Agenda Item A.7
CPMS CONSENT CALENDAR
Meeting Date: July 19, 2022
TO: Mayor and Councilmembers
FROM: Kristy Schmidt, Assistant City Manager
CONTACT: Shannon Kirn, Management Analyst
SUBJECT: Recognizing Cesar Chavez Day and Juneteenth as City Holidays RECOMMENDATION:
A. Add the Cesar Chavez Day and Juneteenth holidays to the City’s list of official holidays; and
B. Authorize the City Manager to amend the Personnel Rules to convert one unnamed floating paid holiday for employees into two named holidays: Cesar Chavez Day (as a floating holiday) and Juneteenth (as a fixed holiday).
BACKGROUND:
The City of Goleta is working to identify and address systemic inequities, and striving to better include diverse communities, especially communities of color, in civic spaces and celebrations. Acknowledging and honoring the integral role that members of these communities have played in our community is essential to ensuring their contributions are recognized communitywide. Several Councilmembers have recently noted the rapidly evolving recognition of two days as important community observances.
Cesar Ch avez Day is a U S holiday celebrating the birth and legacy of the Mexican American civil rights and labor movement activist. Chavez was a champion for social justice and led efforts to improve working conditions for California’s migrant farm workers and formed the United Farm Workers Union. President Obama first proclaimed C esar Chavez Day on March 31, 2014. The holiday celebrates the birth and legacy of civil rights and labor movement activist Cesar Chavez on March 31 every year. The holiday honors Chavez’s life and work and carries forward his legacy to advance the rights and dignity of all working people. Cesar Chavez Day is not an official federal holiday but is an official State holiday in California.
Celebrated on the 19th day of June, Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, marks the day in 1865 that enslaved people in Texas learned they were free. This news was delivered two and half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation became 1 Meeting Date: July 19, 2022
law. In June 2021, US Congress passed a resolution establishing Juneteenth as a national holiday and on June 17, 2021 , President Biden signed it into law establishing Juneteenth National Independence Day , the June 19 commemoration of the end of slavery in the US, as a federal holiday. Honoring and celebrating Juneteenth underscores a heartfelt understanding of the contributions of African American people to our country and allows the time to remember and reflect on our country’s history, the institutional racism inherited by each generation, and the continued fight for justice and equality.
Recognition of both of these holidays is becoming more common across public agencies in California. The following agencies observe Juneteenth and/or Ce sar Chavez Day as holidays:
City of Santa Barbara
University of California
County of Santa Barbara*
State of California**
Santa Barbara City College***
Goleta Union School District***
*Observes both as official holidays, but does not close on Cesar Chavez Day (SEIU, Local 620 employees get a Cesar Chavez Day floating holiday in some units) **Observes only Cesar Chavez Day as an official holiday (Assembly Bill 1655, if passed, would add Juneteenth as a State Holiday in 2023)
***Observes only Juneteenth as an official holiday
DISCUSSION:
As a next step in our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts, staff and the members of the City Council’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Ad Hoc Subcommittee (Aceves, Kyriaco; “DEI Committee”) recommend that City Council consider the recognition of Cesar Chavez Day and Juneteenth as City holidays. Cesar Chavez Day and Juneteenth are meaningful observances that have been elevated on state and national levels because of their impact for communities of color and for the nation as a whole. Staff and the DEI Committee recommend that both days be added as official City holidays, to provide the co mmunity and staff the opportunity to remember our history and acknowledge the contributions of communities of color in the continued fight for equality, justice, and inclusion.
In recent years, the City has renewed its focus to ensure that people of all backgrounds feel seen and valued for the broadened perspectives that they bring to Goleta, both in and outside of City Hall. These efforts include the citywide Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative which was approved by the City Council in October 2020. Under this initiative, an inter-departmental team of employees, assisted by the DEI Committee, is working to examine our policies, programs and practices to ensure that all City of Goleta employees, residents, and visitors can participate in and benefit from City programs, activities, and services.
2 Meeting Date: July 19, 2022
The addition of Cesar Chavez Day and Juneteenth a s City holidays build upon these efforts, acknowledging inequities of the past and the struggles of communities of color to achieve equity. Both holidays are recommended , as there are compelling reasons to support both.
If approved, the City’s list of official holidays would look as follows:
Date Holiday City Facilities Open
or Closed
January 1st New Year's Day Closed
Third Monday in January Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Closed Third Monday in February Presidents’ Day Closed
March 31st Cesar Chavez Day Open (new)
Last Monday in May Memorial Day Closed
June 19th Juneteenth Closed (new)
July 4th Independence Day Closed
First Monday in September Labor Day Closed
November 11th Veterans Day Closed
Fourth Thursday in November Thanksgiving Day Closed
Fourth Friday in November Thanksgiving Day, Friday Closed December 24th Holiday Closure Closed
December 25th Holiday Closure Closed
December 31st New Year’s Eve Closed
Like the County of Santa Barbara, we would recognize Cesar Chavez Day as a holiday, but would not close City offices. For holiday s when offices do close , including the proposed Juneteenth holiday, if the holiday falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday i s observed as the holiday, and if the holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is observed as the holiday.
Effect on Employees
For the last several years, during collective bargaining, employees have asked about the City’s interest in allowing observance of Cesar Chavez Day and Juneteenth. Recently, the City Council has expressed interest in providing employee benefits to help motivate and retain our excellent workforce, and these holiday observances provide an opportunity to do so.
Staff recommend that Council grant the City Manager the authority to convert one existing unnamed paid floating holiday for employees into two named holidays: Cesar Chavez Day (as a floating holiday) and Juneteenth (as a fixed holiday). This would result in just one net paid holiday increase, while officially recognizing two important holidays that are not currently observed. SEIU Local 620 representatives have indicated If approved, staff will secure the agreement of SEIU for the conversion and return to Council with amended Personnel Rules and MOUs.
3 Meeting Date: July 19, 2022
GOLETA STRATEGIC PLAN:
The addition of these holidays is an act of inclusion. The following City -Wide Strategy aligns with this effort.
City-Wide Strategy Ensure Equity, Inclusion, And Access In City Programs, Services And Activities
9.5 Strategic Goal: Continually examine operational policies and practices to eliminate bias and ensure equity, inclusion, and access.
FISCAL IMPACTS:
There is no direct budget impact to the observance of these two holidays. There would be an indirect impact in terms of productivity, as employees would work one less day per year than they currently do.
ALTERNATIVES:
Council could choose not to recognize Cesar Chavez Day and/or Juneteenth as paid City holidays.
Reviewed By: Legal Review By: Approved By:
___________________ ___________________ _________________ Kristine Schmidt Megan Garibaldi Michelle Greene
Assistant City Manager City Attorney City Manager
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