Sacramento Civil Service Board Meeting - October 19, 2026

The Sacramento Civil Service Board met on Monday, October 19, 2026, at 1:00 PM at City Hall Complex, 915 I Street, Sacramento, CA. Present were Chair Emmanuel Amanfor and Board Members Gwynnae L. Byrd, Julie 'Jules' Stein, and Elena Gonzalez-Soto; Member Kathryn Elizabeth Meola was absent. The board conducted a hearing on an employment disqualification appeal, discussed application-process improvements, and took a divided vote.

Consent Calendar

• Revision of Program Developer and Program Coordinator Classification Specifications (File ID 2026-01851) to modify the minimum qualification experience requirement.
• Revision of Western Council of Engineers Classification Specifications (File ID 2026-01852) as part of the Citywide Classification and Compensation Study.
• No separate vote or discussion on the consent calendar appears in the transcript; the board moved to the discussion item.

Public Comments & Testimony

• There were no public speakers on the appeal item or for matters not on the agenda.

Discussion Items

• Kevin Eduardo Portillo Majia, a City of Sacramento employee working as a Tree Pruner Level 2, appealed his disqualification from the Tree Maintenance Worker recruitment. He stated that he used nearly the same application as for his current higher-level position, wrote NA in the duty sections, was unaware that translation or language assistance services were available, and believed his application was a misunderstanding.
• Ebony Heaven, Human Resources Manager, explained that Portillo passed the examination but was disqualified because he did not complete the experience/education portion in a way that allowed staff to verify minimum qualifications. She noted that the city manually processes approximately 55,000 applications annually and that a prior screening decision does not set a precedent for later applications. She also confirmed that a job offer had already been extended for the position.
• Staff confirmed that Portillo's prior application for another classification also contained NA and should not have advanced, which board members cited as evidence of inconsistent treatment.
• Board members expressed concern about language barriers, fairness, and administrative errors. Some questioned whether applicants can reasonably be expected to seek outside translation resources when the application itself is in English.
• Board counsel explained that under Civil Service Board Rule 4.10, if the board grants an appeal it may order remedial relief but cannot rescind or order appointments made before or during the appeal process.

Member Comments-Ideas and Questions

• Board Member Stein recommended adding a notice at the beginning of the application, in the city's most commonly used languages, directing applicants to language assistance. Staff responded that the NEOGOV applicant tracking system cannot translate application templates, but a link to translation resources could be added, and staff agreed to research which languages should be included and report back.

Key Outcomes

• The board passed the motion to waive formal hearing rules and adopt the Director's findings, determinations, and decision disqualifying Kevin Eduardo Portillo from the Tree Maintenance Worker recruitment. The roll-call vote was: Member Byrd - Aye; Member Gonzalez-Soto - Aye; Member Stein - Abstain; Chair Amanfor - No; Member Meola - Absent. The motion carried 2-1 with one abstention.
• The board directed staff to research and return with options for making language assistance information more visible and accessible to applicants.

Meeting adjourned after completing the agenda.