San Diego Civil Service Commission Meeting - June 7, 2024

The Civil Service Commission met on June 7, 2024, at 4:15 PM, with Commission President Sunday Gover presiding. The meeting included a report on closed session actions, approval of the consent agenda, and discussion of several personnel matters including a leave request, classification revisions, an appeal, an EEO report, and departmental updates. Votes were taken on multiple items.

Closed Session Actions (Reported)

• Michael Fink (Firefighter 2 termination appeal): Motion to overturn termination passed 4-1, Commissioner Moore voting no.
• Georgina Medina (Project Assistant suspension/termination appeal): Motion to uphold passed unanimously.
• Douglas L. Chancy III (Laborer conviction record disqualification appeal): Motion to deny passed unanimously.
• Alexi Loriano (Heavy Truck Driver 2 conviction record disqualification appeal): Motion to grant appeal passed 4-1, Commissioner Moore voting no.
• Lakeisha L. Perry (Laborer conviction record disqualification appeal): Motion to deny passed 3-2, Commissioner Merrill and President Gover voting no.
• Ivan A. Rodriguez (Laborer conviction record disqualification appeal): Motion to deny passed 4-1, Commissioner Merrill voting no.

Consent Calendar

• The consent agenda (items 3–12, including minutes of May 2, 2024) was approved unanimously (5-0).

Public Comments & Testimony

• Donald Pornon (Item 13): Requested a six-month special leave without pay for family care for his parents. He emphasized his 24 years of service and the need to arrange long-term care.
• Kathleen Higgins (MEA, on behalf of Donald Pornon): Supported the leave, arguing that denying it would send a bad message to employees and that the department could use OCA positions to cover the absence.
• Chris Gascon (Assistant Director, Transportation Department): Opposed the leave, stating that Pornon’s role as a senior traffic engineer liaising with SANDAG is critical and that a six-month absence would be difficult to cover, with hiring replacements taking 3.5–5 months.

Discussion Items

• Item 13 – Donald Pornon’s Special Leave Request: Staff recommended modifying the request to “name on eligible list” (i.e., not guaranteed job return). After discussion, the Commission voted to approve the six-month leave without pay with job saved until January 5, 2025. The motion passed 4-0-1 (Commissioner Moore abstained).
• Item 14 – Revisions to Addendum to Personnel Manual Index Code D3: Staff recommended revisions to reflect new classifications approved by City Council. The Commission approved the revisions unanimously (5-0).
• Item 15 – Farhad Bastani’s Appeal of Application Rejection: Bastani, an assistant engineer who resigned in lieu of discharge in 2013, appealed the rejection of his application for associate engineer civil. Staff recommended denial. The Commission voted to deny the appeal unanimously (5-0).
• Item 16 – 2023 Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Annual Report: Staff presented the report, noting that total city employees increased from 11,698 to 12,828, with 40% female/non-binary and improvements in ethnic representation. Underrepresentation remains in some occupational categories. The Commission accepted the report without a formal vote, with Commissioner Merrill expressing appreciation for progress.
• Item 17 – Personnel Department Update: Interim Director David Dallagar reported on enhanced KPIs (e.g., tracking supervisor training completion, digitalization of SAP forms) and a collaborative effort with Partners in Public Innovation to reduce hiring time from 272 to 135 days. Commissioners praised the department’s progress. No formal action taken.
• Item 18 – Continued: This item was continued without discussion.

Key Outcomes

• Item 13: Approved six-month special leave without pay for Donald Pornon with job saved (4-0-1).
• Item 14: Approved revisions to personnel manual index code D3 (5-0).
• Item 15: Denied Farhad Bastani’s appeal (5-0).
• Item 16: Accepted the 2023 EEO Annual Report by consensus.
• Closed Session: Six appeals were decided as detailed above, with votes varying by item.