Civil Service Commission Special Meeting - September 20, 2023: Public Comment on Personnel Director Discipline and Appointment
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Civil Service Commission Special Meeting - September 20, 2023
This special closed session meeting of the San Diego Civil Service Commission was held to consider public employee discipline/dismissal of Personnel Director Douglas Edwards and the appointment of an interim personnel director. The meeting began with an open session for public comment before moving into closed session. Nineteen members of the public provided testimony, with the majority speaking in support of retaining Mr. Edwards, while two union representatives from ASMI Local 127 urged his removal, citing failures in the hiring process and department leadership.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Joe Clover Dans (former civil service commissioner, 2011-2017): Expressed strong support for Mr. Edwards, citing his professionalism, knowledge, and commitment to continuous improvement. Noted a July city auditor performance audit of classified employee hiring and argued retaining Edwards is critical for improvement efforts.
- Darren Keenhan: Spoke in support of Doug Edwards and the personnel department. Highlighted that the 2023 NeoGov Quiet Crisis report lists benefits, salary, and job security as top hiring factors; noted Prop B frozen wages and eliminated pensions for a decade; stated the city has been historically undermarket on pay. Cited the audit finding that from vacancy to start takes 265 days (about 9 months), with the longest delay (109 days, ~4 months) occurring when departments notify personnel. Asserted that unclassified hiring (under administration) takes about 8 months. Emphasized that under Edwards' leadership, staff have improved processes and are on the right track.
- Martha Luna: Expressed support for Edwards, noting he champions fair and consistent personnel services and maintains the merit system.
- Eva Sanchez: Spoke in support of Edwards, describing him as knowledgeable, professional, open-minded, and a great leader. Warning that removing him would harm staff morale. Stated the department is aware of audit findings and working on improvements, and that Edwards provides needed stability.
- Unnamed speaker (11-year personnel department employee): Highlighted Edwards' dedication and professionalism. Acknowledged audit findings as systemic issues requiring collective action. Urged the commission to allow time for implementing improvements under Edwards' leadership.
- Unnamed speaker (deputy director in personnel): Described working with Edwards to improve processes, such as cutting fire department promotional times by more than half and removing unnecessary test barriers. Emphasized that Edwards fosters an environment where employees can initiate change. Expressed disappointment that hard work is deemed insufficient.
- Sylvia Zeldiu (associate personnel analyst): Shared that Edwards truly cares about the department and employees, shares metrics and progress transparently, has over 20 years of experience, and has a vision for improvement with an action plan.
- Andrea Peterson (executive assistant to Edwards): Described Edwards as smart, kind, fair, and respectful of all employees. Urged commissioners to carefully consider their vote, stating it would be a disservice to remove him.
- Mac Kastrinski (20 years labor representation): Argued the issue is about management, not staff. Questioned whether the commission is following proper disciplinary steps. Cited the recent audit, previous audits, and many upheld appeals against personnel. Noted SSAs (salary setting appeals) that personnel denied, including lifeguard and operator studies. Alleged that janitors are underpaid due to incorrect salary scales. Suggested that a new leader could be transformative and shorten hiring times, noting a meeting where new employees waited over four months for job notifications. Claimed this is a chance to fix the city and grow civil service.
- ASMI Local 127 representative (continuation of September 7 comment): Called for termination of Edwards. Referenced a July 2022 internal survey (598 responses) showing overall dissatisfaction with personnel. Stated personnel failed to defer to department head expertise. Cited council's February 2022 resolution (compensation philosophy) that Edwards allegedly disregarded. Concluded that Edwards lacks the knowledge, skills, and abilities to lead.
- Paul Kirger (taxpayer, not a union member or city employee): Expressed concern that the process is too secretive and could be politically motivated. Noted that the street paving audit also found shortcomings, but that's the auditor's job; the key is having a plan to fix them. Pointed out that unclassified hiring takes 8 months vs. 9 months for classified, so the difference is small. Warned that union motives may not align with the city's best interest. Urged commissioners to think carefully before terminating Edwards.
- Rocky Rios (vice president, ASMI Local 127): Described his own hiring in 2011 taking 4 months. Stated current 23% vacancy rate for his union (front-line workers) is double the acceptable 9-10%. Cited mandatory overtime, workers crying from overwork, and being understaffed (3:1 work ratio). Urged the commission to make a change to help the front lines.
- Timothy Douglas (president, Local 127): Spoke on behalf of 2,154 members. Stated that for years, SSAs have been denied by personnel. Noted highest vacancy rates recently. Described emotional calls from employees about mandatory overtime and standby. Argued that personnel denies that job classifications are lumped together even when the department's own classifications state otherwise. Called for immediate change.
- Saba O'Neill (assistant personnel director): Supported Edwards, noting he has served 12 years under two directors. Stated Edwards seeks to insulate the department from political pressures and maintains integrity. Described Edwards as collaborative, humble, and willing to say no when ethical. Asked that the commission give Edwards and the department time to address audit recommendations.
- Brendan Virgin (data analytics coordinator in personnel): Hired as a police officer, transferred to personnel, and found his calling in civil service. Stated that when given resources, personnel has lowered hiring times. Expressed faith that the department can make changes per the audit.
- Donna Hawthorne (former executive assistant to Edwards, 5 years): Described Edwards as hardworking and loyal with an open-door policy. Argued he should not be terminated for past policies of prior mayors and city councils. Asked the commission to give him a chance and evaluate him annually as normal.
- Jackie Atkinson (former commission president, 5 years, via Zoom): Expressed disappointment that the special meeting seems to fulfill Mayor Todd Gloria's agenda, noting Gloria removed commissioners who did not align with his goals. Alleged that the real agenda is to gain full authority over the personnel department, which could lead to corruption and nepotism. Noted that 70% of the hiring process delay is in hiring departments under the mayor's authority. Urged commissioners to be transparent and do the right thing.
- Lori Thacker (former commission president, 2017-2022): Expressed shock at the item. Described Edwards as an exceptional leader with unsurpassed experience and expertise. He cared about employees and was responsive to the commission. Even when changes were difficult, it was due to institutional constraints, not performance. Urged continued support.
- Rodney Fowler (33-year city employee, former ASMI Local 127 president, 2016-2022): Supported Edwards. Stated there is a political agenda to take over the department. Recalled that when mayors controlled hiring, nepotism was rampant. Edwards has done his best given circumstances. Noted department heads (directors) can speed up hiring if they choose.
- Dylan Cooper (senior personnel analyst, in-person via Zoom): Voiced strong support for Edwards, describing him as smart, hardworking, dedicated, and a great leader committed to improvement. Urged the commission to keep him.
Key Outcomes
- The commission adjourned the open session and went into closed session to discuss items 1 and 2. No actions were announced in the portion of the transcript provided. The summary is based solely on the public comment segment; the results of the closed session are not reflected here.
*Note: The meeting was initially identified as a Social Service Commission meeting, but all public comment references and context indicate it is the Civil Service Commission. This discrepancy is noted.
Meeting Transcript
Thank you. Welcome to the Social Service Commission special meeting. If y'all can't hear me, let me not try to speak up louder. I mission president Tammy Lynn. We're going to do a quick roll call to confirm Commissioner attendance. When I call your name, please say present. Commissioner Moore, present Commissioner Olson, or Mr. Pattio. Present. Thank you. Your attendance has been noted. Also joining us today our personnel director, Douglas Edwards, Assistant Personnel Director and Lamon Avon, Senior Deputy City Attorney David Carlin, and assistant personnel director Saba O'Neill. Tonight there are two items on this evening's closed session agenda. Number one, public employee discipline, dismissal release, pursuant to government code section 54957, personnel director, and item two, public employee appointment, assuming government code section 54957 interim personnel director. And there's a possibility because security is, I guess, off, but we had a higher additional security, so we're limited in resources. So after closed session, we'll do open session now with public comment, then we'll do the closed session, and then we'll come back for open session. So it's probably best if you want to stick around for everything at the end just to stick around inside the building. Okay. All right. So we will now move to public comment. Is there any person present who wishes to make a public comment on the post session agenda? If so, please come forward and state which item or items you would like to provide public comment on. After we do the in-person, we will then do Zoom. Um please note uh anyone you can want, have a seat. Uh we're limiting it to five minutes. Uh Ms. O'Neill will be taking care of tracking that time. Please stay on topic of what is on the agenda today. So you're ready? All right. Do I have sound equipment or no? No. All right. Um, and before I forget, uh, just for recognition with the commissioner, you're just allowing public comment. This isn't a QA. You can ask for clarification of certain things, but we're just making sure we move on. So all right, thank you, sir. Good evening, Commissioners. I'm Joe Clover Dans, a former civil service commissioner, 2011 to 2017. I know times are different now, but that's what I did. The posted purpose of your special meeting this evening is uh both troubling and surprising. I have known and worked with personnel director Doug Edwards for many years due to my work as a salary setting commissioner and then as a civil service commissioner. Director Edwards professionalism, his extensive knowledge of personnel department policies and procedures, and his unwavering commitment to doing the best thing for the people of San Diego are second to none. In addition, he now leads the personnel department and assures that high standards of performance are achieved by all members of the department. A hallmark of his tenure is his commitment to continuous improvement. I'm not sure what precipitated the stated purpose of tonight's closed session meeting, and it's none of my business at this time, but I am aware that the city auditor issued a performance audit of the city's classified employee hiring process in July. In my work in the corporate world, I came to welcome performance audits because they provided guidance we could use to advance continuous improvement. Because even a well-run department or function can be improved. I believe that is the best use of a performance audit to stimulate and guide continuous improvement efforts. When you embark on a new generation of continuous improvement efforts, you want and you need strong, knowledgeable, proven, and professional leadership at the helm.
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