201 S. Anaheim Blvd.
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Anaheim, CA 92805
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www.anaheim.net
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
City of Anaheim
HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT
DATE: JUNE 10, 2025
FROM: HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT
SUBJECT: STATUS OF VACANCIES, RECRUITMENT, AND RETENTION EFFORTS (AB 2561)
ATTACHMENT (Y/N): NO ITEM # 20
GOVERNMENT CODE § 84308 APPLIES: NO
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council, at a public hearing, receive and file the report on the status of City vacancies, recruitment, and retention efforts, pursuant to Assembly Bill 2561 (Government Code §3502.3).
DISCUSSION:
Governor Newsom’s signing of Assembly Bill 2561 added Section 3502.3 to the California Government Code, which amends the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act. Effective January 1, 2025, public agencies are required to hold a public hearing at least once per fiscal year and prior to the adoption of the City’s budget, to report on the City’s vacancies, recruitment status, and retention efforts. In addition, should vacancies within each bargaining unit exceed 20% of its total authorized full-time budgeted positions, this law also requires additional information be provided upon request of the recognized bargaining unit. This includes information about job vacancies, applicant numbers, average time to complete the hiring process, and opportunities to improve compensation and working conditions. No bargaining unit currently meets or exceeds the 20% vacancy threshold.
The purpose of the legislation is to underscore the importance of ensuring that public agency operations are appropriately staffed and that high vacancy rates do not lead to burnout and increased turnover which can exacerbate staffing challenges. The Human Resources Department has provided advanced notice of this public hearing to each bargaining unit.
1. Vacancies
As of May 28, 2025, the City's overall vacancy rate stands at a 6.5%, with 137 vacant positions out of 2,120 budgeted full-time positions; the turnover rate for full-time positions is 2.93%, reflecting the City’s strong ability to retain employees.
AB 2561 Vacancies, Recruitment, and Retention Efforts
June 10, 2025
The vacancy rate by full-time bargaining units for calendar year 2024 are as follows:
While no bargaining unit currently exceeds a 20% vacancy threshold outlined in AB2561, the City recognizes that recruitment and retention challenges exist within each bargaining unit. The City remains committed to continuous improvement and will continue to take necessary steps to individually address these challenges with each operating department. This report will highlight the City’s current strategies and opportunities to enhance the City’s recruitment and retention efforts, while ensuring we continue to attract, develop, and retain a highly skilled, diverse and engaged workforce.
2. Recruitment Efforts
During calendar year 2024, Human Resources conducted 351 recruitments to fill vacancies across all full-time bargaining units. Approximately 19,000 applications were received resulting in 235 promotions (67%), and 116 positions (33%) filled with external candidates. The City has approximately 1,370 part-time positions and this report does not include the extensive recruitment efforts conducted for part-time positions.
Promoting from within continues to be a key workforce strategy, as it supports the City Council’s Strategic Plan Goal D – Foster a High-Organization, Strategy 1 – Expand our professional development program for departments to build a pipeline of new talent and support professional growth and Strategy 2 – Demonstrate a commitment to employee’s careers. Promotional opportunities maintain institutional knowledge and sustained productivity, higher employee morale, increased retention, quicker onboarding of employees, and lower recruitment costs. At the same time, timely and efficient recruitment is essential to maintaining continuity of services, meeting community needs, and providing both internal and external opportunities for career advancement.
To support departments in filling positions quickly, steps have been taken to reduce time-to-hire. Onboarding procedures have been streamlined and automated, which include pre-employment documents, benefits, and mandatory training. These additions AB 2561 Vacancies, Recruitment, and Retention Efforts
June 10, 2025
are now completed concurrently rather than sequentially, improving efficiency and candidate experience as well as reducing department impact caused by a vacancy.
Recruitment outreach has been expanded through professional association job boards, career and college fairs, and digital platforms such as Spark Hire, a software program used for large recruitments that allows for one-way online interviews. Increased social media presence on LinkedIn and other media platforms, including linking to operating department’s social media to attract a broader and more targeted applicant pool.
To attract employees, the City highlights an array of employee incentives and benefits on each job posting, such as the City’s comprehensive benefits package (medical, dental, Retiree Health Savings, life, and a robust Wellness Program etc.), paid time off/vacation, paid holidays, floating holiday and paid administrative hours, Education Investment Program (EIP), tuition reimbursement, flexible work schedules, a supportive managerial work culture, and upcoming scheduled salary increases.
Departments also participate in direct recruitment. In public safety, Police and Fire coordinate outreach by attending events, such as college and career fairs, local high schools, conferences, and expos throughout the year. The departments continue to attend and explore opportunities to build upon greater diversity in public safety. The City Council recently approved actions to support recruitment efforts for Police Dispatchers, through a recruitment incentive as well as supporting 3 new FTE positions and reclassifying six (6) Dispatcher II classifications to a senior level, resulting in immediate salary adjustments. In Fire, the City Council approved a Fire Trainee classification resulting in a pipeline and greater opportunities for Anaheim Fire and Rescue to recruit current Ambulance Operators into Anaheim’s Fire Academy.
Recruitment Strategies
While recruitment efforts are robust, the Human Resources Department recognizes the ongoing challenges in recruitment and remains committed to implementing innovative, data-driven, and proactive strategies in partnership with all city departments. These challenges include labor market competition, evolving workforce expectations, skill-based hiring, and the increasing need for diversity in hiring.
Additional areas for Improvement and Strategic Expansion include at least: i) building a greater talent pipeline to introduce more internships, apprenticeships, and fellowship programs in collaboration with local high schools, colleges, trade schools, and community-based organizations to cultivate early career interest and long-term employment pathways; ii) implementing targeted outreach and training to enhance recruitment efforts in underrepresented communities and ensure diverse candidate pools; iii) invest in an applicant tracking system or candidate relationship management tool to nurture relationships with high-potential candidates, enabling better engagement and future recruitment efficiency; iv) emphasize a greater employer branding to strengthen the Anaheim Way by promoting employee success stories, workplace culture, and mission-driven service across digital media channels; and v) place greater emphasis on metrics and data to identify bottlenecks, evaluate AB 2561 Vacancies, Recruitment, and Retention Efforts
June 10, 2025
time-to-fill, and track applicant drop-off points to continuously improve the hiring process.
3. Retention Efforts
The City’s overall retention rate from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024 was 93%, reflecting a strong ability to retain employees. As of May 28, 2025, the current retention rate remains at 93.5%. The City incorporates several strategies for increasing retention of the City’s workforce.
The importance and well-being of employees continue to be a high priority. Human Resources thrives in developing programs to foster a strong work culture where employees can learn, feel safe, promote, be challenged, and have fun.
Key retention efforts include:
Extensive employee and learning development programs. Providing career advancement opportunities and fostering a culture of growth. This includes formal leadership training such as the Management Academy, Anaheim Way Forward (Supervisor Academy), Management Prep class, and Employee Relations Academy. Notably, in May 2025, the City received the 14th Annual Giles-O’Malley “Excellence in Leadership Development Award” in recognition of the Human Resources Department’s robust, intentional, and employee focused programs. Anaheim was the first city to be recognized for its outstanding human capital development.
Coach and Mentoring Opportunities. Consistent with City Council Strategic Plan Goal D, Strategy 1-Foster a High-Performing Organization, the City supports a 9-month mentorship program where employees are matched with an experienced city leader, of their choosing, and receive personalized guidance and support. This proactive approach identifies and nurtures future leaders, providing them with the necessary skills and knowledge for effective leadership and ensuring a steady talent pipeline.
Classification and Compensation Study. To ensure job classifications and salary structures are at market and competitive with other cities, the City is completing its classification and compensation study. This will allow the City to bring classifications to market, leading to better recruitment and retention, market/equity adjustments, internal equity, competitive compensation, while increasing job satisfaction and attracting talented applicants and retaining valuable employees.
Prioritizing Employee Well-being: Human Resources also hosts workshops and on-site programs such as biometric screening, vision pop-ups, an annual Health Fair, and Paint Day etc. Human Resources is committed to fostering a culture where employees physical, mental, financial, and social well-being are supported and valued.
Employee Recognition Programs. Human Resources budgets and plans for programs such as Service Awards, annual Employee Appreciation picnic, and employee engagement events (Fall Decorating Contest, Ornament Exchange, Ready-Set-Connect, and Chat with the City Manager etc.), AB 2561 Vacancies, Recruitment, and Retention Efforts
June 10, 2025
Retention Strategies
Investing in employee growth is central to the City’s culture. While we have made significant strides in this area, Human Resources remains committed to programs that support employee satisfaction, which include i) expanding professional development programs across departments, ii) continuously refining workforce strategies to build a robust talent pipeline, iii) develop and/or implement formal check-ins with new hires to ensure they are successfully integrated, and iv) explore cross-departmental collaboration initiatives.
The City’s proactive approach has kept the city at a stable and effective workforce.
However, by embracing the additional areas for improvement, the City will remain competitive in the workforce. The City is committed to continuing initiatives that address effective staffing needs to ensure we sustain a skilled, diverse, and engaged workforce that proudly serves our community.
IMPACT ON BUDGET:
This report is informational to comply with AB 2561. There is no fiscal impact on the general fund budget.
Respectfully submitted,
Linda N. Andal
Human Resources Director