San Diego Civil Service Commission Meeting - October 4, 2024

On October 4, 2024, at 5:30 PM, the Civil Service Commission met with President Sunday Govert presiding. Roll call confirmed attendance of Commissioners Merrill, Plateo, Moore, and Powell. Staff present included Personnel Director David Dallager, Assistant Personnel Director Anne Lemen Avon, Senior Deputy City Attorney David Carlin, and Assistant to the Personnel Director Saba O'Beh. The meeting covered closed session actions, approval of consent calendar, a presentation on an equipment operator training pilot, several special leave requests, a special salary adjustment proposal, and a personnel department update.

Consent Calendar

• The commission approved the minutes from the September 5, 2024 meeting. Motion passed 5-0.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public comments were made in person or via Zoom.

Discussion Items

• Item 19 (Moved Out of Order): Equipment Operator Training Pilot – Transportation Director Bethany Bizek presented a pilot program launched in June 2024. The department faced high vacancy rates for heavy truck drivers and equipment operators despite overall hiring success (vacancy rate reduced from 23% to 8.8%, with 164 hires in FY24). The pilot involved 32 employees on Saturdays (bi-weekly, 8 sessions) with 17 internal trainers. 27 employees completed the course, 20 passed the skills test, and 2 have already been promoted. The program was a partnership with Parks and Recreation and paid overtime. Commissioners praised the initiative and expressed interest in expanding to other departments. Future rounds are planned for spring 2025.
• Item 12: Casey Cole (Police Officer 1) – Third Extension of Special Leave Without Pay – Requested for one year ending September 1, 2025, with name placed on eligible list. The police department recommended approval. Commissioner noted Mr. Cole had been on leave since January 2023 and is currently in a hiring process elsewhere. Motion to approve passed 5-0.
• Item 13: Maurice Franklin (Sanitation Driver 1) – Special Leave Without Pay – Requested for one year ending August 31, 2025, due to loss of commercial driver's license (CDL) after a failed drug test. The Environmental Services Department recommended modification to name on eligible list. The commission approved the motion 5-0.
• Item 14: Robert Grim (Police Officer 1) – Special Leave Without Pay – Requested for one year ending September 8, 2025, with job saved. The police department recommended modification to name on eligible list. Mr. Grim stated he is currently employed as a Special Agent with Homeland Security Investigations. The commission approved the motion 5-0.
• Item 15: Ariana Silva (Literacy Tutor/Learner Coordinator) – Special Leave Without Pay – Requested for medical reasons for one year ending August 25, 2025. The Library Department recommended modification to name on eligible list, citing operational impact. The commission approved the motion 5-0.
• Item 16: Lati Soto (Office Support Specialist) – Second Extension of Special Leave Without Pay – Requested for family care for one year ending September 30, 2025, with name placed on eligible list. The Personnel Department recommended approval. The commission approved the motion 5-0.
• Item 17: Special Salary Adjustment for Principal Clerk – Staff recommended against the proposal because the Principal Clerk and Court Support Clerk Supervisor are not in the same classification series (differential currently 4.4%). Paige Fultman and Haley Hernandez from the City Attorney's Office advocated for an increase, originally requesting 12% but settling for a 5% increase to achieve a 9.4% differential. They cited recruitment and retention challenges, increased responsibilities, and historical differential of 12% before reclassification. The commission voted to approve the adjustment. Motion passed 5-0.
• Item 18: Personnel Department Update – Director David Dallager reported on process improvements: (1) Streamlined the conviction record form by replacing written statements with a checkbox, saving up to 16 minutes of staff time per day (equivalent to nearly a third of an FTE). (2) City Audit Committee approved two recommendations: a guide for conducting joint interviews and a hiring process overview, both now posted online. (3) An upcoming joint hiring hall in late October will focus on 150 budgeted vacancies for laborers and grounds maintenance workers, aiming to conduct 300 interviews over two days with nine interviewers. Commissioners commended the efforts.

Key Outcomes

• All votes on items 12–16 and 18 passed 5-0.
• The special salary adjustment for Principal Clerk was approved (5-0) despite staff's recommendation against, with a 5% increase to achieve a 9.4% salary differential.
• The Equipment Operator Training Pilot is considered a success; planning for a second round in spring 2025 and expansion to other departments is underway.
• A joint hiring event for laborers and grounds maintenance workers is scheduled for late October 2024.