY FOR, UH, ADMINISTRATIVE INVESTIGATIONS, NON EEO RELATED DEPARTMENT, UH, ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS, UH, TRULY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OVERSEEING THOSE INVESTIGATIONS.

THERE ARE TIMES, WHETHER IT BE DUE TO, UM, POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, OR JUST A NEED TO BRING IN AN EXTERNAL INVESTIGATOR, WHERE, UM, THROUGH, UH, WORKING WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY, UM, THERE IS A CONTRACTED EXTERNAL INVESTIGATOR, USUALLY OUTSIDE COUNSEL, WHO WILL CONDUCT THE INVESTIGATION, UH, DEPARTMENT AOS, UH, DETERMINE DISCIPLINE OR MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DISCIPLINE ON EMPLOYEE ISSUES, UM, AND TYPICALLY CONFER WITH HR, THEIR ASSIGNED ANALYSTS, UM, AND OUR PERSONNEL SERVICES DIVISION TO DETERMINE WHETHER A FORMAL INVESTIGATION IS NECESSARY.

UH, THE DEPARTMENT COMPLETES THE INVESTIGATION REPORT, UH, DRAFTS NOTICE OF NOTICES OF ANY PROPOSED DISCIPLINE, UM, INCLUDING SKELLY LETTERS AND SUBMITS THOSE REPORTS AND DOCUMENTATION TO HR FOR REVIEW.

THE ANALYST REVIEWS THE REPORTS.

UM, ANY NOTICES IN SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION PROVIDES FEEDBACK TO THE DEPARTMENT.

UH, TYPICALLY THERE MAY BE REQUESTS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO ENSURE THAT ANY GAPS IN THE INVESTIGATION, UM, OR, UM, ANY INTERVIEWING, UM, PROCESSES ARE, UH, RESOLVED AT THAT POINT IN TIME.

ANALYSTS ALSO PROVIDE DRAFT AND PROPOSED DISCIPLINE, UM, LETTERS FOR REVIEW AND FEEDBACK TO, UH, HR MANAGE, UH, HR MANAGEMENT TEAM, AND, UH, TYPICALLY OUTSIDE CONTRACTED ATTORNEYS REVIEW THESE DISCIPLINE PACKETS PRIOR TO ISSUANCE.

UM, DECISIONS ARE TYPICALLY RENDERED IN TERMS OF FINAL APPROVAL BY THE CITY MANAGER.

UM, AFTER REVIEW OF FACTS AND DISCIPLINE IS THEN, UH, ISSUED, UM, FOR CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES, THERE IS A SKELLY MEETING THAT WOULD BE HELD, UH, PRIOR TO DISCIPLINE BEING FINALIZED, UM, AND FOR UNCLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES.

UM, WE'LL GO OVER THAT PROCESS NEXT.

SO WITH UNCLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES, UH, AGAIN, DEPARTMENT AO SUBMIT DISMISSAL, UH, MEMOS OR REQUESTS TO THEIR ASSIGNED HR ANALYSTS.

THE ASSIGNED HR ANALYST REVIEWS THE MEMO AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION, UH, ANALYSTS IDENTIFY ANY AREAS OF CONCERN, REQUEST ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, AND IT PROVIDES FEEDBACK TO THE DEPARTMENT.

AND ONE OF THE DIFFERENT, UH, OR DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN THE CLASSIFIED PROCESS AND THE UNCLASSIFIED PROCESS IS THAT, UM, AS YOU MAY KNOW, IN CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES ARE AT-WILL EMPLOYEES.

UM, SO THE STANDARDS FOR, UM, PURSUING DISCIPLINE ARE NOT THE SAME.

HOWEVER, UM, IT IS ALWAYS RECOMMENDED THAT THERE IS SUFFICIENT DOCUMENTATION TO SUPPORT ANY ACTION, UM, TAKEN FOR CONSISTENCY.

SO, MOVING ON TO PRESENT AND FUTURE STEPS.

SO, SINCE, UH, SINCE JOINING, UH, THE CITY, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M CONTINUING TO DO IS FAMILIARIZE MYSELF WITH, UM, ALL OF CITYWIDE POLICIES, REGULATIONS, UM, AND RULES.

UM, GOING THROUGH THIS PROCESS IS NOT ONLY JUST, UH, EDUCATIONAL AND AWARENESS FOR ME, BUT IT'S ALSO TO BE ALIGNED IN WORKING, UM, WITH THE CITY MANAGER'S TEAM ON ANY, UM, FUTURE, UH, POLICY RENEWALS, AS WELL AS, UM, WORKING WITH MY TEAM TO IDENTIFY ANY, UH, POTENTIAL REVISIONS OR MODIFICATIONS TO CIVIL SERVICE RULES, WHICH WOULD STILL NEED TO BE, UM, MET AND CONFERRED ON, UM, PRIOR TO RECEIVING COUNCIL APPROVAL BEFORE THOSE CHANGES ARE MADE WITH RESPECT TO TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, UM, THE CITY, UM, A FEW YEARS BACK ALSO ESTABLISHED AN ORGANIZATIONAL AND DEVELOPMENT DIVISION WITHIN HR, UM, TO ESSENTIALLY, UM, REALLY START FOCUSING IN ON TRAINING, UM, AS A FOCAL POINT.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE TEAM CURRENTLY DOES IS PARTNER WITH THE OFFICE OF ETHICS TEAM, UM, TO PROVIDE, UH, UPDATES, TRAININGS, NOT ONLY TO EMPLOYEES, BUT ALSO TO PROVIDE UPDATES, UH, TO DEPARTMENT AOS DURING, UH, MONTHLY MEETINGS OR FORMS TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS AN, UH, ONGOING IDENTIFICATION OF ALL TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR EMPLOYEES, INCLUDING SUPERVISORS AND MANAGERS.

ONE OF THE FOCAL POINTS THAT THE ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT TEAM WILL BE FOCUSED ON MOVING FORWARD IS THE CREATION OF A SUPERVISION ACADEMY, UH, WITH THE AIM OF REALLY HIGHLIGHTING A LOT OF THE ISSUES THAT, UH, THE CITY HAS SEEN, AND, UH, SOME OF THE COMPLAINTS THAT ARE FILED, SOME OF THE DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS TO ENSURE THAT SUPERVISORS ARE AWARE AND ALSO ADHERING TO POLICIES, UH, REGULATIONS AND RULES.

AND THERE ARE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, UH, RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO DEPARTMENTS.

UM, THERE ARE CONTRACTS AVAILABLE TO WORK WITH VENDORS WHO PROVIDE EXECUTIVE COUNSELING OR COACHING AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES, AND DEPARTMENTS ARE AVAILING THEMSELVES TO THOSE OPPORTUNITIES

[00:15:03]

ALSO WITHIN WORKFORCE CULTURE AND MORALE.

UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE OFFICE OF ETHICS TEAM, UM, CURRENTLY HAS IN PLACE ARE VIDEOS THAT, UM, EMPLOYEES CAN VIEW, UH, SUCH AS SPEAKING UP AND A NON-RETALIATION VIDEO, UH, AND, UM, RAISING CONCERNS VIDEO.

UH, THESE VIDEOS ARE HELPFUL FOR EMPLOYEES TO UNDERSTAND, UM, WHAT, UH, RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE, AVAILABLE TO THEM, BUT ALSO EMPLOYEES CAN REACH OUT DIRECTLY, UM, TO THEIR AOS TO THE HR FOR GUIDANCE, UM, IF THEY NEED IT.

SO AT THIS POINT, THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION, AND I WANT TO, UH, OPEN UP FOR ANY QUESTIONS, UM, THAT YOU ALL MAY HAVE.

THANK YOU.

UM, COMMISSIONER EATON.

OH, I DIDN'T, I THOUGHT YOU WERE PUTTING YOUR HAND, UH, COMMISSIONER GILL.

SURE.

HI.

UH, WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR COMING ALONG HERE AND, UH, DOING YOUR GREAT PRESENTATION.

UM, I DO HAVE A QUESTION.

I'LL PREFACE IT.

SO I'M A RETIRED, UH, FORMER CITY MANAGEMENT EMPLOYEE AND FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE LONG BEACH MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION.

SO KIND OF HAD SOME OVERVIEW OF WHAT WAS GOING ON AT THE MANAGEMENT LEVEL OF THE CITY, UM, BEFORE MEASURE JB THE HIRING TIMEFRAME COULD BE PRETTY, UM, BRUTAL.

AND SO I'M WONDERING, ARE YOU TRACKING WHAT YOUR STATS ARE IN THE LAST, YOU KNOW, LET'S SAY YEAR COMPARED TO HOW THINGS WERE 3, 4, 5, 6 YEARS AGO? AS FAR AS TIMEFRAMES? I'M JUST CURIOUS.

YES.

UM, SO, YOU KNOW, ONE OF, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE DONE EFFECTIVELY SINCE, UM, MAY 6TH, IS REALLY TRACK ALL OF THE, UM, THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING IN THE TALENT MANAGEMENT SPACE.

UM, ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE FOUND, UM, WITH THE, UH, MERGERS THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE ACCESS TO ALL OF THE PREVIOUS DATA THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY, UM, OVERSEEN BY THE CIVIL SERVICE DEPARTMENT.

HOWEVER, WE WERE ABLE, AND WE ARE STILL WORKING ON EXTRACTING A LOT OF THAT DATA TO HAVE MORE OF A HISTORICAL COMPARISON.

UM, BUT I AM HAPPY TO REPORT THAT SINCE WE HAVE MERGED, WE HAVE SEEN SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT AND OUR TIME TO HIRE.

UM, PRIOR TO THE MERGER, UM, THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL UNCLASSIFIED RECRUITMENTS, AND WE WERE AVERAGING, UM, SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 90 AND A HUNDRED DAYS IN TERMS OF THE TIME TO HIRE.

UM, SINCE WE HAVE MERGED, UM, WE DO, UH, HAVE, WE HAVE BEEN TRACKING IN THIS TIMEFRAME, I THINK WE HAVE, FOR THE UNCLASSIFIED RECRUITMENTS, WE'RE ROUGHLY APPROXIMATELY 88 DAYS IN TERMS OF TIME TO HIRE, UM, BUT ALSO HAVE TO REPORT FOR CLASSIFIED RECRUITMENTS.

WE ARE AROUND 88 DAYS AS WELL.

SO WE HAVE REALLY BEEN MAKING A CONCERTED EFFORT TO NOT ONLY WORK THROUGH NEW RECRUITMENTS, BUT ALSO WORK THROUGH THE BACKLOG OF RECRUITMENTS, UM, THAT WERE INHERITED UPON THE MERGER.

UM, SO WE'RE CONTINUING TO LOOK AT TIME TO HIRE, NOT JUST FOR CHECKING THE BOXES TO SAY WE'VE ACHIEVED 90 DAYS, BUT WE'RE, WE'RE STILL LOOKING AT WAYS TO IMPROVE THE, THE, THE OVERALL EXPERIENCE FOR CANDIDATES GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS AND STILL ASSESSING WHERE THERE MAY BE BOTTLENECKS IN THE PROCESS.

THANK YOU.

COMMISSIONER G BENEDICTUS.

OKAY.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, BRYCE.

THA I APPRECIATE THE, UH, PRESENTATION AND I HAVE A BUNCH OF QUESTIONS.

BEAR WITH ME.

UM, LET'S START OFF, UH, THANK YOU FOR POINTING OUT.

I, I GUESS 30 PEOPLE THAT IS THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION, OR ARE THERE MORE THE ENTIRE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES? YES, HUMAN NO.

WE, WE HAVE GROWN SIGNIFICANTLY.

SO AT PRESENT TIME, I THINK WE ARE, UM, APPROXIMATELY 119 FTES AFTER, UH, THE MERGER WITH CIVIL SERVICE.

AND THAT'S BEEN, UM, I WOULD SAY OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, JUST SIGNIFICANT GROWTH.

OKAY.

'CAUSE I, I WAS GETTING CONCERNED, UH, FOR EVEN THE, THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, THE ORG DEVELOPMENT PERSON, THAT'S A LOT OF WORK FOR, UH, ONE PERSON TO DO.

SO THAT'S GOOD NEWS TO HEAR.

UM, QUESTION ABOUT, UM, THE HRIS DEPARTMENT.

IS THAT, UM, ALSO LINKED TO THE IT DEPARTMENT? IS THERE A LOT OF CROSS UH, RELATIONSHIPS, OR IS THE INFORMATION SHARED, YOU KNOW, REALLY LOOKING FOR, UH, ECONOMIZING, UH, THE, THE TOOLS, ET CETERA? SO, WITH RESPECT TO, UM, YOU KNOW, ANY TECHNOLOGY, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE A LOT OF PARTNERSHIPS THAT WE HAVE WITH OUR TECHNOLOGY MM-HMM .

AND INNOVATION DEPARTMENT.

UM, OBVIOUSLY WE ALSO HAVE A PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT WITH RESPECT TO CENTRAL PAYROLL.

UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT ALL THREE OF OUR DEPARTMENTS ARE DOING ARE CONTINUING TO LOOK AT AND ASSESS A VARIETY OF WAYS WHERE WE CAN MODERNIZE, UM, USING TECHNOLOGY AND A LOT OF THE, UM, I'LL CALL THEM ADMINISTRATIVE OR HR SERVICES

[00:20:01]

THAT ARE PROVIDED.

OKAY.

UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE CONTINUE TO DO, AND WE DO HAVE A BUSINESS BUSINESS SYSTEMS DIVISION, UH, WITHIN OUR, UH, HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT, WHICH IS QUITE RARE FOR A HUMAN RESOURCES ORGANIZATION TO HAVE.

BUT I THINK IT IS, UM, UH, UH, AN INVALUABLE, UH, INVESTMENT IN CONTINUING TO LOOK AT WAYS THAT WE CAN STREAMLINE PROCESSES.

YEAH, THAT'S A, THAT'S AN IMPORTANT LINK.

YEAH.

UM, ESPECIALLY WITH COST.

YEAH.

UH, CURIOUS ABOUT, UH, BACKGROUND CHECKS AND, UM, LOOKING AT, UH, GENERAL COMPLIANCE, THE, THE ONBOARDING PROCESS MM-HMM.

UH, IN YOUR, IN YOUR ORGANIZATION, WHO HANDLES THAT? AND CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT FROM AN ETHICS PERSPECTIVE IN TERMS OF EITHER BACKGROUND CHECKS OR, UH, VALIDATING, UM, APPLICATIONS, ET CETERA, AND THE INTERVIEW PROCESSES FOR CONFLICTS OF INTEREST? YEAH, SO IT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S AN OVERALL COLLABORATION, OBVIOUSLY, WITH THE DEPARTMENTS.

UM, AS YOU KNOW, THEY SELECT CANDIDATES AND THEN MOVE THEM THROUGH THE ONBOARDING PROCESSES.

UM, WITHIN OUR, UH, PERSONAL OPERATIONS, UM, BUREAU, THERE ARE TEAMS THAT WORK THROUGH, UH, THE PROCESSING OF, UM, A NUMBER OF THE, UH, ONBOARDING, UH, STEPS WITH RESPECT TO BACKGROUND CHECKS.

THAT IS A PROCESS THAT IS, UH, UNIFIED OR ALIGNED WITH OUR, UM, UH, A NUMBER OF OUR INTERNAL TEAMS. SO, UM, WE HAVE A, WHAT'S KNOWN AS AN HR ONE TEAM WHO PROCESSES A LOT OF THE PAPERWORK, BUT THEN WE ALSO ARE WORKING IN ALIGNMENT WITH OUR OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH CLINIC.

SO FOR SOME POSITIONS THAT REQUIRE, UM, UH, A MEDICAL, UH, REVIEW APPROVAL, THAT'S USUALLY LINKED AND TIED INTO LIKE THE LIVE SCANNING PROCESS, THAT'S ACTUALLY WHERE EMPLOYEES GO TO GET LIVE SCAN.

SO WE ARE MAINTAINING A LOT OF THOSE PROCESSES INTERNALLY AND WORKING AMONGST VARIOUS TEAMS TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, THAT ONBOARDING PROCESS IS COMPLETE.

BUT AGAIN, WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR WAYS TO IMPROVE THAT PROCESS FROM START TO FINISH.

OKAY.

THANK YOU.

UM, I'M GLAD YOU SPENT SOME TIME TALKING ABOUT WHAT I CONSIDER TRADITIONAL, LIKE EMPLOYEE RELATIONS KINDS OF ISSUES SEPARATE FROM EEO.

UM, DOES, IT APPEARS THAT THESE HR, WHAT DO THEY CALL 'EM, HR, WHAT'S THE TERM THE HR OS, OR WHAT DO THEY HELP ME OUT THERE? THEIR TITLES, THE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS, THE DEPEN DEPARTMENT ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS, THEY CONDUCT THE LINE SHARE OF THE INVESTIGATIONS RATHER THAN HUMAN RESOURCES.

HELP ME UNDERSTAND THAT.

SO IT, IT DEPENDS.

UM, THEY ARE PRIMARILY RESPONSIBLE FOR INITIATING THE PROCESS.

I WOULD SAY.

UM, HISTORICALLY, A LOT OF THIS WORK, UM, USUALLY IS, UH, FARMED OUT TO OUTSIDE INVESTIGATORS, UM, USUALLY ATTORNEYS TO CONDUCT THE INVESTIGATIONS.

ONE PRIMARILY TO, UM, AVOID ANY CONFLICTS.

BUT TWO, UM, A LOT OF, UH, THE AOS AREN'T TRAINED IN CONDUCTING INVESTIGATIONS.

HOWEVER, SINCE I'VE BEEN WITH THE CITY, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON PROVIDING TRAINING TO AOS.

AND THAT IS SOMETHING I ANTICIPATE WILL CONTINUE AS WE MOVE FORWARD, BECAUSE I DO THINK HAVING EVEN AWARENESS WHAT INVESTIGATIVE PROCESSES, STEPS, PROTOCOLS ARE IMPORTANT, UM, FOR AOS TO BE ABLE TO DO A LOT OF THEIR DAY-TO-DAY WORK.

UM, ALSO JUST AS SOMEONE WHO, UM, WHEN I WORKED FOR THE COUNTY, I NEVER WORKED IN THE CENTRAL HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT.

UM, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR, UH, NOT ONLY AWARENESS, BUT ENSURING THAT WE HAVE TIMELY INVESTIGATIONS RIGHT.

AS WELL.

YEAH.

THAT'S, UH, IMPORTANT.

UM, AND I'M, I'M GOING BACK TO, UM, AN EARLIER EMPLOYEE SURVEY WHERE THERE SEEMED TO BE A LACK OF CONFIDENCE IN THAT THERE WOULD, THAT THE, WHEN SOMETHING IS REPORTED THAT IT'S GONNA BE INVESTIGATED PROPERLY AND THAT THERE ARE GONNA BE RESULTS OR SOME KIND OF FEEDBACK MECHANISM OR, OR KNOWING WHAT'S HAPPENING.

AND I THINK, UH, ALL ALONG THE LINE, THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES, OBVIOUSLY, IF THAT PERSON'S EMBEDDED IN THE ORGANIZATION.

YOU KNOW, I'D HATE TO THINK THAT, UM, IF THERE'S NOT EARLY OR GOOD ISSUE RECOGNITION, IT COULD DIE ON THE VINE BEFORE IT EVEN GETS WHERE IT NEEDS TO GO.

AND THEN, UM, KNOWING THAT THOSE AOS HAVE A REAL ACTIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH THOSE HR ANALYSTS, I THINK THAT'S KEY.

MAKING SURE THAT EVERYBODY IS MAKING SURE THINGS ARE BUBBLING UP AND LOOKING AT THINGS LONG BEFORE THEY'RE CONSIDERED DONE.

UM, 'CAUSE THAT WAS A, A CONCERN THAT I HAD ON WHO SELECTS THOSE PEOPLE? OR IS THERE A TURNOVER EVEN, YOU KNOW, OR ARE THEY JUST PEOPLE THAT ARE NOMINATED BY THE DEPARTMENTS TO CONDUCT CONDUCT THAT WORK IN, IN TERMS OF THE ADMIN, THE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS, IT'S A, YOU KNOW, IT'S A POSITION THAT THOSE DEPARTMENTS FILL, UM, AS WELL WHEN THERE ARE VACANCIES MM-HMM .

HOWEVER, THEY, UM, TYPICALLY, DEPENDING UPON THE DEPARTMENT STRUCTURE AND SIZE, MAY HAVE ADDITIONAL, UM, ADMIN OR HR RELATED STAFF AS WELL.

OKAY.

I, I WILL SAY, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, UM, LOVE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THAT EMPLOYEE SURVEY, SO I COULD ALSO LEARN MORE ABOUT THOSE RESULTS.

YEAH.

I DO, YOU

[00:25:01]

KNOW, ALSO THINK, AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT AS PART OF OUR, UH, SUPERVISION ACADEMY.

I THINK ALSO IN THAT MIX, UH, MANAGEMENT NEEDS TO BE AWARE OF ABSOLUTELY THOSE STEPS EARLY ON.

AND I THINK THE GOAL WITH HAVING THEM MORE ALERT TO THOSE ISSUES BE BEFORE THEY BECOME BIGGER ISSUES WILL HELP ADDRESS THESE ISSUES IN A MORE CONSISTENT, UH, MANNER MOVING FORWARD.

YEAH, THAT'S A REAL TEST RIGHT THERE, IS MAKING SURE THAT LEADERSHIP EVEN IS AWARE OF THE BUZZ, UH, AT THE, AT THE EMPLOYEE LEVEL.

UM, ANOTHER QUESTION I HAVE FOR YOU IS, DOES HUMAN RESOURCES HANDLE THE, UH, WHAT I'LL SAY ARE THE, UM, I DON'T WANNA SAY CONTINGENT EMPLOYMENT, BUT, UH, UM, OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES AND OUTSIDE EMPLOYMENT, DO THEY COLLECT THE INFORMATION OR DO THE DEPARTMENTS COLLECT THE INFORMATION AND THEN WHO VETS FOR CONFLICT OF INTEREST? YES.

I, I BELIEVE WE REFER TO THAT AS COLLATERAL EMPLOYMENT.

THAT IS SOMETHING THAT OUR, THAT OUR BUSINESS SYSTEMS TEAM, UM, DOES HELP, UH, IN COLLABORATION WITH OUR PERSONAL SERVICES TEAM AND JUST ENSURING THAT THAT IS, UH, CAPTURED MM-HMM .

BUT ALSO, UM, THAT IS ONE OF THE AREAS THAT WE HAVE WORKED TO TRY TO CREATE SOME AUTOMATION, BECAUSE AGAIN, THAT'S A, IT'S A HEAVY LIFT CITYWIDE, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH OVER 6,000 EMPLOYEES TRYING TO TRACK ALL OF THAT, UH, THAT MOVEMENT, BECAUSE WITH COLLATERAL EMPLOYMENT, IT'S NOT JUST REPORTING IT ANNUALLY, IT'S ALSO REPORTING IT WHERE THERE ARE CHANGES, WHETHER YOU'RE LOVE IT STARTING STOPPING.

SO THERE ARE VARIOUS, UH, TOUCH POINTS IN THAT PROCESS.

SO AGAIN, IT'S RAISING AWARENESS SPECIFICALLY WITH EMPLOYEES TO KNOW WHEN, UM, THEY'RE REQUIRED TO REPORT, BUT ALSO WITH, UM, NOT ONLY DEPARTMENTAL, UH, TEAMS, UH, AND ALSO HR, ENSURING THAT WE HAVE, UH, ADEQUATE DATA TO TRACK THAT INFORMATION AS WE MOVE FORWARD.

OKAY.

UM, ONE LAST PIECE.

I'LL, I'LL, UH, WHAT'S, UH, NEAR AND DEAR TO ME, I WORRY ABOUT CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND NEPOTISM AND CRONYISM, UM, HEAR THAT A LOT FROM PEOPLE FROM TIME TO TIME.

DON'T KNOW IF IT'S TRUE OR IF IT'S JUST, UM, A, A THE APPEARANCE OF THE CULTURE.

I'M NOT SURE, UH, I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT YOU, YOU'RE, YOU'RE, I KNOW THAT YOU'RE NEW TO THE ORGANIZATION RELATIVELY, AND THAT'S GOOD, FRESH SET OF EYES.

UM, WHAT IS YOUR PHILOSOPHY OR YOUR VIEW ON, I KNOW WE HAVE GRANDFATHERING, UH, ISSUES PROBABLY, BUT, UM, I'M HOPING THAT THE CITY, UM, TAKES SOME MORE STRICT LOOK AT HOW THOSE, THOSE PRACTICES AFFECT THE LIFETIME OF AN EMPLOYEE, WHETHER IT'S COMING IN THE DOOR AND THROUGH THE, UM, ADVANCEMENT AND PROMOTION PROCESS TOO.

SURE.

YEAH.

I, I MEAN, I THINK IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF ANY ORGANIZATION, BUT I THINK IT'S, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, POLICIES IN PLACE, AND TYPICALLY THESE ARE HANDLED AS CASE BY CASE MATTERS, YOU KNOW, CONSULTATIONS, UH, WITH HR, UM, YOU KNOW, AT ANY DIFFERENT POINT THAT THESE, UH, YOU KNOW, SITUATIONS CAN OCCUR.

UM, BUT I ALSO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TOO, JUST FROM AN OVERALL AWARENESS STANDPOINT, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT WE CONTINUE TO MAKE SURE THAT EMPLOYEES ARE AWARE OF POLICIES AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEY MEAN.

I KNOW A LOT OF TIMES, UM, POLICIES AND PROCEDURES CAN BE THINGS THAT MOST INDIVIDUALS, UH, DON'T REALLY WANT TO READ THROUGH.

UM, THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT THE EASIEST OF READS MM-HMM .

BUT I THINK JUST REALLY STARTING OFF, UH, WHEN WE ARE ONBOARDING EMPLOYEES, WHETHER IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, COMING THROUGH THE PROCESS, NEW EMPLOYEE ORIENTATION, JUST REALLY HIGHLIGHTING, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THOSE POLICIES THAT FALL UNDER, I WOULD SAY A LOT OF THE POLICIES THAT ARE RELATED TO ETHICS.

AND, UM, AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE, YOU KNOW, CONTINUOUSLY LOOK AT WAYS TO TRY TO HAVE, UM, RECURRING LIKE POLICY ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, RIGHT? YEP.

SO, YOU KNOW, MY HOPE IS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HIRE EMPLOYEES AND THEY GET POLICIES OR APPOINTED TO POLICIES WHEN THEY START AND NEVER LOOK AT POLICIES AGAIN FOR THE REST OF THEIR CAREER.

AND I KNOW THAT'S A CHALLENGE FOR MOST ORGANIZATIONS.

AND HAVING WORKED FOR THE COUNTY, IT'S A HUGE CHALLENGE DEPENDING UPON THE SIZE, BUT I THINK IT'S A COLLECTIVE EFFORT THAT WE, UM, CAN PARTNER ON AND FIND WAYS TO MAKE POLICIES MORE, UM, AVAILABLE FOR EMPLOYEES TO KNOW, BUT ALSO WHEN THERE ARE CHANGES OR THINGS THAT NEED TO BE HIGHLIGHTED THAT WE'RE JUST COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY, UM, AND MAKING SURE THAT EMPLOYEES ARE AWARE OF THOSE POLICIES.

OKAY.

WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

UM, KNOW THAT YOU HAVE AN ALLY.

YEAH.

THIS COMMISSION CARES VERY MUCH ABOUT THIS, AND I KNOW THAT THE, THE ETHICS ORGANIZATION REALLY WANTS TO PARTNER AND, UH, WILL BE, WE'LL ALL BE AVAILABLE TO YOU AS YOU NEED.

THANK YOU FOR THAT.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

COMMISSIONER EATON.

YES, GOOD AFTERNOON.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.

UM, APPRECIATE MY COLLEAGUES.

UH, SORT OF MORE NARROW QUESTIONS, BUT AS A NEW COMMISSIONER, I'M INTERESTED IN MAYBE TAKING A STEP BACK AND LOOKING AT SORT OF MORE HOLISTICALLY, UM, WHAT'S YOUR VISION FOR HOW THE ETHICS COMMISSION CAN SUPPORT THE DEPARTMENT, AND THEN IN TURN, HOW THE DEPARTMENT CAN SUPPORT THE ETHICS COMMISSION? UH, THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.

I, I THINK IT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT

[00:30:01]

TO ESTABLISH THAT RELATIONSHIP.

AND, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS, UM, THAT I'VE DONE, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY BEFORE COMING TODAY IS, YOU KNOW, TAKING A LOOK AT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU ALL ARE WORKING ON AND LOOKING AT.

AND I THINK JUST AS YOU KNOW, WE MOVE FORWARD.

FOR ME, MY PHILOSOPHY IS JUST TRYING TO HAVE THAT OPEN DIALOGUE AND PARTNERSHIP.

UM, I THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT YOU ALL ARE LOOKING AT AND FOCUS ON THAT ALIGN WITH SOME OF THE SAME THOUGHTS THAT WE ARE HAVING WITHIN HR.

I THINK IT'S JUST AN OPPORTUNITY TO FIND WAYS THAT WE CAN PARTNER ON THOSE, UM, THOSE EFFORTS, BUT ALSO FIND WAYS TO MAKE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS.

AND I KNOW, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE, THE AREAS THAT, UH, I LISTENED TO YOUR, YOUR LAST MEETING AND WHEN YOU WERE ALL WERE, UM, UH, INVITING ME TO THIS MOMENT.

UM, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, YES, I DO MY HOMEWORK.

I TRY TO DO MY HOMEWORK BEFORE MEETING WITH THE GROUP.

SO, UM, YOU KNOW, IN MY, IN MY CAREER, UH, AS AN HR PROFESSIONAL, UM, I HAVE, UH, HAD THE FORTUNE OF HAVING A CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AS AN INVESTIGATOR.

AND I'VE ALSO WORKED IN ORGANIZATIONS WHERE THERE WAS NO CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.

UM, AND I CAN TELL YOU FOR THE PURPOSES OF HOW CASES EVOLVE, I THINK IT'S TRULY IMPORTANT TO HAVE, UH, A CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM BECAUSE THE REALITY IS, UH, SOMEONE LIKE MYSELF COULD BE THE INVESTIGATOR ON A CASE AND NOT BE AROUND WHEN THE CASE, UM, GETS ADJUDICATED.

SO BEING ABLE TO HAVE A CENTRAL, UH, REPOSITORY FOR INFORMATION, I THINK IS IMPORTANT.

BUT I ALSO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO MAINTAIN, UM, SOME SEPARATION, UM, BETWEEN THE VARIOUS GROUPS THAT CONDUCT INVESTIGATIONS.

SO WITHIN OUR CITY STRUCTURE, UM, I KNOW THAT WE HAVE, UH, THE CITY AUDITOR.

UM, I KNOW WE HAVE, UH, COMPLAINTS THAT COME THROUGH AS FRAUD COMPLAINTS.

UM, I KNOW COMPLAINTS ARE FILED AS ETHICS COMPLAINTS, AND THEN THERE ARE VARIOUS COMPLAINTS THAT COME THROUGH IN OTHER AREAS SUCH AS EEO.

UM, I DO THINK IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT TO HAVE SEPARATE CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS THAT, YOU KNOW, AT SOME POINT WE COULD, UH, REPORT OUT ON DATA HOLISTICALLY.

BUT JUST TO MAINTAIN THAT SEPARATION OF HOW EACH OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS CONDUCT INVESTIGATIONS.

BECAUSE MY FEAR WOULD BE, I WOULDN'T WANT ANYONE TO THINK THAT, WELL, IT'S JUST THE CITY AND EVERYTHING IS BLURRED TOGETHER.

THERE'S NO SEPARATION OR INDEPENDENCE.

SO THAT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT I, I HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT OVER THE COURSE OF MY CAREER.

BUT AGAIN, I THINK IT'S CON, YOU KNOW, IT'S CONTINUOUS LEARNING AND LOOKING AT TRENDS AND WAYS THAT WE CAN JUST BE BETTER AT CONDUCTING INVESTIGATIONS.

AND THAT'S, UH, ANOTHER TIMELINE THAT I, I WOULD PUT THAT 90 DAY STAMP ON IN TERMS OF TRYING TO CONDUCT INVESTIGATIONS WITHIN 90 DAYS.

UH, THAT'S, UH, PRETTY MUCH AN INDUSTRY KIND OF OBJECTIVE WHEN YOU LOOK AT ADMINISTRATIVE INVESTIGATIONS.

COMMISSIONER GILLETTE, THANK YOU, BRYCE, FOR THE PRESENTATION.

WORKING CLOSELY WITH HR IN MY ORGANIZATION, I UNDERSTAND THAT ON ONBOARDING PERIOD, EMPLOYEES RECEIVE A LOT OF DOCUMENTS, SO IT'S KIND OF JUST A LOT .

SO IN TERMS OF, UM, THE ATTESTATIONS, UH, FOR INSTANCE, POLICIES SUCH AS NEPOTISM OR NON FRATERNIZATION, HOW OFTEN ARE EMPLOYEES PRESENTED WITH THOSE POLICIES? IS IT ON AN ANNUAL BASIS OR A DIFFERENT TIMEFRAME? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.

UM, THAT, THAT'S A QUESTION THAT I WOULD HAVE TO, UM, GET BACK TO YOU ON, BECAUSE I'M NOT FAMILIAR IF THERE IS A, UH, RECURRING PERIOD OF TIME FOR THAT REVIEW.

BUT I CAN DEFINITELY LOOK INTO THAT AND GET BACK TO YOU ON IT.

OKAY.

THANK YOU.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

AND THEN IN TERMS OF TRAINING, ARE TRAINING ON POLICIES PROVIDED BY, UM, CITY EMPLOYEES, OR DO YOU HIRE A CONSULTANT, AN EXTERNAL CONSULTANT, TO PROVIDE THOSE TO EMPLOYEES? SO I KNOW THAT, UM, OUR INTERNAL, UH, UH, PROCESSES IS, YOU KNOW, SPECIFIC TO LIKE, UM, OUR, UM, ETHICS, YOU KNOW, TRAININGS AND SOME OF THOSE THAT ARE SURROUNDED ETHICS, THAT'S, THAT'S DONE INTERNAL.

UM, SO WE DO HAVE, LIKE I SAID, THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE OFFICE OF ETHICS, BUT ALSO OUR OWN ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TEAM REALLY KIND OF HELPS TO SPEARHEAD WORKING WITH DEPARTMENTS AND KIND OF ENSURING THESE TRAININGS ARE BEING ROLLED OUT.

SO THERE ARE A NUMBER OF TRAININGS AND RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO EMPLOYEES, BUT AGAIN, THIS IS THAT OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE TO MAKE SURE EMPLOYEES KNOW THOSE RESOURCES ARE THERE.

SO, YOU KNOW, WORKING ON THAT COMMUNICATION, KIND OF THE BRANDING OF JUST, NOT JUST TRAINING AS A CLASSICAL SENSE OR SOMETHING THAT'S MANDATED, WHICH WE DO HAVE MM-HMM .

BUT ALSO JUST REALLY LOOKING AT THAT AS OTHER RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR EMPLOYEES UNDER THAT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT UMBRELLA.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

VICE CHAIR COLEMAN.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

UM, I THINK I HAVE TO SAY THIS AS A JACK RABBIT OR JACK RABBITS.

UM, I AS, AS, UM, WE, YOU KNOW, ONE THING THAT, UM, IS NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART, AS YOU MAY REMEMBER THAT I WAS ON PREVIOUSLY ON THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION.

UM, ONE THING

[00:35:01]

I DO THINK IS RELATED TO ETHICS IS THAT HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT IF A CLASSIFICATION THAT EMPLOYEES IN A CLASSIFICATION OR IN THE CORRECT CLASSIFICATION, ONE EXAMPLE THAT I HAVE IS, I THINK THERE'S FOLKS WHO DO FANTASTIC WORK FOR US, UM, ON, IN THE TE UH, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION DEPARTMENT.

IN FACT, SOME OF THE FOLKS WHO MAKE SURE THAT WE SOUND NICE, UM, UP HERE ON THIS, ON THE DAIS, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S COME TO MY ATTENTION THEN IT'S STILL SOMETHING I KNOW THE DEPARTMENT IS WORKING ON.

UM, BUT I WANNA MAKE SURE NOT ONLY WHEN IT HAPPENS TO THEM, BUT REALLY ANY DEPARTMENT IN THE CITY WANNA MAKE SURE FOLKS ARE GETTING PAID FOR THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING, AND THAT THERE ARE A AVAIL, THERE ARE WAYS THAT THEY CAN GET PROMOTED AND THAT, UM, I HOPE EVERYONE STAYS IN THE CITY IF THEY'RE DOING GREAT WORK.

UM, BUT IF THERE'S OTHER OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM THAT THEY LOOK LIKE THEY'RE AT THE LEVEL THAT THEY CAN THEN RISE TO THAT NEXT POSITION IF THEY DO FOR WHATEVER REASON, TRANSITION OUT.

UM, ARE THERE WAYS THE DEPARTMENT IS THINKING ABOUT THAT? YEAH, SO ONE OF OUR, UM, ONE OF THE OTHER, I WOULD SAY NEW TEAMS WITHIN OUR ORGANIZATION, UM, IS OUR CLASSIFICATION AND COMPENSATION DIVISION.

UM, THIS IS A, UH, A TEAM THAT, UM, KIND OF SIMILAR TO THE, UH, ORGANIZ ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TEAM IS A SMALL BUT MIGHTY TEAM, BUT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR THE WORK AT LOOKING AT OUR CLASSIFICATIONS AND MAKING SURE THAT NOT ONLY ARE THEY, UM, MODERNIZED OR BROUGHT CURRENT, BUT ALSO IN LOOKING AT ISSUES WHEN THERE ARE QUESTIONS, UM, REGARDING OR BROUGHT UP BY EMPLOYEES WHO FEEL THEY'RE WORKING OUT OF CLASS.

SO THERE IS A PROCESS ALREADY IN PLACE FOR EMPLOYEES TO, UH, BRING UP THOSE CONCERNS AND HAVE A REVIEW OF THEIR WORK, UH, THEIR JOB DUTIES TO SEE, YOU KNOW, WHETHER OR NOT THEY'RE WORKING IN THE RIGHT CLASSIFICATION OR IF THEY'RE WORKING OUT OF CLASS.

BUT JUST MORE HOLISTICALLY, THE WORK, THE UNDERTAKING THAT, UM, THE CLASSIFICATION AND COM, UH, CLASSIFICATION AND COMPOSITION TEAM IS DOING IS REALLY LOOKING AT ALL OF OUR CLASSIFICATIONS CITYWIDE.

AND WHILE THAT IS A VERY, UM, HEAVY LIFT, IT'S AN IMPORTANT LIFT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE NOT ONLY MODERNIZE OUR CLASSIFICATIONS FOR THE PURPOSES OF AWARENESS INTERNALLY, BUT ALSO TO BE COMPETITIVE IN RECRUITMENTS.

SO, UM, THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS, UM, AND, AND I I, YOU KNOW, I I'VE WORKED WITH A TEAM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, SOME OF OUR CLASSIFICATIONS THAT HAVEN'T BEEN REVIEWED IN DECADES, AND THAT'S A CONCERN.

UM, SO WE ARE STARTING THAT WORK AND WE HOPE TO GET TO A PLACE WHERE WE ARE MORE FREQUENTLY REVIEWING OUR CLASSIFICATIONS, BUT ALSO LOOKING AT WHERE WE CAN CONSOLIDATE CLASSIFICATIONS NOT TO LIMIT EMPLOYEES, BUT TO ENSURE THAT AS, YOU KNOW, WORK EVOLVES AND THINGS MODERNIZE, THAT WE ARE STAYING COMPETITIVE FROM A COMPENSATION STANDPOINT AND THE TYPE OF WORK THAT'S BEING DONE.

COMMISSIONER EATON, MAY I ASK HOW THE OUTSIDE CONTRACTED ATTORNEYS ARE MANAGED WITH RESPECT TO THE OUTSIDE, UH, CONTRACTED ATTORNEYS? USUALLY THAT'S A COLLABORATION WITH OUR CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE IN TERMS OF HOW, UM, OUTSIDE COUNSEL IS SELECTED.

UM, TYPICALLY OUTSIDE ATTORNEYS WHEN CONDUCTING INVESTIGATIONS ARE REALLY SOUGHT OUT TO BE FACT FINDS.

UM, THEY'RE REALLY, THEIR GOAL IS TO GO OUT AND SEEK INFORMATION AND REPORT BACK ON WHAT THEY FIND.

UM, SO IN TERMS OF JUST THAT COLLABORATION, IT'S REALLY, UM, TO WORK WITH THEM TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR WORK PRODUCT THAT THEY'RE REPORTING BACK IN TERMS OF REPORT REALLY, UM, KIND OF ASSESS AND ADDRESS THE ISSUES THAT WERE IDENTIFIED, UM, IN THE INITIAL COMPLAINT.

JUST A FOLLOW ON.

SO, BUT WHO EXACTLY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT? YOU SAY COLLABORATION WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, BUT IS IT YOU, IS IT, WHO IS IT THAT, THAT MANAGES THOSE ATTORNEYS? TYPICALLY, OUR CITY ATTORNEY, UM, WOULD BE THE LEAD ON THAT.

OVERALL, I WOULD SAY MANAGEMENT OF IT, BUT IT IS A COLLABORATION WITH HR, SPECIFICALLY FROM A CONTRACTING STANDPOINT.

I KNOW THERE'S SOME, UH, CROSSOVER THERE.

AND AGAIN, UM, FOR MORE SPECIFICS ON KIND OF THAT, YOU KNOW, BREAKDOWN, I CAN REPORT BACK, UM, WITH SOME MORE CLARITY.

BUT IN MY TIME SINCE I'VE BEEN WITH THE CITY, THAT TYPICALLY IS HOW THAT RELATIONSHIP HAS WORKED.

YEAH.

THANK YOU.

UM, THANK YOU.

I, UM, I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS, BUT FIRST, UM, WHAT YOU'RE DOING IN ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TEAM SOUNDS GREAT.

UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.

THE SUPERVISION ACADEMY WAS SOMETHING I HADN'T HEARD OF BEFORE.

I DON'T KNOW IF YOU INTRODUCED THAT, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU INTRODUCED A LOT OF WHAT THEY'RE DOING.

UM, YEAH, WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT THERE YET.

WE'RE STILL IN THE DEVELOPMENT STAGES, BUT AGAIN, THIS ISN'T, UM, I, I CAN'T TAKE CREDIT FOR THAT.

IT'S REALLY AN, UM, DISCUSSION KIND OF WITH SOME OF THE DIRECTION THE CITY HAS WANTED TO TAKE FOR YEARS, BUT ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, I CAN BRING SOME INSIGHT ON SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE WORKED ON IN MY PAST TO JUST REALLY NOT MAKE THIS A MOMENT WHERE FOLKS JUST SHOW UP FOR TRAINING, BUT HAVE THIS AS AN ONGOING,

[00:40:01]

UH, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY.

YEAH.

UM, AND AS YOU KNOW, FROM DISCUSSIONS WE'VE HAD IN THE PAST, ONE OF MY PRIORITIES, UM, HAS BEEN, UM, TO SEE THE CITY STANDARDIZE CERTAIN MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR INVESTIGATIONS.

UM, WHEN THE ETHICS COMMISSION FIRST LOOKED AT THAT, THE QUESTION WAS, YOU KNOW, SHOULD THE CITY HAVE INVESTIGATORS WHO DO ALL OF THE INVESTIGATIONS? AND THE DECISION WAS THAT EACH OF THE DEPARTMENTS DOES THEIR, IN, YOU KNOW, CERTAIN OF THE DEPARTMENTS DO THEIR INVESTIGATIONS, SOMETIMES THE CITY ATTORNEY, SOMETIMES THE AUDITOR, SOMETIMES HR, AOS, ET CETERA.

AND IT'S JUST A QUESTION OF STANDARDIZING, ENSURING TRAINING.

AND IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE WORKING ON TRAINING FOR THE AOS, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S CERTAIN MINIMUM STANDARDS EVERY INVESTIGATION FOLLOWS.

UM, UH, WE DID PROVIDE YOU WITH A COPY OF THE, UH, ARE YOU OPPOSED TO THE IDEA OF AN INVESTIGATIVE PROTOCOL OR WILL YOU PROVIDE SOME, SOME INPUT SO THAT WE CAN TRY TO SEE IF THE CITY WILL ADOPT THAT SORT OF MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR INVESTIGATIONS? YES.

I, I WOULDN'T SAY THAT I'M OPPOSED TO THE IDEA OF A PROTOCOL.

UM, I, I KNOW THAT I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE SOME MORE TIME TO KIND OF, UH, REALLY ASSESS, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S, UM, BEEN PRESENTED, UM, UH, IN THE PAST.

BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, OVERALL IT'S IMPORTANT TO IDENTIFY WAYS TO BE CONSISTENT, OBVIOUSLY, IN INVESTIGATIONS.

AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, THAT IS KIND OF THE AIM OF THE PROTOCOLS AS I'VE READ THROUGH THEM.

UM, I THINK WHAT IT REALLY BOILS DOWN TO IS FINDING WAYS TO DO THAT IN A, IN A WAY THAT ALLOWS FOR US TO CONTINUE TO EVOLVE WITH STANDARDS AND BEST PRACTICES IN THE INVESTIGATIVE SPACE.

BECAUSE I THINK AT, UM, YOU KNOW, ITS FOUNDATIONAL LEVEL, IT, IT STARTS WITH FACT FINDING.

UM, AND I, I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, THE GOAL OF AN INVESTIGATION ISN'T TO TRY TO GO INTO A SPACE AND, UH, FIND A, A SPECIFIC OUTCOME.

UM, IT'S TO FIND WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED, RIGHT? SO I THINK THE, IF WE CAN KEEP THAT FOCAL POINT, I THINK WE CAN CONTINUE TO MAKE STRIDES IN THAT DIRECTION, BECAUSE I DO THINK THAT IS USUALLY THE ROOT, UH, ISSUE THAT GETS CHALLENGED.

UM, AND ANY THIRD PARTY SETTING, UM, IT'S USUALLY THE INVESTIGATION MM-HMM .

SO I THINK FROM A, UH, WHAT I LIKE TO CALL A RISK MANAGEMENT, UH, PERSPECTIVE FOR THE CITY, IT'S IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE, UH, CONSISTENT APPROACHES TO HOW WE'RE CONDUCTING INVESTIGATIONS.

YEAH.

AND, AND, AND WITH, WITH RESPECT TO A CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF SUPPORTERS UP HERE WHO BELIEVE IN A CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR INVESTIGATIONS.

UM, AND, AND THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE EITHER MULTIPLE SYSTEMS OR A SINGLE SYSTEM THAT SEGREGATES INFORMATION SO THAT AN HR INVESTIGATION IS NOT REVIEWED BY ANOTHER DEPARTMENT THAT SHOULDN'T SEE THAT INVESTIGATION.

AND HR WOULD NOT NECESSARILY SEE SOME OF THE AUDITOR'S INVESTIGATIONS.

UM, BUT I GUESS TRYING TO GET EVERYBODY TOGETHER, WE MIGHT BE SIX YEARS OUT FROM GETTING A, A SYSTEM, WHICH WOULD, BUT HOPEFULLY THE FIRST CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM THE CITY GETS WOULD HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO EXPAND TO DEPARTMENTS.

SO SOMEBODY, SOMEBODY'S GONNA HAVE TO TAKE THE FIRST LEAP.

AND IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU MAY BE THE PERSON, UM, BUT IT, IT, YEAH, IT'S, IT'S KIND OF CRAZY TO ME THAT THERE IS NO CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, UH, GIVEN THE SIZE OF THE CITY AND THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES.

UM, UH, SO YOU'VE GOT SUPPORT HERE, .

UM, SO, UM, YOU MENTIONED THAT THE AOS, IF THEY'RE MAKING A RECOMMENDATION FOR DISCIPLINE, THEY HAVE TO TALK TO THE HR ANALYST.

AND IS IT ALWAYS REVIEWED BY OUTSIDE COUNSEL OR JUST WHEN THERE'S A DISAGREEMENT? YEAH, I, I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S, UM, ONLY REVIEWED WHEN THERE'S A DISAGREEMENT.

UM, AND I WOULD HAVE TO, UH, GO BACK AND SEE, YOU KNOW, THE FREQUENCY IN WHICH THAT HAPPENS.

I THINK TYPICALLY, UH, THE COUNCIL THAT'S REVIEWING IT WOULD ALSO BE THE COUNCIL WHO IS REPRESENTING, UH, THE CITY IN ANY APPEAL OR CHALLENGE TO THAT, UH, DISCIPLINE OR CORRECTIVE ACTION.

SO IT'S USUALLY MORE FOR ALIGNMENT AND ENSURING THAT, YOU KNOW, T'S ARE CROSSED AND I'S ARE DOTTED TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, PRIOR TO ANY SKELLY OR ANYTHING THAT IS ISSUED TO THE EMPLOYEE, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THOSE GAPS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AND FILLED IN.

I, IF HR AND THE AO DISAGREED ON DISCIPLINE, WHAT HAPPENS? SO I THINK THAT THAT'S USUALLY WHERE THOSE INTERNAL DISCUSSIONS CONTINUE TO HAPPEN.

, UM, BECAUSE IT'S REALLY, AND, AND THIS IS ONE OF THOSE, UM, I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, WITH THE, THE CURRENT

[00:45:01]

TRACKING SYSTEMS WE HAVE, THE AIM IS, YOU KNOW, WHEN RECOMMENDING DISCIPLINE IS ALSO TRYING TO BE CONSISTENT IN THAT DISCIPLINE.

UM, OBVIOUSLY EACH CASE IS DIFFERENT, BUT IF, UM, THE FACTS ARE SIMILAR, YOU WANT TO TRY TO ISSUE SIMILAR DISCIPLINE.

UM, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S, UH, VARIATIONS OR VARIABLES TO THAT, SPECIFICALLY IF EMPLOYEES HAVE RECEIVED DISCIPLINE BEFORE THAT, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY COMES INTO ACCOUNT.

BUT IF YOU'RE JUST PURELY LOOKING AT FACTS, THE GOAL IS TO TRY TO ISSUE SIMILAR DISCIPLINES.

SO, UM, I, I WILL SAY FOR THE DISCUSSIONS THAT I'VE HAD THROUGHOUT MY CAREER, THAT'S TYPICALLY WHERE DISAGREEMENTS KIND OF FALL.

BUT I, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS, UM, THAT I AM WORKING, UM, WITH MY TEAM ON THE PERSONAL SERVICES, UH, DIVISION, IS THAT VERY ISSUE IS TO FIND OUT HOW WE ARE TRACKING DISCIPLINE, HOW WE ARE REALLY WORKING TO BE CONSISTENT WITH THAT.

AND THAT'S REALLY OUR ROLE IN THE PROCESS IS TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE BEING CONSISTENT IN THAT PROCESS, UM, AND BEING FAIR.

UM, BECAUSE AGAIN, LIKE, LIKE I MENTIONED EARLIER HOW THE INVESTIGATION USUALLY GETS CHALLENGED AT, UH, A THIRD PARTY APPEAL, ALSO THE LEVEL OF DISCIPLINE, UH, WOULD BE CHALLENGED AS WELL.

SO WE, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE REALLY FOCUSED ON.

UM, SO SORT OF A HYPOTHETICAL, IF, IF SOME, IF AN EMPLOYEE COMES AND SAYS, THE, THE GUY SITTING IN THE DECK DESK NEXT TO ME ISN'T WORKING A FULL DAY, HE'S LEAVING EARLY, UM, WHERE WOULD THAT GO? WELL, I'M NOT A FAN OF HYPOTHETICALS.

THAT IS ACTUALLY AN EASIER QUESTION TO ANSWER THAT REALLY SOUNDS, UH, POTENTIALLY LIKE A FRAUD, UM, HOTLINE TYPE COMPLAINT, AT LEAST INITIALLY.

UM, BECAUSE IT REALLY COMES OR SOMEWHAT IS CENTERED AROUND, UM, HOW AN EMPLOYEE'S TIME IS BEING CODED AND KIND OF TRACKING, AGAIN, ANYTHING, UM, THAT TIES INTO KIND OF THE, THE FISCAL, UM, LAYERS OF EMPLOYMENT.

THAT'S SOMETHING THAT MAY START THERE.

HOWEVER, UM, IF THE, UM, THE CITY AUDITOR TAKES A LOOK AT IT AND SEES THAT IT MAY NOT RISE TO THAT LEVEL, IT COULD BE REFERRED BACK TO THE DEPARTMENT FOR REVIEW OF, JUST TO SEE IF THERE ARE ANY OTHER POTENTIAL VIOLATIONS OF POLICY.

AND AGAIN, THAT USUALLY WOULD NEED TO BE A DISCUSSION WITH THE PERSON WHO'S REPORTING IT TO TRY TO GET SOME CONTEXT.

AGAIN, THAT, UH, EMPLOYEE MAY NOT HAVE ALL OF THE FACTS CONCERNING WHY THAT INDIVIDUAL, UM, IS LEAVING EARLY.

THERE COULD BE SOME OTHER PROTECTED ACTIVITY FOR THAT INDIVIDUAL.

SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, DEPENDING UPON WHERE IT'S FIRST REPORTED, THAT'S USUALLY SOME OF THE COLLABORATION THAT HAPPENS BEHIND THE SCENES JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT IF IT, UM, IS FILED IN ONE LOCATION, THERE'S, UH, UH, WORK BEING DONE AT THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL IN TERMS OF THE INVESTIGATION.

THANK YOU.

UH, IS THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMISSION? IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

UM, YOU, IF YOU LISTENED TO OUR DISCUSSION, UH, LAST MONTH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE PROBABLY GOING TO WANNA HAVE A CONTINUING DIALOGUE AND HAVE YOU BACK AGAIN IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE, MAYBE TWICE A YEAR.

GREAT.

AND I REALLY APPRECIATE, UM, THE TIME AND THE OPPORTUNITY AGAIN TO MEET YOU ALL AND SPEAK WITH YOU AND JUST LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU MOVING FORWARD.

AND, AND I THINK HEATHER TOOK A NOTE TO GIVE YOU A COPY OF THE SURVEY RESULTS.

I SAW WHAT YOU WERE WRITING FEVER, FIRSTLY WHEN, WHEN THAT ISSUE CAME UP.

CORRECT.

AND I THINK THERE'S, UM, SOME PRESSURE TO RENEW, UH, AND DO ANOTHER SURVEY.

'CAUSE THE, THE, THE LAST ONE WAS IN 2018 OR 2019.

UM, SO I KNOW WE'RE GONNA WANT MAYBE 2020, NO, 19.

YEAH, THE SURVEY WAS DONE IN 2019, REPORTED OUT IN 2020.

OKAY.

SO THE OET WILL BE DOING SOMETHING IN A SMALLER SCALE VERY SOON, UM, WHICH I'VE LET BRYCE KNOW YEAH.

VIA EMAIL JUST FIVE MINUTES AGO.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

COMMS, I THINK WE MOVED TO A VOTE, UH, BEFORE WE TAKE A VOTE, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE A POINT OF ORDER.

UH, UH, VICE CHAIR COLEMAN SHOWED UP, UH, UH, EARLY IN ITEM NUMBER TWO.

I JUST WANTED THAT REFLECTED IN THE MINUTES.

THANK YOU.

I SAY, ARE WE HAVING TO EYE IT'S STILL SPINNING.

ALL RIGHT.

FOR, SO WE HAVE AN EYE FROM COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICT.

APOLOGIZE.

YEAH.

MOTION CARRIES.

[00:50:05]

AGENDA ITEM NUMBER

[3. 26-57385 Recommendation to receive and file an update on the City Manager’s Administrative Regulations initiative.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]

THREE, RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE AN UPDATE ON THE CITY MANAGER'S ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS INITIATIVE.

DO I HAVE A MOTION? A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER GILLETTE, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS.

HELLO, COMMISSIONERS.

UM, HAPPY TO BE HERE AGAIN TO REPORT ON SOME PROGRESS.

AND I KNOW WE HAVE NEW COMMISSIONERS HERE WHO WERE NOT, UM, PRESENT THE LAST TIME I SPOKE ABOUT THIS PROJECT.

SO I ALSO WANNA START JUST WITH A QUICK OVERVIEW OF, OF WHAT AR EVEN ARE AND, UM, WHAT WE'RE DOING TO TRY TO IMPROVE THEM.

OKAY.

SO WHAT ARE ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS? SO, ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS, SHORT, UM, AR FOR SHORT ARE THE CITY'S, UH, THEY GUIDE THE CITY'S ADMINISTRATIVE OPERATIONS AND THEY SERVE, UH, MULTIPLE PURPOSES.

THEY ENSURE CONSISTENCY AND UNIFORMITY IN THE WAY WE HANDLE ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS.

THEY PROMOTE EFFICIENCY AND COORDINATION ACROSS ALL OF OUR DEPARTMENTS, IMPROVE OUR INTERNAL COMMUNICATION AND UNDERSTANDING.

AND THEN THEY SUPPORT THE TRAINING OF NEW EMPLOYEES.

SO THERE ARE A HUNDRED, ACTUALLY OVER A HUNDRED ARS NOW THAT ARE ORGANIZED IN 19 SECTIONS.

THEY SPAN A RANGE OF TOPICS SUCH AS EMPLOYEE TRAVEL, WORKPLACE SAFETY, SUSTAINABILITY, TECHNOLOGY, ET CETERA.

SO, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, DEPENDING ON THE AR THERE'S DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS WHO ARE TECHNICALLY THE OVERSEER OF THAT POLICY.

UM, AND SO ACTUALLY ONE CHANGE THAT WE'VE MADE SINCE THE LAST TIME, UH, I SPOKE TO YOU IS WE'VE GOT, WE'VE TRANSFERRED ALL OF OUR ARS OVER TO OUR CITY MANAGER WEBSITE.

'CAUSE WE'VE RE WE REVAMPED OUR C UH, CM WEBSITE RECENTLY.

SO IT'S COMPLETELY DIFFERENT NOW.

UH, REALLY WELL ORGANIZED.

UM, UH, OUR TEAM SPENT A LOT OF TIME ON THAT.

SO YEAH, SO NOW IT'S UNDER OUR WEBSITE, WHICH MAKES SENSE AS US BEING THE OVERSEER OF THOSE POLICIES.

AND THEN JUST A NOTE ON, UM, AR AUTHORITY UNDER THE CITY CHARTER.

UM, THIS IS A CHALLENGE THAT WE CONTINUE TO NAVIGATE AS THE CHAIR CAN ATTEST TO.

BUT ACCORDING TO THE, UH, CITY CHARTER, SO PURSUANT TO SECTION 300, THE CITY MANAGER SHALL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF ALL DEPARTMENTS.

OF ALL DEPARTMENTS EXCEPT THE CITY ATTORNEY, CITY AUDITOR, CITY PROSECUTOR, CITY CLERK, POLICE OVERSIGHT, LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT, HARBOR DEPARTMENT, AND PUBLIC UTILITIES DEPARTMENT.

AND THEN ALSO PURSUANT TO SECTION, UH, 3 3 0 2 A, THE CITY MANAGER HAS THE POWER AND DUTY TO DIRECT AND SUPERVISE ADMINISTRATION OF ALL MANAGER DIRECTED DEPARTMENTS IN THE CITY.

SO THAT'S REALLY WHAT GIVES US THE AUTHORITY TO ISSUE THE ARS.

UM, THEY ISSUE THOSE, OF COURSE, THAT THEY'RE ONLY ARE REALLY APPLICABLE TO CITY MANAGER, UH, REPORTED DEPARTMENTS.

ALL RIGHT.

AND JUST A REFRESHER ABOUT THE PROJECT WE'RE WORKING ON.

SO WE'RE LOOKING TO REALLY REVAMP ALL OF OUR DIFFERENT AR AND ALL OF OUR DIFFERENT POLICIES.

SO WHY IS THIS NEEDED? UM, SO MANY OF OUR AR WERE ESTABLISHED YEARS AGO.

A LOT OF OLD ONES WE HAVE OUT THERE STILL.

UM, THEY MAY NOT REFLECT CURRENT LAWS, TECHNOLOGY, ORGAN ORGANIZATIONAL NEEDS.

UM, THIS MISALIGNMENT CAN LEAD TO INEFFICIENCIES, LACK OF CLARITY, AND THEN EVEN POTENTIALLY LEGAL LIABILITIES.

SO OUR GOAL IS TO REALLY REVIEW AND UPDATE ALL OF OUR ARS TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE RELEVANT, UH, AND COMPLIANT.

UM, EVEN LOOK TO RETIRE SOME ARS THAT ARE NO LONGER RELEVANT.

AND THEN CONSIDER ANY, UH, OL CONSOLIDATION OPPORTUNITIES OR IDENTIFY WHERE EVEN MORE POLICY IS NEEDED.

AND OUR EXPECTED OUTCOMES ARE TO MITIGATE THOSE LEGAL LIABILITIES, IMPROVE OUR OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY, INCREASE OUR STAFF UNDERSTANDING OF POLICY, AND IMPROVE STAFF TRAINING AND ONBOARDING.

AND THEN AS PART OF THIS EFFORT TOO, UM, WE, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES IT'S, IT'S AS STAFF YOU'RE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS YOU ACTUALLY NEED TO REVISE AND, AND UPDATE.

SO WE PUT TOGETHER WHAT WE CALL A REVIEW FRAMEWORK THAT REALLY JUST POSES SEVERAL QUESTIONS TO STAFF THAT THEY COULD USE AS A RESOURCE, AS THEY'RE LOOKING AT A POLICY TO SEE WHAT NEEDS TO BE UPDATED.

SO IN THAT FRAMEWORK, IT'S REALLY JUST A DOCUMENT WE CREATED THAT ASKS ALL THESE DIFFERENT QUESTIONS, THESE DIFFERENT AREAS ABOUT THE WHAT IS THE AR RELEVANCE AND PURPOSE, UM, HOW SHOULD YOU PRIORITIZE AND REVIEW THE AR, HOW SHOULD EQUITY AND, AND OTHER IMPACTS BE CONSIDERED? AND HOW SHOULD YOU BE REALISTIC ABOUT THE TIMELINE OF WHAT IT'S GONNA TAKE TO REVIEW A CERTAIN AR? SOME AR UM, CAN GET VERY COMPLICATED OR THEY INVOLVE A LOT OF STAKEHOLDERS AND, UM, SOMETIMES EVEN NEED TO GO THROUGH MEET AND CONFER PROCESS IN THE UNION SO THAT THAT TAKES TIME.

SO JUST CONSIDERING ALL THOSE DIFFERENT, UM, IMPACTS AS YOU'RE TRYING TO DECIDE WHAT YOUR TIMELINE'S GONNA BE.

ALRIGHT.

AND SO AS I TALKED ABOUT EARLIER, WE, WE DO HAVE THAT CHALLENGE IN THAT THE IS ONLY APPLY TO CITY MANAGER LED DEPARTMENTS IN DEPART INDEPENDENT DEPARTMENTS AND ELECTED OFFICES ARE ALWAYS ENCOURAGED TO, UM, ABIDE BY THE AR BUT THEY'RE TECHNICALLY NOT REQUIRED, UM, TO ALIGN WITH OUR POLICIES.

THAT'S SOMETHING WE CONTINUE TO NAVIGATE.

UM, SO WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING TO TRY TO APPROACH SOME MORE OF CITYWIDE UNIFORMITY IS REALLY LOOKING FOR WAYS TO COLLABORATE WITH THOSE INDEPENDENT DEPARTMENTS TO SEE WHERE WE CAN ALIGN ON POLICY, WHERE FEASIBLE.

WE HAVE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH EXAMPLE, FOR EXAMPLE, THE PORT AND UTILITIES AND THEY ACTUALLY ARE A PART OF OUR LARGER GROUP THAT WE'VE ESTABLISHED TO LOOK AT THESE POLICIES AND THEY'RE SUPPORTIVE OF TRYING TO FIND ALIGNMENT.

IT'S JUST LOOK REALLY LOOKING AT WHERE AND WHAT SPECIFIC POLICIES WE CAN ALIGN ON.

SO AS PART OF THAT, WE'RE

[00:55:01]

REALLY TRYING TO LEVERAGE OUR, UM, IT'S, IT'S CALLED, UH, WHAT'S AR ONE DASH ONE? WE CALL IT THE AR OF AR.

'CAUSE REALLY IT JUST DICTATES LIKE HOW OUR AR EVEN REVISED OR, OR DEVELOPED.

AND SO THROUGH THAT PROCESS, IT REALLY CREATES TWO DIFFERENT TOUCH POINTS FOR OUR, THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE WHERE WE CAN ACTUALLY SEE THE POLICY.

AND I THINK DEPENDING ON, UM, POLICIES WHERE WE THINK CITYWIDE ALIGNMENT IS NEEDED, THAT CREATES REALLY STEPS WHERE WE CAN DECIDE AS AN OFFICE, UM, THAT, UH, THAT WE'RE BRINGING IN UTILITIES AND, AND PORT, UH, TALKING ABOUT WHAT THEIR CURRENT POLICIES ARE, WHAT CONCERNS, RESERVATIONS THEY MAY HAVE, WHAT THE REVISIONS WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE, AND IF THEY'D BE WILLING TO THEN ALIGN WITH WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING.

UM, AND THEN, UH, THE IMAGE ON THE RIGHT, UM, IT'S ALSO JUST A TOOL THAT I'VE CREATED AS PART OF THIS PROCESS.

UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE AR ONE DASH ONE IS JUST A DOCUMENT SOMETIMES HARD TO FOLLOW.

SO IT CREATED A MORE OF A VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF ALL THE DIFFERENT STEPS THAT STAFF NEED TO TAKE IN ORDER TO PUT AN AR IN PLACE.

AND SO THAT'S BEEN REALLY HELPFUL 'CAUSE I THINK A LOT OF, SOMETIMES A LOT OF STAFF JUST HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT IS THE PROCESS, SO CREATING THIS TEMPLATE, UM, AND THEN YOU CAN'T SEE IT HERE, BUT I'VE ALSO EVEN, UM, I LINKED DIFFERENT EXAMPLE MEMOS ALONG THE WAY SO THAT PEOPLE ACTUALLY HAVE TEMPLATES AND EXAMPLES TO FOLLOW AS THEY'RE GOING THROUGH EACH OF THE STEPS.

SO TRY TO MAKE IT AS EASY AS POSSIBLE TO GO THROUGH THAT REVIEW PROCESS.

ALRIGHT.

SO SINCE OUR LAST UPDATE, WE HAVE ISSUED TWO ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS.

SO ONE RELATED TO, UM, REVISING OUR EMPLOYEE TRANSPORTATION POLICY AND THEN A, A NEW ONE FOR DATA PRIVACY.

WE DO HAVE SEVERAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS THAT I'D SAY ARE MORE IN PROGRESS IN THAT THERE'S ACTUALLY BEEN CONVERSATIONS HAD ABOUT WHAT KIND OF REVISIONS ARE NEEDED.

SO, UM, LOOKING AT CITY TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT AND RESOURCES, UM, AUTHORIZATION FOR REIMBURSEMENT FOR GENERAL BUSINESS EXPENSES.

SO THAT'S REALLY OUR TRAVEL POLICY.

THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IS REALLY OUTDATED THAT WE'VE BEEN REALLY TRYING TO UPDATE.

I THINK WE'RE CLOSE TO GETTING THAT ONE DONE.

UM, AND THEN EVEN WHAT, WHAT IS OUR, WHAT IS OUR PROCESS FOR ISSUING AND REVISING ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS? THAT'S SOMETHING I WANNA WORK ON.

AND, UH, MAKING SURE THAT THAT'S AS, UM, COMPREHENSIBLE AS POSSIBLE.

UM, AND THEN THERE'S SOME NEW POLICIES AROUND, UM, EVEN LOOKING AT AI AND THEN PROCUREMENT POLICY, WHICH IS ACTUALLY A, A NEW, AN EXCITING ONE THAT'S A NEW ONE THAT'S ACTUALLY BEEN DRAFTED A VERY LENGTHY POLICY BUT NEVER HAD REALLY HAD A PROCUREMENT POLICY FOR THE CITY.

SO THAT'S GONNA BE NEW TO HAVE THAT AS AN ACTUALLY AN ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATION.

SO EXCITED ABOUT THAT ONE.

THAT ONE'S DRAFTED ALREADY.

IT'S JUST GOING THROUGH THE REVIEW PROCESS.

AND THEN OF COURSE WE'RE WORKING WITH THE AD HOC COMMITTEE ON POLICIES REVIEW TO, THEY'RE LOOKING AT ANY ETHICS RELATED ARS AND PROVIDING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR US.

SO WE'RE TAKING, DEFINITELY TAKING THOSE INTO CONSIDERATION.

AND THEN SOME PRIORITIES FOR THIS YEAR.

UM, SO AS TO BE EXPECTED, UM, HAVE HAD SOME CHALLENGES IN GETTING DEPARTMENTS TO WANNA, UM, SET TIMELINES FOR WHEN THEY'RE GONNA REVIEW THEIR ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS.

SO, SO REALLY WANNA FIND WAYS TO KIND OF HELP 'EM, UM, YOU KNOW, HELP, HELP THEM HELP US.

UH, SO LAST YEAR WE KIND OF REALLY FOCUSED ON BRINGING THE GROUPS TOGETHER IN MORE OF THESE QUARTERLY CHECK-INS, BUT I THINK THIS YEAR I WANNA BE A LITTLE BIT MORE PROACTIVE AND START JUST SCHEDULING ONE-OFF MEETINGS WITH INDE INDEPENDENT DEPARTMENTS AND JUST KIND OF UNDERSTANDING IT'S, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES IT'S HARD TO BE VOCAL IN A LARGE GROUP ABOUT WHAT YOUR CHALLENGES ARE TO REALLY WANNA BE MORE PROACTIVE AND START TALKING TO DEPARTMENTS, UM, INDEPENDENTLY.

AND THEN REALLY TRYING TO GET THEM TO LOCK DOWN SOME TIMELINES FOR WHEN THEY'LL BE LOOKING AT THEIR DIFFERENT POLICIES AND REVIEWING THEM AND TRY TO ESTABLISH CERTAIN DATES.

SO GONNA BE TRYING TO WORK ON THAT.

UM, I WANNA MAINTAIN TRACKING TRANSPARENCY AND ACCESS.

SO WE HAVE OUR MICROSOFT LIST THAT WE USE THAT REALLY IS TRACKING ALL OF THE STATUS FOR THE DIFFERENT REVIEWS, UH, WHO'S ASSIGNED TO REVIEW THEM, WHAT THE TIMELINES ARE.

SO JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THAT STAYS UPDATED.

WE HAVE, UH, MICROSOFT TEAMS THAT WE'VE CREATED A SITE THAT HAS ALL OF THE DIFFERENT CONTACTS THE DEPARTMENTS HAVE, HAVE DESIGNATED AS A MAIN POINT OF CONTACTS FOR THIS PROJECT, JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THAT STAYS UPDATED.

UM, THIS IS GONNA REALLY BE A MULTI-YEAR EFFORT, SO I ANTICIPATE THAT STAFF ARE GONNA COME IN AND OUT.

SO I'M HOPING THAT THAT WILL BE A GOOD TOOL SO THAT WHEN SOMEONE LEAVES THAT SOMEONE ELSE COULD GET PLUGGED IN AND GET KIND OF CAUGHT UP TO SPEED QUICKLY AND THAT DOESN'T CAUSE TOO MUCH OF A DELAY.

AND THEN, UM, FOR COMMUNICATION, STILL WANNA KEEP FURTHERING THAT AND PROVIDING SUPPORT AS AN OFFICE.

SO STILL CONTINUING THOSE QUARTERLY CHECK-INS.

I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT AS IMPORTANT AVENUE TO REALLY SHARE PROGRESS BECAUSE I'M HOPING AS WE MAKE MORE PROGRESS AND DEPARTMENTS CAN REPORT OUT ON WHAT THEY'VE DONE, THAT'LL ENCOURAGE OTHER DEPARTMENTS TO WANT TO HAVE THEIR OWN PROGRESS AS WELL.

I THINK YOU SEE, YOU SEE OTHER DEPARTMENTS REALLY STARTING TO WORK AND PUSH THEIR POLICIES THROUGH.

UM, HOPEFULLY THAT WILL CREATE SOME MOTIVATION AS WELL.

SO I WANT TO CREATE, CONTINUE THOSE MEETINGS.

UM, AND THEN OF COURSE WE ALSO HAVE ANOTHER TOOL, UM, THROUGH MICROSOFT BOOKINGS, WHICH IS REALLY A WAY FOR DEPARTMENTS TO, AT ANY TIME REACH OUT TO ME AND, UM, THEY CAN ACTUALLY GO ON A WEBSITE, A WEBPAGE THROUGH THE MICROSOFT TEAM SITE.

UM, THE, IT AUTOMATICALLY ALIGNS WITH MY SCHEDULE SO THEY CAN BOOK A TIME PRETTY MUCH WHENEVER THEY NEED TO, TO, TO TALK TO ME DIRECTLY ABOUT WHATEVER CHALLENGES THEY MAY HAVE RELATED TO, UM, THIS REVIEW PROJECT.

SO TRYING TO CREATE MULTIPLE WAYS TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE DEPARTMENTS AND MAKE IT AS EASY AS POSSIBLE.

I KNOW IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, WITH EVERYTHING GOING ON, UM, CAPACITY ISSUES THROUGHOUT THE CITY, IT'S HARD TO FIND TIME TO FOCUS ON POLICY, BUT I'M HOPING

[01:00:01]

THAT THIS, THIS YEAR WE'LL, WE'LL DEFINITELY SEE EVEN MORE PROGRESS.

AND THAT'S MY UPDATE.

THANK YOU.

GO AHEAD COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS OR COMM YEAH, GO AHEAD.

COMMISSIONER NOR JORGE.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UH, FOR THE PRE PRESENTATION.

I ALSO APPRECIATE THAT YOU PROVIDED A STRONG OVERVIEW FOR OUR NEWEST, UH, COMMISSIONERS.

UM, WHILE THE AD HOC WILL, UH, ALIGN ITSELF WITH THE PROJECT THAT YOU JUST PRESENTED, UH, FROM THE AD HOCS PERSPECTIVE, UM, OUR ROLE IS REALLY TO HELP ENSURE THAT, UM, AS THESE ARS ARE REVIEWED AND UPDATED, THEY REMAIN CLEAR, CONSISTENT, AND EQUITABLE, UH, FOR STAFF AND THE DEPARTMENTS, ESPECIALLY WHEN COVERING ETHICS, UM, CONFLICTS AND DISCLOSURE.

IN ADDITION, THE AD HOC WILL RELY ON STATE LAW AND LOCAL POLICIES, UH, FOR GUIDANCE AND OUR ANALYSIS.

THE AD HOC HAS MET AND WE'LL MEET AGAIN BEFORE OUR FEBRUARY MEETING.

UM, AND I BELIEVE WE WILL BE COVERING AND WORKING ON, UM, THE AR COVERING NEPOTISM.

SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO BRINGING OUR RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, TO THE COMMISSION, UH, FOR APPROVAL.

AND I DON'T KNOW IF, UH, MY COLLEAGUE OR HEATHER HAS ANYTHING TO ADD.

THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS.

UH, NOTHING MORE TO ADD TO THAT POINT.

UM, THANK YOU, JORGE.

UH, ONE OF THE, AND NOW I, I ALWAYS AM DISORGANIZED, BUT THE ONE THAT SPOKE TO WHEN THERE IS A LACK OF, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, THE AUDITOR AND THE ELECTED, THEY DON'T HAVE TO FOLLOW, UM, THE CITY AR I RECALL US HAVING AN ISSUE IN 2021, I BELIEVE, WHERE, UM, AN ELECTED WAS ABLE TO, UH, PURSUE AND PROCURE.

I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT THERE'S A PROCUREMENT POLICY NOW.

UM, WHEN AN ORGANIZATION DOES NOT HAVE A POLICY, UM, TI WAS, IT'S A RECOMMENDATION ON MY PART THAT, UM, THEY MUST ADOPT THE CITY POLICY IF THEY DON'T HAVE ONE THAT IS EITHER STRONGER OR, YOU KNOW, SIMILAR.

UH, BUT TO, UM, JUST TO OPERATE OUTSIDE OF THE POLICIES AND THE PROCEDURES, UH, DOESN'T FEEL COMFORTABLE TO ME.

AND I KNOW THAT WE HAD A COUPLE OF CASES LIKE THAT WHERE, UM, THEY, THEY WERE NOT SUBJECT TO POLICY, BUT I THINK BEFORE SOMEBODY GOES OFF TO DO SOMETHING, THEY HAVE TO AT LEAST DEMONSTRATE THAT THEY HAVE SOMETHING SIMILAR OR THEY ARE, ARE ADOPTING MAYBE THE HARBOR OR SOMEBODY ELSE'S.

BUT TO ALSO TO WORK IN A SPACE WITHOUT ANY POLICY OR PROCEDURE IS TROUBLING TO ME.

SO I THINK THAT, UM, I, I LIKE THE LANGUAGE THAT SAYS WE ENCOURAGE, BUT UM, THERE NEEDS TO BE SOMETHING TO SUBSTITUTE IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO FOLLOW THE CITY.

UH, AND I'M NOT SURE IF I'M WAY BEYOND MY, UH, UH, MY REACH HERE, BUT, UH, I, I LEAVE THAT, LEAVE THAT WITH YOU.

YEAH, THAT'S SOMETHING WE'VE ACTUALLY DISCUSSED BECAUSE THAT THERE, WE DID HAVE THE IDEA OF LIKE SAYING ACTUALLY ADDING THAT LANGUAGE WHERE MM-HMM .

THIS POLICY APPLIES CITYWIDE.

UM, UNLESS YOU HAVE A SEPARATE POLICY THAT IS PUBLICLY POSTED, THAT'S SOME IDEA WE HAD.

THAT'S TALKED TO THE CITY ATTORNEY ABOUT IT, THOUGH.

LIKE IT, IT'S, IT IS NICE LANGUAGE TO HAVE, BUT TECHNICALLY IT'S NOT REALLY BINDING STILL BECAUSE PER THE CHARTER, WE DON'T HAVE REALLY THE AUTHORITY TO DICTATE THAT AS A CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE.

SO IT, YOU KNOW, WE COULD, WE COULD, I GUESS, ENCOURAGE, USE THAT KINDA LANGUAGE TO ENCOURAGE IT.

BUT LIKE, WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO IT FROM A LEGAL STANDING, IT'S, UM, STILL NOT STRONG BECAUSE OF THE, WHAT THE CHARTER SAYS.

YEAH.

'CAUSE THAT CASE IN POINT, WHEN THEY WERE AUDITED, THEY HAD NOTHING TO HANG THEIR HAT ON, ON WHY THEY TOOK THE STEPS OR WHY THERE WAS A MODIFICATION FOR YEARS ON END, UH, WITHOUT ANY CONTROLS.

AND TO ME, UH, IF YOU'RE GONNA OPT OUT FROM USING THE CITY'S, UH, KIND OF APPROVED AND APPROVED, UH, UH, PROCESS, YOU SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST SOME SEMBLANCE OR SOME BEST PRACTICE THAT YOU CAN DEMONSTRATE AND PRODUCE, UH, TO SHOW WHERE THE MONEY IS GOING AND HOW THE WORK IS DONE.

DEFINITELY, WE AGREE WITH THAT AS WELL.

OKAY.

THANK YOU.

ONE, ONE OTHER, I'LL THROW OUT ONE MORE, SORRY.

UM, WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT TWO TO THREE YEARS FOR RENEWAL OR REVISITING? YEAH, I'M HOPING THAT, I'M HOPING AT LEAST WITH SOME OF THE POLICIES, IT SEEMS LIKE THEY DON'T TECHNICALLY NEED A REVIEW.

I MEAN, WE STILL, I MEAN, THEY'RE, THEY'RE, A LOT OF THEM ARE NEWER OR HOPEFULLY THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY ONLY NEED MINOR REVISIONS.

AND WE, WE STILL DO

[01:05:01]

HAVE A NEW TEMPLATE THOUGH, THAT WE'VE ESTABLISHED BECAUSE THAT WASN'T, THAT WAS EVEN AN ISSUE.

LIKE, WE HAVE POLICIES THAT WE WEREN'T EVEN SURE WHEN THEY WERE ACTUALLY ISSUED.

THERE'S NO LIKE, DATE ON THEM.

UM, AND UM, SO THAT'S THE NEW TEMPLATE HAS THE ACTUAL DATE, THE, WHEN THEY'LL BE REVIEWED NEXT.

AND SO WE'RE STILL CONVERTING EVERYTHING TO THE NEW TEMPLATE.

SO IT STILL NEEDS TO BE CONVERTED, BUT SURE.

SOME OF 'EM SHOULD HOPEFULLY BE MORE STRAIGHTFORWARD.

UM, BUT I'M, I'M ANTICIPATING THERE ARE SOME THAT ARE JUST GONNA TAKE, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE YEARS AT LEAST JUST BASED ON MEETING, CONFERRING THAT PROCESS AND WHAT MAY, WHAT DISCUSSIONS MAY NEED TO HAPPEN FOR THAT ACTUALLY TO GO LIVE.

SO YEAH, I'D SAY PROBABLY TWO TO THREE YEARS IS FAIR.

I THINK, I THINK WHEN I SPOKE TO HUNTINGTON BEACH, THEY WERE, THEY WERE ALSO THINKING LIKE TWO YEARS WHEN THEY FIRST STARTED, RIGHT? BUT LIKE, EVEN ON THEIR WEBSITE NOW, THEY STARTED LIKE YEARS AGO, IT'S PROBABLY BEEN LIKE FIVE YEARS.

AND THEY'RE STILL LIKE UPDATING THEM AS THEY GO.

UM, YEAH.

SO YEAH, I USUALLY SEE IF THERE'S A, A PROLIFERATION OF MEMORANDUMS OR NOMENCLATURE CHANGES.

TWO TO THREE YEARS IS FINE.

I THINK IT'S, UH, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO KEEP 'EM UPDATED, EVEN IF THERE'S LITERAL, UH, LITERALLY NO CHANGES.

OH, YEAH, YEAH.

REFRESH THE DATES, ET CETERA.

THAT'S WHAT WE'RE THINKING AS FAR AS THE, THE REVIEW DATES WE'RE SETTING LIKE A TWO YEAR, UH, GENERAL TIMEFRAME, UM, TO SEE, TO REVIEW THEM AND LOOK AT THEM AGAIN.

YEAH.

VERY GOOD.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

HOW, HOW MANY AR HAVE GOTTEN THROUGH THE WHOLE PROCESS? UM, SO RIGHT NOW, THOSE, THOSE TWO THAT I'VE, THE, THE TWO THAT I'VE ARE THE ONES THAT WE'VE ACTUALLY ISSUED SINCE WE LAST SPOKE, SPOKE TO YOU.

AND THE OTHER ONES REALLY ARE LIKE IN VARIOUS LEVELS OF, OF REVIEW.

UM, HAVEN'T BEEN ISSUED YET.

THERE'S DEFINITELY SOME THAT ARE CLOSE AND LIKE BIGGER ONES, LIKE THE PROCUREMENT POLICIES, LIKE NUMEROUS PAGES LONG.

UM, BUT DEFINITELY WANNA SEE MORE PROGRESS THIS YEAR, THAT'S FOR SURE.

THAT'S OUR GOAL.

UM, AND, AND I KNOW THAT YOU'RE WORKING TO HAVE OTHER DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE NOT CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENTS ADOPT THE, THE SAME POLICY OR ADOPT A COUNTERPART.

UM, BUT I, I DIDN'T SEE THAT IN YOUR FLOW CHART AT ALL.

THAT STEP OF GOING TO THE OTHER NON-CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENTS FOR THEM TO EITHER ADOPT THE SAME POLICY OR, OR ISSUE A POLICY OF THEIR OWN.

SO THE FLOW CHART IS JUST, IT'S JUST, UM, EXPLAINING WHAT THE AR ONE DASH ONE, WHAT THE STEPS ARE IN THAT SPECIFIC POLICY.

SO IT'S JUST A, IT'S JUST A VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF THAT AR SO MAYBE WE OUGHT TO ADD THAT TO THE PROCESS IN YEAH, THAT'S ONE DASH ONE'S, THAT'S SOMETHING I'M ACTUALLY, 'CAUSE I'M WORKING ON REVISING THAT AR ITSELF BECAUSE THAT'D BE MORE OUR OFFICE THAT WOULD NEED TO DO THAT.

UM, AND SO LOOKING AT, YEAH, 'CAUSE OUR CURRENT POLICY, OUR CURRENT PROCESS DOESN'T EVEN HAVE E EITHER A WAY, IT DOESN'T REALLY MENTION A WAY OF RETIRING IN AR WHEN YOU'RE NO LONGER NEED IT.

SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I KNOW NEEDS TO BE ADDED.

SO YEAH, THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN CONSIDER FOR SURE.

BUT, UM, AS FAR AS LIKE, UH, GETTING THAT INPUT THROUGH THE CURRENT PROCESS, UM, THAT WILL REALLY BE KIND OF OUR ROLE AS THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE TO MAKE SURE WE'RE PLUGGING IN THE RIGHT FOLKS AS WE'RE, AS THOSE POLICIES ARE COMING THROUGH OUR OFFICE TO REVIEW THEM.

GREAT.

THANK YOU.

THANKS.

VICE CHAIR COLEMAN.

SORRY, THAT MADE ME, UM, THAT WAS A GREAT QUESTION.

THAT MADE ME TRACK SOMETHING IN MY BRAIN.

IS THERE A WAY FOR AN, UM, I, I KNOW THE GOAL IS ONCE A POLICY IS REVIEWED TO HAVE THEM BASICALLY REVIEWED AGAIN EVERY TWO TO THREE YEARS AFTER IT'S BEEN, YOU KNOW, FINALIZED, IS THERE A REVIEW? SAY IF, UM, YOU KNOW, CITY COUNCIL, UM, CHANGES, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, PUTS IN PLACE A NEW ORDINANCE, UM, THAT WOULD THEN AFFECT AN AR, IS THERE A WAY FOR THAT AR TO THEN BECOME AUTOMATICALLY REVIEWED? IS THERE, HAS THAT BEEN A THOUGHT IN THE PROCESS? YEAH, THERE'S, I THINK WE JUST AS A STUDENT MANAGER'S OFFICE, WE SEE ALL OF THE DIFFERENT COUNCIL ITEMS THAT COME OUR WAY.

SO I THINK WE, IT'S PROBABLY WOULD BE MORE OF OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO CONNECT THE DOTS ON WHEN A AR WOULD NEED TO GET UPDATED.

THAT'S ACTUALLY SOMETHING THAT DOES HAPPEN.

LIKE WHEN, UH, COUNCIL BRINGS FORWARD AN ITEM FOR LIKE A, A FLAG DISPLAY, WE DO HAVE THAT FLAG DISPLAY AR SO THAT KIND OF AUTOMATICALLY TRIGGERS US KNOWING THAT WE NEED TO UPDATE THE AR AS WELL.

SO, UM, THAT IS, I THINK, MORE OF OUR ROLE IN THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE TO IDENTIFY THOSE TOUCH POINTS AND YEAH, UPDATE QUICKER IF, IF NEEDED DUE TO COUNCIL ACTION.

SO , UH, YOU KNOW, IS, AND I KNOW THAT THEY'RE NOW ON THE WEBSITE, UM, IS THERE, WOULD, WOULD THERE BE A WAY, I KNOW THAT YOU AND HEATHER CURRENTLY ARE REALLY SPEARHEADING A LOT OF THIS PROCESS, UM, SAY FOR ANY REASON YOU OR HEATHER ARE NO LONGER AT THE CITY, RIGHT? THIS IS A LOT OF THIS IS IN YOUR BRAINS.

UM, IS THERE A WAY THAT SOMEONE WHO WOULD COME INTO THE CITY AND BE NEWER AND WOULDN'T HAVE THAT THE FLAG POLICY, I, I THINK WOULD BE CLEAR, BUT WOULDN'T HAVE THAT INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE FOR THEM TO QUICKLY SEARCH A DATABASE AND

[01:10:01]

SEE, HEY, DOES THIS CONNECT TO ONE OF A A OR WOULD THEY JUST HAVE TO, AS THEY SLOWLY GO THROUGH THE LEARNING CURVE, MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS THEMSELVES? I MEAN, CURRENTLY PROBABLY YOU JUST HAVE TO MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS KIND OF LIKE I HAVE TO NOW.

BUT I MEAN, THAT'S A GOOD POINT THAT THAT COULD BE SOMETHING EITHER WE, WE ADD TO THE PROCESS ITSELF OFFICIALLY OR JUST CREATE A SEPARATE KIND OF INTERNAL OFFICE DOCUMENT AS FAR AS LIKE WHAT THINGS TO LOOK FOR AS AN OFFICE.

SO JUST LIKE A MORE OF AN SOP THING.

UM, SO THAT'S A GOOD POINT.

YEAH.

UM, DEFINITELY NEED TO CONSIDER THAT.

SURE.

THANK YOU.

YEAH, THANK YOU.

ANY OTHER INPUT FROM THE COMMISSION? IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM? TAKE A VOTE.

I DON'T SEEM TO BE ABLE TO GET OUT OF THE DOCK.

OH, WAIT, THERE IT IS.

GOT IT.

A MOTION CARRIES.

AGENDA ITEM

[4. 26-57386 Recommendation to receive and file a presentation on the Commission’s original Action Plan, as well as an update to the Office of Ethics and Transparency’s 5-Year roadmap.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]

NUMBER FOUR, RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE A PRESENTATION ON THE COMMISSION'S ORIGINAL ACTION PLAN, AS WELL AS AN UPDATE TO THE OFFICE OF ETHICS AND TRANSPARENCY'S FIVE YEAR ROADMAP.

A MOTION, SOMEBODY, UH, MOTION BY COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS, SECONDED BY VICE CHAIR COLEMAN.

AND I THINK HEATHER, YOU'LL BE PRESENTING.

THANKS ERIC.

SO, YES, UM, YOU ALL RECEIVED QUITE A BIT OF INFORMATION WITH YOUR PACKET ON FRIDAY.

SO THIS PRESENTATION IS JUST VERY QUICK, HIGH LEVEL, BREAKING IT DOWN FOR YOU WHAT THAT, UH, ALL OF THAT INFORMATION WAS.

BEING THAT WE'VE GOT THREE NEW COMMISSIONERS ON THE COMMISSION, UM, THE CHAIR, VICE CHAIR, AND I AGREE THAT WE SHOULD TAKE A STEP BACK BEFORE WE GET INTO A STRATEGIC ROADMAP UPDATE.

SO WITH THAT, WE'LL, UH, TAKE A LOOK FIRST AT THE ORIGINAL ACTION PLAN.

SO JUST A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND.

THIS IS STUFF THAT YOU ALL KNOW ALREADY.

MEASURE CCC WAS APPROVED IN AT THE END OF 2018, AND OUR COMMISSION WAS OFFICIALLY SEATED IN 2019 AND 20.

SO IN AUGUST OF 2020, THE CITY AUDITOR RELEASED FINDINGS FROM BOTH THE 2019 EMPLOYEE ETHICS PROGRAM SURVEY AND THE 2019, UH, PROGRAM PERFORMANCE AUDIT.

SO THESE WERE TWO, TWO SEPARATE, UM, UNDERTAKINGS, UH, THAT WERE REPORTED ON AT THE SAME TIME.

SO THE SURVEY, THE EMPLOYEE SURVEY, FOUND GENERALLY POSITIVE PERCEPTIONS AMONG NEWER, YOUNGER, AND MANAGEMENT EMPLOYEES WITH LOWER REPORTED PRESSURE TO COMPROMISE STANDARDS AND STRONGER VIEWS OF ETHICAL CULTURE IN LEADERSHIP AND SUPERVISORY ROLES.

HOWEVER, SIGNIFICANT GAPS EMERGED FROM PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS TRUST AND REPORTING AND EQUITY AND PERCEPTIONS.

AND THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS DISCUSSED BRIEFLY, UH, WITH, UH, BRYCE.

IN OUR FIRST PRESENTATION, THE AUDIT IDENTIFIED FRAGMENTED OVERSIGHT, UNCLEAR STANDARDS, LIMITED VISIBILITY, WEAK ENFORCEMENT, AND LOW EMPLOYEE TRUST ACROSS THE CITY'S ETHICS PROGRAM.

THESE GAPS CONTRIBUTED TO LOW AWARENESS AND RELUCTANCE TO REPORT MISCONDUCT.

SO THIS IS THE INFORMATION THAT THE COMMISSION REALLY STARTED WITH, UM, WHICH IS REALLY GOOD.

IT'S REALLY HELPFUL.

UM, AS WE, WELL, THEY, AND THEN I CAME ALONG LATER, STARTED TO BUILD THE FOUNDATION OF THE PROGRAM.

SO THE ORIGINAL ACTION PLAN, THE CONSULTANT DEVELOPED 11 STANDARDS OR CRITERIA BASED ON BENCHMARKING RESULTS AND BEST PRACTICES, AND ULTIMATELY MADE 25 RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WERE GROUPED UNDER THE APPLICABLE STANDARDS IN, UH, THE AUDIT REPORT.

SO THESE 25 RECOMMENDATIONS ARE REALLY WHAT DIRECTLY SHAPED THE ETHICS COMMISSION'S INITIAL ACTION PLAN, WHICH FOCUSED ON ESTABLISHING STRUCTURE AND OVERSIGHT, IMPROVING ACCESS TO POLICIES, CLARIFYING REPORTING AND RETALIATION PROTECTIONS, UM, EXPANDING TRAINING, WHICH WE, WE CONTINUE TO DO ALL OF THIS, UH, COMPLIANCE TRACKING AND THEN INCREASING TRANSPARENCY

[01:15:01]

AND CONSISTENCY.

SO THE COMMISSION HAS DONE QUITE A BIT OF WORK.

UM, YOU HAVE THE ACTION PLAN IN YOUR PACKET.

SO WE GOT TO A POINT WHERE, UM, AND I'LL GET INTO THAT IN THE NEXT SLIDE, BUT WE GOT TO A POINT WHERE MOST OF WHAT COULD BE DONE ON THE ACTION PLAN WAS DONE.

HOWEVER, THERE STILL ARE SOME OUTSTANDING ITEMS THAT, FOR WHATEVER REASON, A PEN WAS PUT IN IT UNTIL WE GOT OUR NEW COMMISSIONERS.

UM, AND I THINK THERE IS A DESIRE TO START THE CONVERSATION AGAIN ABOUT A LOT OF THESE OUTSTANDING ITEMS AND, AND HOW THE COMMISSION WANTS TO MOVE FORWARD WITH ANY OR ALL OF THESE.

SO THE ACTION PLAN WAS ESSENTIALLY FINISHED.

UM, IT WAS COMPLETED, OPERATIONALIZED AND PAUSED.

SO WE SHIFTED FROM WHAT I CALL A CHECKLIST MENTALITY OR CHECKLIST DRIVEN RESPONSE TO REALLY LONG TERM STRATEGIC PLANNING.

SO WE BROUGHT ON A CONSULTANT, UH, MARCO MARCOLA CENTER FOR APPLIED ETHICS.

AND WE SPENT ALMOST A YEAR, UH, PUTTING TOGETHER THE STRATEGIC ROADMAP.

AND OF COURSE, THEY LED THE WAY, AND IT STARTED WITH INTERVIEWS AND IT HAD PUBLIC MEETINGS, AND IT DID A SOAR ANALYSIS.

THEY DID BENCHMARKING OF SEVERAL ETHICS PROGRAMS, UM, MEETING WITH OTHER KEY STAKEHOLDERS.

AND AGAIN, THROUGHOUT THAT PROCESS, WHAT AT THE END OF THAT WAS THE FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC ROADMAP.

AND YOU'VE GOT THAT BROKEN DOWN IN YOUR PACKET, UM, TO TAKE A LOOK AT.

SO THE ROADMAP IS DIVIDED INTO FOUR OVERARCHING PRIORITIES, EACH WITH ITS OWN INITIATIVES AND PATHWAYS TO COMPLETION.

HOWEVER, UM, THE OUTSTANDING ITEMS THAT WE JUST LOOKED AT, THAT HAS BECOME THE FIFTH PRIORITY IN THE WAY THAT I ORGANIZE, UM, THE ROADMAP, THE INTENT WAS TO TRY AND INTEGRATE THOSE OUTSTANDING ITEMS INTO, UM, THE OTHER FOUR OVERARCHING PRIORITIES.

BUT AFTER A LOT OF DISCUSSION WITH THE COMMISSION AND AMONGST THE OET STAFF, IT JUST BECAME EASIER TO, TO GIVE IT ITS OWN PRIORITY.

SO THE OTHER FOUR PRIORITIES ARE A CULTURE OF ETHICS, SOLID COMMUNICATION, STRATEGY, AND EDUCATION AND TRAINING, BLUEPRINT AND ORGANIZATIONAL ALIGNMENT.

SO WE GET TO TODAY, SO IT TOOK A YEAR, AND THEN AS WE ENTERED 2025, WE REALLY STARTED TO, UM, OPERATIONALIZE THE STRATEGIC ROADMAP.

ALL OF THAT.

ALL OF THAT WORK IS DONE BY MYSELF, JORGE, AND SAM.

UM, MOST OF SAM'S TIME IS SPENT WITH THE PRA PROGRAM, BUT SO THERE, THERE'S A FEW OF US TO DO QUITE A BIT OF WORK, WHICH I THINK WE'RE MAKING GREAT PROGRESS.

SO THE STRATEGIC ROADMAP IS COLOR CODED INTO THE FOUR PRIORITIES.

UPDATES ARE, ARE TO THE RIGHT.

UM, EITHER IT'S MARKED AS COMPLETED, IT'S MARKED AS IN PROGRESS.

SO SOME THINGS WILL NEVER BE QUOTE UNQUOTE COMPLETED.

IT'S ALWAYS GONNA BE IN PROGRESS.

AND THEN THERE'S SEVERAL THAT, UM, ARE STILL PENDING, WHICH MEANS WE HAVEN'T STARTED WORK ON THOSE AT ALL.

UM, PROBABLY DECISIONS NEED TO BE MADE OR THEIR, OR THEIR LONGER TERM ACTION ITEMS. SO IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS ON ANY SPECIFIC, UM, ROADMAP ENTRIES, I'M HAPPY TO, TO TALK ABOUT.

I'M NOT GONNA GO THROUGH EVERY ITEM.

UM, BUT GENERALLY, I THINK INITIALLY WE HAD TALKED ABOUT DOING THESE UPDATES QUARTERLY, THE CHAIR AND I AND VICE CHAIR, WE HAD TALKED ABOUT MOVING TO BI-ANNUALLY JUST BECAUSE THREE MONTHS GOES BY, UM, IN A FLASH.

SO I DON'T KNOW HOW HELPFUL THESE, THESE UPDATES WILL BE QUARTERLY.

UM, BUT JUST TO SUM IT ALL UP, SO THE AUDIT, IT IDENTIFIED FOUNDATIONAL GAPS AND PROVIDED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT.

THE ACTION PLAN RESPONDED DIRECTLY.

AND THEN THE STRATEGIC ROADMAP REALLY REFLECTS AN EVOLUTION THAT CONTINUES TO MATURE AND POSITIONS THE COMMISSION TO PROVIDE SUSTAINED ADVISORY LEADERSHIP OVER TIME.

SO ALL OF THIS, I, I HATE LOOKING AT STUFF LIKE A CHECKLIST, THAT'S ONE OF MY PET PEEVES.

ASK ANY OF MY COLLEAGUES .

BUT FOR A WHILE WE HAD TO HAVE IT AS A CHECKLIST.

THERE, THERE WAS A LOT TO DO, BUT IT, IT CAN'T BE, IT REALLY ISN'T A CHECKLIST.

I LIKE TO LOOK AT IT AS AN ECOSYSTEM.

UM, AND JUST DOING A LITTLE BIT AT A TIME, AT A TIME AND, AND GROWING IT INTO WHAT'S REALLY, I THINK, A GREAT PROGRAM.

AND OF COURSE THERE'S A TON OF MORE WORK TO DO.

UM, BUT IT'S REALLY EVOLVED NICELY, I THINK.

[01:20:02]

AND THAT'S MY PRESENTATION OR MY UPDATE, AND I'M HAPPY.

I, I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE A DEEPER DIVE INTO THINGS, AND WE CAN DO THAT.

UM, INPUT FROM THE COMMISSION.

COMMISSIONER EATON, HEATHER, THANKS FOR THIS.

UM, WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE THE TOUGHEST PRIORITIES TO IMPLEMENT AND WHY? WELL, THERE'S A LOT OF, UM, I WOULDN'T SAY TOUGH.

THERE'S SOME THAT ARE SPECIFIC TO THE AUTHORITY OF THE COMMISSION.

UM, SOME THINGS ARE OUTSIDE OF THE AUTHORITY, WHICH WE NEED TO LOOK AT A COUPLE YEARS FROM NOW.

UM, THERE WAS A LOT OF RECOMMENDATIONS AROUND LIKE SPECIFIC, LIKE EMPLOYEE EVENTS, FOR EXAMPLE.

UM, I WOULDN'T SAY THAT THOSE ARE TOUGH, BUT THOSE TAKE A WHOLE LOT OF EFFORT FOR JUST A LITTLE BIT OF, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BANG.

UM, SO THOSE, MY PLAN RIGHT NOW IS REALLY TO INTEGRATE A LOT OF THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS.

LIKE THERE'S RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT HAVING TOWN HALLS ABOUT SPECIFIC TOPICS, UM, WHERE AGAIN, THIS TAKES A LOT OF WORK AND YOU DON'T GET A LOT OF, UM, TURNOUT FOR STUFF LIKE THAT.

SO JUST INTEGRATING SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS INTO, OR INTEGRATING SEVERAL RECOMMENDATIONS INTO REALLY ONE ACTION.

UM, THERE WAS A BIG PUSH TO DO A BIG TRAINING INITIATIVE ON THE FRAMEWORK FOR ETHICAL DECISION MAKING.

UM, AND THAT'S PROBABLY SOMETHING WE CAN, I CAN REPORT OUT NEXT MONTH JUST TO GIVE YOU ALL A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND.

UM, BUT THERE'S REALLY NOT ENOUGH INTERESTING INFORMATION AND THE FRAMEWORK FOR THIS, YOU KNOW, ETHICAL DECISION MAKING FOR ME TO, YOU KNOW, REQUEST TIME ON ALL THESE DEPARTMENTS' CALENDARS, UM, FOR THAT SPECIFIC TRAINING.

SO WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW IS REALLY INTEGRATING THE FRAMEWORK INTO OTHER TRAININGS.

LIKE WE'RE UPDATING OUR CODE OF CONDUCT TRAINING, UM, WE'RE DOING, UH, SAM AND I ARE STARTING TO PUT TOGETHER, OR WE'RE CONTINUING TO PUT TOGETHER OUR CALENDAR OF DIFFERENT DEPARTMENT VISITS WITH SEVERAL UPDATES AND INFORMATION THAT WILL INCLUDE THE FRAMEWORK.

UM, SO YEAH, IT JUST, TIME REALLY IS THE TOUGHEST.

OTHER, OTHER COMMISSIONERS, COMMISSIONER D BENEDICTUS.

SURE.

I, UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR REPORT.

UM, I'M OVERWHELMED LOOKING AT IT , SO I CAN IMAGINE WHAT YOU FEEL.

UH, I THINK, UM, I DON'T WANNA LOSE SIGHT OF WHAT PROBABLY THE MOST, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT YOU BRING, AND THAT IS YOU'RE THE FACE OF ETHICS.

SO LESS TIME SITTING BEHIND A KEYBOARD AND MORE TIME BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS, HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE ORGANIZATIONS, HOW YOU'RE DOING, WHAT DO THEY NEED FROM YOU? I THINK YOU'RE GONNA, THAT'S WHERE YOU GET YOUR BANG FOR YOUR BUCK, THAT THEY, UH, IF THEY HAVE ISSUE RECOGNITION ISSUES THAT, OR, OR THEY, THEY WANNA HAVE A CONVERSATION THAT YOU'RE AVAILABLE TO BE ABLE TO, UH, TO BUILD THAT.

I TRUST YOU IMPLICITLY TO DO THAT.

UH, THAT'S WHAT YOU'VE DONE AND YOU'VE TAKEN EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE SUGGESTED.

UM, BUT THE ROADMAP, IT'S A LIFELONG THING.

UH, SO, UM, I APPRECIATE THE REPORT KIND OF ALWAYS BRINGS US BACK.

I LOVE THE IDEA OF BIANNUAL.

THAT'S PROBABLY MORE THAN WHAT WE NEED.

UM, BUT WE, I TRUST THAT YOU'RE GONNA KEEP BRINGING THESE FORWARD AND, UM, YOU'LL, YOU'LL SEE WHERE THE HOTSPOTS ARE, I BELIEVE.

SO YOU, YOU'RE LOOKING FOR WHERE YOU GET YOUR BANG FOR YOUR BUCK.

AND I, I CAN APPRECIATE THAT.

THANK YOU.

MM-HMM .

I APPRECIATE THAT TOO.

COMMISSIONER GILL.

YES.

UH, YEAH, VERY, UM, VERY IN DEPTH TO REALLY LOOK AT THIS STUFF.

I'VE TRIED ABOUT FIVE TIMES AND I'M JUST GETTING A HANDLE , I'M REALLY LOOKING AT IT.

I DID HAVE A QUESTION YOU HAD NOTED EARLIER, AND THEN ALSO HERE, UH, THAT THERE'S THE CITYWIDE ETHICS SURVEY GOING OUT SOON, I'M ASSUMING.

YEAH.

SO IDEALLY IN WHAT WE LONG TERM WOULD LIKE TO HAVE IS FOR THE AUDITOR TO DO A FOLLOW UP AUDIT ON THIS SCALE THAT IT WAS DONE IN 2019, AND I'VE PUT THAT ON THEIR RADAR.

IN THE MEANTIME, WE'RE DEVELOPING OUR OWN SURVEY THAT THE OET WILL LAUNCH, HOPEFULLY WITHIN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS AND, AND GO FOR A LITTLE WHILE JUST TO KIND OF GAUGE IF OUR EFFORTS ARE STARTING TO PAY OFF AT ALL.

UM, WHICH MONTH USING THE

[01:25:01]

RESULTS FROM 2019, AS YOU KNOW, UH, WHERE WE'LL, YOU KNOW, REFLECT BACK ON AND AND MEASURE, WHICH MONTH WOULD YOU EXPECT TO HAVE THE RESULTS AVAILABLE? I DON'T KNOW.

I, UM, THE DISABILITY COMMISSION IS LAUNCHING A SURVEY, I THINK TOMORROW, AND THEY'RE ACTUALLY GONNA LET THEIR SURVEY GO FOR ABOUT FIVE MONTHS, AND THAT'S A CITYWIDE SURVEY.

SO , I EXPECT TO LET THE SURVEY GO MAYBE TWO MONTHS, AND THEN, SO REPORT OUT IN MARCH, APRIL AT THE LATEST.

OKAY.

THANK YOU.

UM, THANK YOU.

AND I APPRECIATE YOU PUTTING TOGETHER ALL OF THE HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS, LOOKING THROUGH THEM.

UH, I OBVIOUSLY, I DIDN'T HAVE TO READ EVERY WORD OF THE HARVEY ROSE AUDIT AGAIN, .

YEAH.

UM, BUT, UH, BUT IT WAS HELPFUL TO HAVE A SINGLE DOCUMENT NOW THAT INCORPORATES ALL OF THOSE MATERIALS, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.

UM, AND AL ALSO HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE HOW MUCH WAS ACCOMPLISHED IN 2025.

AND IT'S A LOT.

I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOUR ANNUAL REPORT.

UM, AND, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, A LOT HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED.

UM, TWO, TWO THINGS I WANTED TO KIND OF FOCUS ON.

UH, ONE, UM, I, I APPRECIATE WHAT COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS JUST SAID.

UM, I'M, I CONTINUE TO BE DISAPPOINTED AND WANT TO VOICE MY DISAPPOINTMENT IN THE BUDGET DECISIONS THAT WERE MADE BY THE CITY.

UH, YOU ACCOMPLISHED A LOT, BUT IN 2026, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE EVEN LESS STAFFING THAN YOU HAD.

ONE OF THE THINGS ON THE ROADMAP, UH, IN A NUMBER OF LOCATIONS IS PUBLIC OUTREACH.

WE WANT TO HAVE, UM, AN INCREASE IN TRUST IN THE ETHICS OFFICE AMONG THE EMPLOYEES OF THE CITY.

THAT WAS THE FIRST PRIORITY.

AND THAT'S WHERE THERE'VE BEEN A LOT OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS, BUT BOTH THE ETHICS OFFICE AND THE COMMISSION HAVE NOT DONE, OR, AND I DON'T BELIEVE YOU HAVE THE BANDWIDTH RIGHT NOW TO DO A TRUE OUTREACH TO THE PUBLIC, BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS WE WANTED TO DO, AND, AND IT'S REFLECTED IN A NUMBER OF PLACES IN THE ROADMAP, IS INCREASE THE TRUST IN GOVERNMENT AMONG THE RESIDENTS OF THE CITY AND VENDORS, ET CETERA, ET CETERA.

AND I, I DON'T KNOW HOW WE CAN DO MUCH IN THAT REALM.

I KNOW THE COMMISSION IS LOOKING AT AN EVENING MEETING THIS YEAR.

WE'RE TRYING TO DO SOME PUBLIC OUTREACH, BUT I KNOW THAT'S A REAL STRETCH GIVEN THE CURRENT STAFFING SITUATION IN YOUR OFFICE, UH, TO DO MUCH MORE THAN THAT.

UM, YEAH, I, I MEAN, YES, , UH, BUT AS WE STARTED THE ROADMAP AS I WAS, YOU KNOW, DIVIDING IT UP INTO THE FIVE YEARS, KNOWING SOME OF THE STUFF WOULD GO A LITTLE BIT LONGER, REALLY MY PRIORITY IS INTERNALLY RIGHT NOW, THE EMPLOYEES IN THE FIRST TWO YEARS, I, I'VE COMMITTED TO THE EMPLOYEES AND OF COURSE SOME TO THE PUBLIC, BUT REALLY MOST OF MY EFFORTS, UM, HAVE PURPOSEFULLY BEEN ON EMPLOYEES, A, A AND, AND I THINK, UH, AT LEAST I CERTAINLY WOULD AGREE WITH THAT PRIORITY.

MM-HMM .

UM, UH, IF WE HAD MORE STAFF, WE COULD DO MORE.

UM, YES.

BUT IF WE HAVE TO PRIORITIZE BETWEEN THE TWO, I AGREE THAT RIGHT NOW WE NEED TO BE FOCUSED ON CITY STAFF.

UM, SO, UM, IT, IT, IT IS WHAT IT IS FOR THIS YEAR, BUT, UH, UH, NOW THAT THE BUDGET PROCESS IS STARTING AGAIN FOR 2020 FISCAL YEAR 2027, UM, AGAIN, WE'LL BE PUSHING FOR MORE STAFFING BECAUSE I, I THINK, UM, THERE IS A WINDOW, WE, WE REALLY DO NEED TO GET THE BANDWIDTH TO BE DOING SOME MORE THINGS.

AND I KNOW ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, THE MARCOLA, UH, RECOMMENDED WAS THAT WE DO LESS WITH AD HOCS AND MORE WITH CITY STAFF, BUT THAT DEPENDS ON THERE BEING CITY STAFF.

UM, AND I, I THINK THAT'S, UM, A, A GOAL BECAUSE AS COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS SAID, YOU ARE THE FACE TO THE CITY STAFF AND TO THE PUBLIC.

UM, AND, UH, SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S A GOAL THAT'S ONLY ACHIEVABLE WITH, WITH, UM, UM, MORE BUDGET AND MORE, MORE STAFFING.

UM,

[01:30:01]

I ALSO, UH, BECAUSE YOU PUT TOGETHER ALL OF THE MATERIALS, I HAD NOT LOOKED RECENTLY AT THE MANAGEMENT RESPONSE TO THE, UM, ACTION PLAN OR MANAGEMENT RESPONSE TO THE AUDIT.

UM, AND, UH, A NUMBER OF THE ITEMS IN THE MANAGEMENT RESPONSE ARE INCORPORATED EITHER INTO THE ROADMAP OR IN THE ACTION PLAN.

UH, SOME OF THEM THOUGH, A COUPLE OF THEM NOTED, WELL, CITY MANAGER DOESN'T HAVE THE AUTHORITY OR ETHICS COMMISSION DOESN'T HAVE THE AUTHORITY.

AND, UM, THE AUDIT THOUGH WAS A CITYWIDE AUDIT, AND IT WAS CITYWIDE DEPARTMENTS.

UM, AND I THINK WE NEED TO RE-LOOK AT THAT BECAUSE WE DO NEED, AND I KNOW PORT, AND WE'VE ASKED FOR PORT AND UTILITIES TO APPEAR HERE, AND MAYBE WE NEED SEPARATE RESPONSES IN SOME CASES, TO SOME OF THE AUDIT FINDINGS, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT THE ENTIRE CITY IS ENGAGED IN ADDRESSING WHAT THE AUDIT OR FOUND TO BE SOME DEFICIENCIES.

SO, UH, BUT I DO WANNA THANK YOU AGAIN FOR PUTTING THIS ALL TOGETHER AND FOR ALL THAT YOU'VE ACCOMPLISHED AND ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS.

IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM? I GUESS WE'LL MOVE TO A VOTE.

MOTION CARRIES AGENDA.

ITEM NUMBER

[5. 26-57387 Recommendation to receive and file monthly update from the Ad Hoc Committee on Policies Review.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]

FIVE, RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE A MONTHLY UPDATE FROM THE AD HOC COMMITTEE ON POLICIES REVIEW.

WE HAVE A MOTION FROM SO MOVED FROM VICE CHAIR COLEMAN, SECONDED BY I SECOND COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS AND WHO WILL BE SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE AD HOC COMMITTEE ON POLICIES REVIEW.

WILL YOU TALK ABOUT THE COMMISSION RESCUE? YOU DO THE REPORT FOR US ? WE MET, WE'RE MEETING AGAIN.

NOT YET.

UH OH.

COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS.

UM, SO I THINK WE REVIEWED, UH, OUR COMMENTS DURING JORGE'S, UM, PRESENTATION ABOUT THE INITIATIVE.

UM, UH, WE ARE PLEASED TO BE PARTNERS WITH, UH, THE AR INITIATIVE AND ALSO THE ETHICS OFFICER.

UM, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'LL EMPHASIZE, WHICH IS A GREAT REFRESHING CHANGE FOR ME, IS, UM, THAT, UH, AS MATERIALS ARE PRESENTED TO US, WE'LL BE IN AN EVALUATING MODE RATHER THAN SO INGRAINED IN THE EDITING, ET CETERA.

UH, AND AS YOU KNOW, WE'VE ALREADY GIVEN SOME FEEDBACK ON THE GIFTS AND GRATUITIES.

SO WE WILL CONTINUE ON THAT, UH, ON THAT, AND MOVING TO THE NEXT STEPS AND THE NEXT AR THAT ARE PRESENTED TO US, OR ANY AREAS THAT, UM, STAFF SOLICITS OUR OPINION, UH, TO HELP, UM, LOOK FOR THOSE OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE, CANCEL, BUILD, WHEREVER WE ARE NEEDED, UH, FOR THE, FOR THE CITY'S GUIDELINES.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE, RAUL, THAT WE COULD ADD? NO, THANK YOU.

I, I THINK, UM, WHAT I WANTED TO SAY, I COVERED EARLIER DURING, UH, JORGE'S PRESENTATION, BUT THANK YOU.

ANY OTHER INPUT FROM MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION? IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM? SEEING NONE, LET'S MOVE TO A VOTE.

MOTION CARRIES.

MOVING TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER SIX, RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE

[6. 26-57388 Recommendation to receive and file monthly update from the Ad Hoc Committee on Social Media and Campaign Activity.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]

AND FILE A MONTHLY UPDATE FROM THE AD HOC COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND CAMPAIGN ACTIVITY.

ALL MOVE MOVED BY COMMISSIONER GILL.

I'LL SECOND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER

[01:35:01]

GILLETTE.

AND COMMISSIONER GILL.

WILL YOU? ABSOLUTELY.

UH, SO SINCE OUR LAST, UH, COMMISSIONER MEETING, TURN YOUR MIC ON.

THANKS.

OOPS.

THANK YOU.

SORRY.

UH, SINCE OUR LAST COMMISSION MEETING IN DECEMBER, WE'VE HELD ONE AD HOC, UH, MEETING.

IT WAS ON JANUARY 7TH.

WE DISCUSSED A, UM, POLICY LAW FROM, UH, ANOTHER CALIFORNIA CITY, AND LOOKED HOW THAT MIGHT REFLECT WELL ON LONG BEACH.

AND ALSO, UH, WE WANT TO DO, UH, SOME REVIEW TO BELIE TO CHECK TO SEE IF HARBOR OR UTILITIES HAVE SOCIAL MEDIA POLICIES OR WHAT THEIR ETHICS POLICIES MIGHT BE, UH, IN THIS REGARD.

I THINK THAT'S ALL OF IT.

I WOULD JUST ADD, WE, WE ALSO, OUR NEXT MEETING, WE WANTED TO INVITE, UH, UH, HEATHER AND MILLI, RIGHT? RIGHT.

YEAH.

WE DO WANT TO, UH, HAVE STAFF, UH, MEETING, BE IN OUR NEXT AD HOC MEETING.

COORDINATE MEETING ON THAT.

ANY INPUT FROM OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION? IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM? LET'S MOVE TO A VOTE.

MOTION CARRIES AGENDA.

ITEM NUMBER SEVEN,

[7. 26-57389 Recommendation to receive and file monthly update from the Ad Hoc Committee on Commission Responsibilities.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]

RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE MONTHLY UPDATE FROM THE AD HOC COMMITTEE ON COMMISSION RESPONSIBILITIES MOVED BY COMMISSIONER EATON, SECONDED BY OH, MOVED BY COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTIS, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER EATON.

OH, THE .

SHE'S GOING ON JEOPARDY.

AND COMMISSIONER EATON, CERTAINLY HAPPY TO GIVE AN UPDATE ON THE AD HOC COMMITTEE ON COMMISSION RESPONSIBILITIES.

THE COMMITTEE HAD ITS FIRST MEETING ON JANUARY 7TH.

WE HAVE A FOLLOW UP MEETING, UH, OR OUR NEXT MEETING ON JANUARY 28TH.

WE'LL, WE WILL BE SOLICITING, UM, UH, INFORMATION FROM PRIOR COMMISSIONERS RELATED TO THE, UM, REVIEW WORK THAT THEY DID, THE SUBSTANTIAL WORK THEY DID, AND REPORT THAT THEY PROVIDED.

AND THAT'S MY UPDATE.

THANK YOU.

ANY INPUT FROM THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS? IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM? SEEING NO PUBLIC COMMENT WILL MOVE TO A VOTE.

MOTION CARRIES AGENDA.

ITEM NUMBER EIGHT, RECOMMENDATION

[8. 26-57390 Recommendation to discuss anticipated Ad Hoc Committees for upcoming projects; and, if appropriate, take action to dissolve, create or reauthorize Ad Hoc Committees.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]

TO DISCUSS ANTICIPATED AD HOC COMMITTEES FOR UPCOMING PROJECTS.

AND IF APPROPRIATE, TAKE ACTION TO DISSOLVE, CREATE OR REAUTHORIZE AD HOC COMMITTEES.

MOVED BY COMMISSIONER GILL, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GILLETTE , VICE CHAIR COLEMAN .

UM, I WOULD LIKE TO, UM, OFFER THAT WE CREATE A PRIMARY ELECTION FILINGS AD HOC TO REVIEW, UM, THE FILING, THE, UH, PRIMARY NOMINATING FILINGS OF THOSE PARTICIPATING IN THE 2026 PRIMARY.

ANY INPUT FROM OTHER COMMISSIONERS? COMMISSIONER GI? UH, DO WE, UH, I'M SURE WE KNOW, BUT DO WE KNOW WHAT THE DATE IS? THE, UM, FINAL DATE FOR FILING? UH, I'M SURE PHILLIP IS LOOKING THAT UP.

IT, IT WAS MY RECOLLECTION THAT THIS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES, UM, THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

SO, UM, THE COMMISSION HAS PREVIOUS, PREVIOUSLY DONE THIS.

UM, THE THOUGHT PROCESS IS, UM, THAT THERE ARE RULES THAT THOSE PARTICIPATING IN THIS ELECTION MUST FOLLOW AS IT RELATES TO THEIR FILINGS.

AND JUST AS A COMMISSION GOING THROUGH DOING A CHECK TO JUST MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE FOLLOWING THE VARIOUS RULES.

AND IF NOT BRINGING IT AT LEAST TO THE ATTENTION OF THE, TO THE CLERK'S OFFICE AND WORKING IN CONJUNCTION WITH THEM, UM, I THINK ONE, UM, FILING IS EITHER DUE THIS MONTH OR HAS ALREADY BEEN DUE.

UM, AND SO THAT'S WHY I AM OFFERING FOR US TO BEGIN THIS PROCESS NOW.

I

[01:40:01]

WAS JUST WONDERING WHAT THE, I MEAN, YOU CAN'T BE A, YOU HAVE TO HEAD A DEADLINE JUST TO BE A CANDIDATE, RIGHT? SO I WAS WONDERING WHAT THAT, THAT DEADLINE WAS, THE FILING FOR CANDIDATES.

MAYBE IT'S ALREADY PASSED.

I HAVEN'T PAID ATTENTION.

SO THE, THE NOMINATION PERIOD IS, IS UPCOMING.

UH, BUT I BELIEVE TO, UH, THE, UH, VICE CHAIR'S POINT, UH, THE, THE CAMPAIGN, UH, REPORT FILINGS ARE ONGOING.

WE HAVE ONE DUE THIS, UH, END OF JANUARY ON THE 31ST.

YEAH.

OH, I'M CERTAINLY IN FAVOR OF CREATING THE AD HOC.

ARE YOU VOLUNTEERING TO BE ON THE AD HOC? I AM.

AND DO WE HAVE ANYONE ELSE WHO'S VOLUNTEERING TO BE ON THE AD HOC? I CAN DO IT, UM, SINCE I SERVED ON IT BEFORE.

I'M FAMILIAR WITH THE PROCESS.

IF I CAN OPEN IT UP ON MY COMPUTER, I SHOULD , I, I, I, I HOPE WE HAVE SOLVED THAT PROBLEM IN THE ENSUING YEAR.

I THINK WE DID .

ANY OTHER VOLUNTEERS? OKAY.

SO I, UM, WOULD, UH, MODIFY THIS AGENDA ITEM TO INCLUDE A RECOMMENDATION THAT WE ESTABLISH AN AD HOC TO REVIEW PRIMARY ELECTION FILINGS FOR THE 2026 ELECTION.

AND JUST TO, UH, POINT OF ORDER, I WANNA MAKE SURE, UH, SO WE HAVE COMMISSIONER NOR VAN, VICE CHAIR COLEMAN WILL BE, UH, UM, HELPING THAT, CORRECT? YES.

OKAY.

PERFECT.

THANK YOU.

COMMISSIONER GILL, IS THAT MODIFICATION TO YOUR MOTION ACCEPTABLE? YES, IT IS.

AND COMMISSIONER GILLETTE? YES.

YES.

THEN, UH, LET'S SEE IF WE HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM.

WE'LL TAKE A VOTE ON THE AGENDA ITEM AS MODIFIED.

THE MOTION CARRIES AGENDA ITEM NUMBER NINE, RECOMMENDATION

[9. 26-57391 Recommendation to receive and file a monthly update from the Ethics Officer.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]

TO RECEIVE AND FILE A MONTHLY UPDATE FROM THE ETHICS OFFICER.

MOTION BY COMMISSIONER D BENEDICTUS.

SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GILLETTE.

HEATHER, THANK YOU CHAIR.

UH, JUST A FEW THINGS.

WE'VE TALKED ABOUT A LOT OF STUFF ALREADY.

UM, I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT THE FAIR ACT, THE NEXT STOP IS THE GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS AND EFFICIENCY COMMITTEE.

SO THAT'S GOING TO, THAT'S BEEN SCHEDULED FOR FEBRUARY 10TH.

UM, AND THEN OFFICE HOURS, UH, WE CONTINUE TO SEE A STEADY AMOUNT OF ATTENDEES THAT IT'S BEEN PRETTY CONSISTENT.

I WANTED TO TOUCH ON, UM, BRYCE WAS SHARING ABOUT THE SUPERVISION ACADEMY THAT, UM, ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT HAS STARTED.

UH, JORGE AND I WILL BE PRESENTING AT THAT ACADEMY IN THE SPRING.

UM, SO WE ARE A PART OF THAT SERIES.

AND THEN I'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT OUR SURVEY.

UM, YEAH, THAT'S ALL I HAVE, SO I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU CHAIR.

THANKS.

UM, I, I AM INTERESTED IN THE SURVEY.

UH, SO HOW ARE YOU DEC DECIDE DECIDING WHICH QUESTIONS TO ASK OR HOW TO ASK THEM? I MEAN, SURVEY QUESTIONING IS AN ART AND WHAT'S THE PROCESS? YEAH, I MEAN, RIGHT NOW WE'RE LOOKING AT THE QUESTIONS THAT WERE IN THE 2019, UM, SURVEY.

WE'RE NOT USING ALL OF THEM.

WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE IT SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 10 AND 15 QUESTIONS.

SO WE'LL DRAFT AND THEN WE EDIT AND THEN, UM, WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE IT SIMPLE.

UM, BUT REALLY AGAIN, THE 2019 SURVEY IS THE PLAYBOOK THAT WE'RE USING.

OKAY.

AND, UM, WHICH TOOL ARE YOU USING? 'CAUSE WE HAD, WHEN WE LAST DID A SURVEY, THERE WAS SOME CONCERN EXPRESSED ABOUT THE ANONYMITY, ALLOWING PEOPLE TO SUBMIT MULTIPLE RESPONSES.

IT'LL BE THE SAME, SAME FORMAT.

MICROSOFT FORMS. YEAH.

UM, I'M NOT CONCERNED WITH PEOPLE TAKING IT TWO AND THREE TIMES.

I, I WASN'T LAST TIME.

IT THE BE THE SAME FORMAT.

I THINK THE ANONYMITY IS REALLY IMPORTANT CORRECT.

TO GETTING FEEDBACK THAT'S OPEN AND HONEST.

RIGHT.

SO IT STILL WILL BE ANONYMOUS, WHICH, UM, WOULD ALLOW SOMEONE TO TAKE IT TWICE IF THEY REALLY WANTED TO.

BUT YES, I AGREE.

IT NEEDS TO BE ANONYMOUS.

[01:45:01]

WILL, WILL YOU STILL BE ABLE TO, UM, IDENTIFY THE GROUPS? I REMEMBER THERE WAS, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, I THINK THE FINANCE OR ACCOUNTING, THEY HAD THE, UM, WE HAD HIGH RESPONSES FROM THE CLERKS IN THE CLERK'S OFFICE AND OTHER AREAS.

UH, BUT I REMEMBER POORER RESPONSES OR WEAKER RESPONSES I SHOULD SAY, ON THEIR, UM, ATTITUDES TOWARDS CERTAIN THINGS.

AND IT MIGHT BE JUST FAMILIARITY AND, YOU KNOW, WANTING AN ETHICS PRO PROGRAM, ET CETERA.

WILL YOU BE ABLE TO STILL SEE, ALSO SLICE IT BY THAT THE, THE PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS? THEY'LL HAVE TO ANSWER A QUESTION, RIGHT? RIGHT.

WHAT DEPARTMENT THEY'RE IN.

OKAY.

SO AS LONG AS THEY'RE ANSWERING THAT, THEN SUPER.

YES.

GREAT.

THANK YOU.

MM-HMM .

ANY OTHER INPUT FROM THE COMMISSION? IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM? SEEING NONE, UH, LET'S MOVE TO A VOTE.

MOTION CARRIES AGENDA.

ITEM NUMBER 10, RECOMMENDATION

[10. 26-57392 Recommendation to discuss potential agenda items for future Commission meetings.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]

TO DISCUSS POTENTIAL AGENDA ITEMS FOR FUTURE COMMISSION MEETINGS.

MOTION BY COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER EATON.

UH, COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS.

UM, I THOUGHT YOU, UM, RAISED AN IMPORTANT POINT AND THAT IS, UH, WE KNOW HOW WE, WE, WE HEARD A GREAT DEAL OF INFORMATION IN THE LAST YEAR OR TWO ABOUT THE SURVEY RESPONSES AND HOW WE'RE WORKING AT, AT IT, ESPECIALLY WITH THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE, ET CETERA.

UM, BUT IT'S BEEN FAIRLY SILENT FROM THE HARBOR AND THE, THE UTILITIES AS WE MENTIONED, IS THERE, UH, I'M NOT SURE IF THIS IS AN AGENDA ITEM OR A SUGGESTION, UH, THAT WE HEAR FROM THEM, UM, WHAT THEY, WHAT THEIR OPINIONS ARE OR WHAT THEIR, UH, THEY PROBABLY HAVE VERY MATURE SYSTEMS AND IDEAS ABOUT HOW THEY HANDLE, WHETHER IT BE THEIR HR, THEIR ETHICS CONCERNS AS THEY GO UP.

AND THEY, I'M SURE THEY HAVE THE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE, UH, CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND AUDITOR AUDITOR'S, UH, OFFICE.

BUT TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THAT AND HOW IT WORKS, UM, JUST TO, SO WE HAVE A, A BASELINE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THEY COLLABORATE OR NOT.

UM, AND, UH, IT'D BE GOOD TO HEAR JUST TO, JUST AS A, YOU KNOW, AS A LONG BEACH CITIZEN, I'D LIKE TO KNOW HOW IT WORKS.

I DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT THEIR ORGANIZATION, SO WOULD LOVE TO HEAR MORE.

VICE CHAIR.

COLEMAN AND I WERE LAUGHING BECAUSE WE'RE TRYING, WE'RE WORKING IT.

YEAH.

WELL, AND YOU HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY WITH THE SOCIAL MEDIA, UH, REACH OUT THAT, UH, THERE, IT, IT MIGHT WORK RIGHT THERE.

YOU MIGHT HAVE AN ENTREE.

THANK YOU.

HEATHER, ANYTHING ON THIS ITEM? ANY UPDATE ON PORT OR UTILITIES PRESENTING TO THE COMMISSION? NOPE.

CHAIR, COMMISSIONER NOVA.

THANK YOU, CHAIR.

UH, IF I MAY, UH, RAISE A POINT OF, UM, A, A POINT OF PROCESS FOR OUR FUTURE MEETINGS, IT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL FOR COMMISSIONERS TO RECEIVE ALL PRESENTATION MATERIALS AND ATTACHMENTS AT LEAST 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE.

UM, CLEARLY IT WOULD ALLOW ALL OF US AT AN ADEQUATE AMOUNT OF TIME TO REVIEW AND ENGAGE WITH THE DOCUMENTS.

UM, I WHOLEHEARTEDLY APPRECIATE THE WORK OF STAFF THAT THEY PUT INTO THE PRESENTATIONS AND THE ATTACHMENTS.

UM, BUT WE RECEIVED THREE LARGE ATTACHMENTS TODAY AFTER 2:00 PM UM, I WORKED TILL 2 59 WHEN I CROSSED THE STREET TO ATTEND THIS MEETING.

THERE WAS NO WAY I CAN REVIEW THREE LARGE ATTACHMENTS.

UM, SO I JUST WANNA BE RESPECTFUL OF STAFF, BUT THIS IS A PROCESS ISSUE.

AND, UM, I FEEL SAID REQUEST IS REASONABLE ONE, AND I HOPE YOU CONSIDER, UH, DISCUSSING THIS WITH STAFF.

THANK YOU.

UM, UH, I AGREE.

UH, AT SOME POINT THOUGH, I WAS TOLD, AT LEAST AS TO PUBLIC COMMENT, THEY CAN'T BE SENT TO US BEFORE TWO O'CLOCK.

I'M, I'M NOT SURE THE WHY ON THAT, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT APPLIES TO PRESENTATIONS, RIGHT? I'M REFERRING TO THE PRESENTATIONS AND ATTACHMENTS, NOT TO PUBLIC COMMENT, RIGHT? THOSE CAN BE PROVIDED EARLIER, LIKE 24 HOURS, RIGHT? WE, WE PROVIDE THEM AS SOON AS, UH, THEY'RE FINALIZED.

TYPICALLY THEY DO TAKE UNTIL THE

[01:50:01]

DAY OF THE MEETING, WHICH WE UNDERSTAND IS, IS A BURDEN.

UM, BUT SOMETIMES THEY'RE NOT READY.

PUBLIC COMMENT, UH, TO YOUR, TO YOUR QUESTION.

UM, UH, IT CLOSES AN HOUR BEFORE THE MEETING AND THAT'S WHY YOU RECEIVED THOSE NOTICES.

OKAY THEN OKAY.

BUT THAT WON'T INTERFERE WITH THE ABILITY TO REQUEST AT LEAST 24 HOURS ON PRESENTATIONS.

JUST A REMINDER THAT, UM, THE CURRENT AGENDA ITEM IS DISCUSSIONS FOR POTENTIAL FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. SO WE SHOULD STAY WITHIN THAT ITEM.

UM, ALSO, UH, PER A BYLAWS, WE, WE HAVE TO ADJOURN BY 5:00 PM ANY BUSINESS THAT'S NOT, UM, TAKEN CARE OF HAS TO BE CONTINUED TO THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING.

I, I THINK IT GIVES A, IT GIVES A FEW MINUTES FLEXIBILITY IN THE BYLAWS.

I APPRECIATE THAT THOUGH.

I WAS ACTUALLY PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK 'CAUSE TONIGHT I GOT AS CLO CLOSE TO FIVE AS I THINK I HAVE EVER, UM, WITHOUT EITHER GOING SUBSTANTIALLY OVER OR SUBSTANTIALLY UNDER.

SO, BUT THANK YOU.

UH, ANY OTHER INPUT FROM THE COMMISSION? IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM? LET'S MOVE TO A VOTE.

I MOTION CARRIES.

IS THERE ANY PUBLIC

[PUBLIC COMMENT Opportunity to address the Ethics Commission on non-agenda items. Each speaker is limited to three minutes to make their comments unless extended by the Chair.]

COMMENT ON A NON-AGENDA ITEM? DON'T HEAR ANY.

ARE THERE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS?

[ANNOUNCEMENTS]

MAY I ADJOURN THE MEETING?

[ADJOURNMENT]

YOU MAY.

THE TIME IS 4 55.

THANK YOU.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

THANK.