P ublic Works & Transportation Committee
March 26, 2024
AGENDA REPORT
TO: Jestin D. Johnson
City Administrator
FROM: G. Harold Duffey
Director, Oakland Public
Works
M
egan Wier
Acting Director, Transportation
Department
SUBJECT: Mayor’s Hiring Blitz Results for
Oakland Public Works Department
and Oakland Department of
Transportation
DATE: March 1, 2024
Date: City Administrator
Approval
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends That The City Council Receive An Informational Report On The Results of the Mayor’s Hiring Blitz in the Oakland Public Works Department and Oakland Department of Transportation.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In the Spring of 2023, the Mayor implemented a Hiring Blitz focusing on positions in Oakland Public Works (OPW) and the Oakland Department of Transportation (OakDOT). This effort led to a significant reduction to the vacancy rate in both departments.
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
The purpose of the Hiring Blitz was to reduce abnormally the vacancy rate in each of the departments. This aligns with two Citywide priorities, vibrant, sustainable infrastructure and responsive, trustworthy government. Increased staffing allows the departments to be more responsive to requests for service to the City’s infrastructure. In addition to reactive work, it also enables crews to perform preventative maintenance to City assets such as facilities, equipment, streets and sidewalks, and sanitary sewer system.
Tables 1 and 2 below outline the results of the Hiring Blitz initiative. In OPW, of the 170 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff positions that were vacant as of April 2023, 82 (48%) were filled as of February 2024. In OakDOT, of the 115.9 FTE that were vacant, 54 (47%) were filled during the Jestin Johnson (Mar 14, 2024 22:46 PDT)
Mar 14, 2024
To: Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Mayor’s Hiring Blitz Results
Date: March 1, 2024 Page 2
Public Works & Transportation Committee
M
arch 26, 2024
same time period. Many of the positions which are still vacant are currently in recruitment and expected to be filled soon.
How
ever, note that many of the classifications listed below are promotional opportunities and were filled with internal staff, so the departments’ overall vacancy rate did not change in those cases. Moreover, this analysis does not account for staff separations that occurred during the same time period between April 2023 and February 2024. Nonetheless, vacancy rates for both departments decreased significantly over the past 12 months, from 23% to 17% for OPW and from 32% to 23% for OakDOT.
Bot
h departments continue to have difficulty recruiting in certain classifications such as Civil Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Construction Inspector and Assistant Engineer. This is largely attributed to the fact that Oakland’s compensation level is not competitive with the private sector employers.
Ta
ble 1: OPW Status of Vacancies
JOB CLASSIFICATION TITLE
4/2023
Vacant
FTE # Filled
Account Clerk II 1 1
Accountant II 1 1
Administrative Analyst II 3 2
Administrative Assistant I 1 1
Administrative Assistant II 3 2 (1 Frozen)
Administrative Services Manager I 2 1
Assistant Director, Public Works Agency 1 1
Auto Equipment Mechanic 3 4
Auto Equipment Service Worker 1 1
Business Analyst III 3 2
Capital Imp Proj Coord, Asst 1 1
Carpenter 2
Clean Community Supervisor 1
Construction & Maintenance Mechanic 2
Construction Inspector (Field) 1
Custodian 7 3
Custodian Supervisor 1
Custodian, PPT 2 1
Electrical Painter 1 (1 Frozen)
Electrician 1
Engineer, Assistant II (Office) 4 2
Engineer, Civil (Field) 6
Environmental Enforcement Officer 2
Equipment Body Repair Worker 1
Equipment Parts Technician 3
To: Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Mayor’s Hiring Blitz Results
Date: March 1, 2024 Page 3
Public Works & Transportation Committee
M
arch 26, 2024
Facilities Complex Manager 1
Gardener II 14 12 (1 Frozen)
Heavy Equipment Mechanic 4 3
Heavy Equipment Operator 1 1
Heavy Equipment Service Worker 4 4
Maintenance Mechanic 7
Maintenance Mechanic, PT 2
Management Assistant 2 2
Manager, Capital Contracts 1 1
Painter 2 (2 Frozen)
Park Attendant, PPT 3 3
Park Attendant, PT 7 4
Park Equipment Operator 1
Park Supervisor I 3 3
Plumber 1
Pool Technician 1
Pool Technician, PPT 1
Program Analyst III 2 1
Project Manager 3
Project Manager II 1
Public Information Officer II 2
Public Works Maintenance Worker 13 7 (4 Frozen)
Recycling Program Specialist I 1
Recycling Program Specialist II 3 3
Sewer Maintenance Leader 4 2
Sewer Maintenance Worker 11 7
Stationary Engineer 2
Street Maintenance Leader 6 4 (2 Frozen)
Street Sweeper Operator 5 2 (2 Frozen)
Tree High Climber 2
Tree Trimmer 2
Tree Trimmer Crew Leader 2
Tree Worker 2
TOTAL 170 82
Table 2. OakDOT Status of Vacancies
JOB CLASSIFICATION TITLE
4/2023 Vacant
FTE # Filled
Account Clerk III 2 2
Accountant III 1 1
Administrative Assistant II 0
To: Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Mayor’s Hiring Blitz Results
Date: March 1, 2024 Page 4
Public Works & Transportation Committee
March 26, 2024
Administrative Services Manager II 1 1
Arboricultural Inspector 1
Chief of Party 2
Concrete Finisher 4 4
Construction Inspector (Field) 5
Construction Inspector, Sr (Field) 1
Construction Inspector, Sup II 1
Crossing Guard, PPT 1
Drafting/Design Technician, Sr 1
Electrical Engineer III 2
Electrician Leader 1 1
Engineer, Assistant II (Office) 9 8
Engineer, Civil (Field) 0
Engineer, Civil (Office) 6 1
Engineer, Transportation 3
Engineer, Transportation Supv 1 1
Management Assistant 1
Manager, Transportation 1 1
Parking Control Technician 12.9 7
Parking Enforcement Supervisor II 2 2
Parking Meter Collector 1
Parking Meter Repair Worker 2
Process Coordinator III 1
Program Analyst I 1
Program Analyst III 3 1
Project Manager 0 1
Public Information Officer II 1
Public Service Representative 1
Public Service Representative, Senior 1
Public Works Maintenance Worker 14 12
Public Works Supervisor I 2
Public Works Supervisor II 2
Sign Maintenance Worker 1
Sign Shop Coordinator 1
Street Construction & Maint Planner 1
Street Maintenance Leader 5
Surveying Technician (Field) 1
Traffic Painter 2
Transportation Planner II 1
Transportation Planner III 2
Transportation Planner, Senior 1
Vehicle Enforcement Agency 13 11
Total Fulltime Vacancies 115.9 54
To: Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Mayor’s Hiring Blitz Results
Date: March 1, 2024 Page 5
Public Works & Transportation Committee
March 26, 2024
Harold (Glenn) Duffey (Mar 14, 2024 13:52 PDT)
FISCAL IMPACT
This report is for informational purposes and has no direct costs or fiscal impacts.
PUBLIC OUTREACH/INTEREST
No public outreach was conducted for this report.
COORDINATION
The Department of Transportation was consulted in the preparation of this report.
SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES
Economic: There are no Economic opportunities associated with this report.
Environmental: There are no Environmental opportunities associated with this report.
Race and Equity: There are no Race and Equity opportunities associated with this report.
ACTION REQUESTED OF CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That The City Council Receive An Informational Report On The Results of the Mayor’s Hiring Blitz in the Oakland Public Wo
rks Department and Oakland Department of
Transportation.
For questions regarding this report, please contact Tom Morgan, Agency Administrative Manager (OPW) at (510) 238-7953 or Jamie Parks, Assistant Director (DOT) at (510) 238-2239.
Respectfully submitted,
G. HAROLD DUFFEY
Director, Oakland Public Works