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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 08a - Report on Vacancies and Recruitment and Retention Efforts DATE: May 20, 2025 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council FROM: Anely Williams, Human Resources Director SUBJECT: REPORT ON VACANCIES AND RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION EFFORTS IN COMPLIANCE WITH ASSEMBLY BILL 2561 CEQA: Not a Project Recommendation: Receive and File SUMMARY California’s Assembly Bill 2561 (“AB 2561”) requires public agencies to hold at least one public hearing per fiscal year, prior to adoption of the budget, to discuss vacancies and recruitment and retention efforts. This report discusses the City's obligations under AB 2561, effective starting January 1, 2025, including vacancies, recruitment and retention efforts, and identification of areas where obstacles to the hiring process may exist. There is no fiscal impact associated with the report on vacancies and recruitment and retention efforts. It is recommended that the City Council receive and file the report. BACKGROUND Effective January 1, 2025, AB 2561 was designed to amend the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act (“MMBA”), which created a new obligation for public agencies to report on the status of position vacancies. The California Legislature has determined that job vacancies in local governments are a Statewide issue that impact the delivery of public services and employee workload. Among other requirements, the bill mandates that public agencies present the status of vacancies, recruitment, and retention efforts during a public hearing before the agency’s governing body, at least once per fiscal year, prior to adoption of the agency’s budget. DISCUSSION In compliance with AB 2561, the City shall present information regarding the status of vacancies and recruitment and retention efforts, and identify any necessary changes to policies, procedures, and recruitment activities that may lead to obstacles in the hiring process. During the public hearing, the recognized employee organization for each of the Report on Vacancies and Recruitment and Retention Efforts May 20, 2025 Page 2 of 4 five bargaining units in the City are allowed to make a presentation concerning vacancies, recruitment, and retention efforts. Since this is the inaugural year of AB 2561, there are two vacancy summaries shown below. The first chart reflects Arcadia’s vacancy data as of January 1, 2025 (effective date), while the second chart shows more recent figures, as of May 1, 2025. In the future, this report will be presented during a City Council meeting in January, to coincide with the close of each calendar year. Vacancies as of January 1, 2025 (effective date of AB 2561) Group Budgeted Full-Time Positions Number of Vacancies % of Vacancies ACEA 68 3 4% AFFA 49 1 2% APOA 63 8 13% APCEA 21 2 10% APWEA 46 3 7% OTHER 67 7 10% Vacancies as of May 1, 2025 Group Budgeted Full-Time Positions Number of Vacancies % of Vacancies ACEA 68 4 6% AFFA 49 0 0% APOA 63 5 8% APCEA 21 3 14% APWEA 46 3 7% OTHER 67 7 10% With respect to recruitment and retention efforts, the Human Resources Department collaborates with each Department to create a customized recruitment plan, which includes identifying key qualities desirable for the position. Additional recruitment and retention efforts include: • Streamlined application process and shortened waiting periods for pre- employment processes; • Enhanced marketing and outreach strategies, including increased job advertisements on specialized, industry-specific platforms; • Increased social media engagement through regular, diversified job postings; • Job flyers that are inviting and capture “The Arcadia Way” and culture; • Increased presence at local career fairs, such as the Asian American Economic Development Enterprise Job Fair, Glendale Community College, Arcadia Chamber of Commerce Career Fair, and more; Report on Vacancies and Recruitment and Retention Efforts May 20, 2025 Page 3 of 4 • Focus on employee engagement through the City’s Wellness Program initiatives, including an annual hiking challenge, a Wellness Newsletter, and employee appreciation activities; • Access to telework opportunities where operationally feasible; and • Congratulatory announcements distributed Citywide to welcome all new full-time employees. The Human Resources Department has identified the following items that may present obstacles in the hiring process. Although these items were more recently identified, changes have already been implemented to resolve these potential obstacles. • Recruitment timeline: Open continuous recruitments could, in some cases, be a deterrent to applicants if the posting date of the recruitment is stale. o Change implemented: The recruitment team periodically closes and re- opens continuous recruitments, setting specific application deadlines to encourage interested candidates to apply early. • Communication with applicants: Email communication can be overlooked or seem impersonal to prospective employees. o Change implemented: The recruitment team reaches out to applicants by email and phone to extend invitations for the examination process. This supports a stronger relationship with applicants. • Technology: The option to conduct virtual interviews should be executed. o Change implemented: To allow flexibility for panel participants and candidates, virtual interviews are utilized whenever feasible. • Testing locations and availability: City facilities are used for a multitude of reasons, which can potentially lead to scheduling conflicts, resulting in an extended recruitment timeline. o Change implemented: Based on experience with the volume of applicants per position vacancy, facilities are pre-scheduled for testing as soon as a recruitment plan is established. • Pre-employment timeline: Wait times between each step of the pre-employment process were lengthy. o Change implemented: The City now utilizes two clinics to help substantially reduce wait times associated with the pre-employment physical evaluation process. Lastly, AB 2561 states that if vacancies within a single bargaining unit meet or exceed 20% of the total authorized full-time positions of that bargaining unit, upon request of the recognized employee organization for that bargaining unit, the City must provide additional information during the public hearing. This additional information would include the total number of vacancies, the number of applicants, the average time to fill positions, and opportunities to improve compensation and working conditions for employees in the bargaining unit. The City did not reach the 20% threshold in any bargaining unit, thus, this information is not provided in this report. Report on Vacancies and Recruitment and Retention Efforts May 20, 2025 Page 4 of 4 The City will continue to audit areas for improvement and implement any feasible changes to meet its commitment to filling vacancies as quickly as possible. ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS The proposed action does not constitute a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”), based on Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines, as it can be seen with certainty that it will have no impact on the environment. FISCAL IMPACT There is no direct fiscal impact associated with the report on vacancies, recruitment, and retention efforts. RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council determine that this action does not constitute a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”); and receive and file this report in compliance with AB 2561. Attachment: Assembly Bill 2561 Text SHARE THIS:Date Published: 09/23/2024 09:00 PM AB-2561 Local public employees: vacant positions.(2023-2024) Assembly Bill No. 2561 CHAPTER 409 An act to add Section 3502.3 to the Government Code, relating to public employment. [ Approved by Governor September 22, 2024. Filed with Secretary of State September 22, 2024. ] LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2561, McKinnor. Local public employees: vacant positions. Existing law, the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act (act), authorizes local public employees, as defined, to form, join, and participate in the activities of employee organizations of their own choosing for the purpose of representation on matters of labor relations. The act requires the governing body of a public agency to meet and confer in good faith regarding wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment with representatives of recognized employee organizations and to consider fully presentations that are made by the employee organization on behalf of its members before arriving at a determination of policy or course of action. This bill would, as specified, require a public agency to present the status of vacancies and recruitment and retention efforts at a public hearing at least once per fiscal year, and would entitle the recognized employee organization to present at the hearing. If the number of job vacancies within a single bargaining unit meets or exceeds 20% of the total number of authorized full-time positions, the bill would require the public agency, upon request of the recognized employee organization, to include specified information during the public hearing. By imposing new duties on local public agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would also include related legislative findings. The California Constitution requires local agencies, for the purpose of ensuring public access to the meetings of public bodies and the writings of public officials and agencies, to comply with a statutory enactment that amends or enacts laws relating to public records or open meetings and contains findings demonstrating that the enactment furthers the constitutional requirements relating to this purpose. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions for costs mandated by the state pursuant to this act, but would recognize that a local agency or school district may pursue any available remedies to seek reimbursement for these costs. Vote: majority Appropriation: no Fiscal Committee: yes Local Program: yes Home Bill Information California Law Publications Other Resources My Subscriptions My Favorites THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares as follows: (a) Job vacancies in local government are a widespread and significant problem for the public sector affecting occupations across wage levels and educational requirements. (b) High job vacancies impact public service delivery and the workers who are forced to handle heavier workloads, with understaffing leading to burnout and increased turnover that further exacerbate staffing challenges. (c) There is a statewide interest in ensuring that public agency operations are appropriately staffed and that high vacancy rates do not undermine public employee labor relations. SEC. 2. Section 3502.3 is added to the Government Code, to read: 3502.3. (a) (1) A public agency shall present the status of vacancies and recruitment and retention efforts during a public hearing before the governing board at least once per fiscal year. (2) If the governing board will be adopting an annual or multiyear budget during the fiscal year, the presentation shall be made prior to the adoption of the final budget. (3) During the hearing, the public agency shall identify any necessary changes to policies, procedures, and recruitment activities that may lead to obstacles in the hiring process. (b) The recognized employee organization for a bargaining unit shall be entitled to make a presentation at the public hearing at which the public agency presents the status of vacancies and recruitment and retention efforts for positions within that bargaining unit. (c) If the number of job vacancies within a single bargaining unit meets or exceeds 20 percent of the total number of authorized full-time positions, the public agency shall, upon request of the recognized employee organization, include all of the following information during the public hearing: (1) The total number of job vacancies within the bargaining unit. (2) The total number of applicants for vacant positions within the bargaining unit. (3) The average number of days to complete the hiring process from when a position is posted. (4) Opportunities to improve compensation and other working conditions. (d) This section shall not prevent the governing board from holding additional public hearings about vacancies. (e) The provisions of this section are severable. If any provision of this section or its application is held invalid, the invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application. (f ) For purposes of this section, “recognized employee organization” has the same meaning as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 3501. SEC. 3. The Legislature finds and declares that Section 2 of this act, which adds Section 3502.3 to the Government Code, furthers, within the meaning of paragraph (7) of subdivision (b) of Section 3 of Article I of the California Constitution, the purposes of that constitutional section as it relates to the right of public access to the meetings of local public bodies or the writings of local public officials and local agencies. Pursuant to paragraph (7) of subdivision (b) of Section 3 of Article I of the California Constitution, the Legislature makes the following findings: It is in the public interest, and it furthers the purposes of paragraph (7) of subdivision (b) of Section (3) of Article I of the California Constitution, to ensure that information concerning public agency employment is available to the public. SEC. 4. No reimbursement shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code for costs mandated by the state pursuant to this act. It is recognized, however, that a local agency or school district may pursue any remedies to obtain reimbursement available to it under Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) and any other law.