CITY OF PACIFICA
COUNCIL AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT
6/23/2025
1 SUBJECT:
AB 2561 Compliance – Vacancy Rate and Workforce Planning Public Hearing RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Conduct a Public Hearing in accordance with Government Code Section 3502.3 (AB 2561) to present the status of vacancies and recruitment and retentions efforts in advance of the adoption of an annual budget.
STAFF CONTACT:
Zach Harris, HR Manager
650-501-0443
[email protected]
Yulia Carter, Assistant City Manager
(650) 738-7301
[email protected]
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION:
Overview of AB 2561:
AB 2561 is a new state mandate that requires "a public agency to present the status of vacancies and recruitment and retention efforts at a public hearing at least once per fiscal year", prior to budget adoption. The legislation calls for agencies to review and publicly report on barriers to recruitment and retention, identify any necessary changes to policies, procedures, or recruitment activities, and outline workforce strategies to address these issues. Recognized employee organizations must also be notified and given the opportunity to participate.
Vacancy Analysis:
As of the first week of February 2025, the City of Pacifica had 200.75 budgeted positions.
Vacancy rates were reviewed by department and bargaining unit to provide a focused and actionable overview of staffing gaps across the organization. These figures were presented in visual form and will be updated annually to meet AB 2561’s transparency requirements.
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Barriers to Hiring and Retention:
• Highly Competitive Job Market: Neighboring agencies and private sector employers frequently offer higher salaries and more flexible work environments. • Cost of Living Constraints: High housing and living costs in the Bay Area continue to discourage applicants from relocating.
• Limited Career Advancement Opportunities: Some positions are viewed as offering few promotion opportunities, reducing applicant interest. • Retirement Wave and Talent Drain: A large portion of the City's workforce is eligible for retirement within the next five years, risking loss of institutional knowledge and increased vacancy backfill pressure.
Strategic Recruitment and Retention Initiatives:
To support the City’s Strategic Goal of attracting and retaining a talented workforce, several recruitment and retention strategies have been implemented:
Recruitment Initiatives
• Streamlined job posting and interview scheduling processes to reduce time-to-hire. • Continued development of the City’s internship program to build a local talent pipeline. • Refresh the City of Pacifica careers webpage with a new “Why Work Here” message. • Exploration of diversity-focused recruitment strategies through potential grant funding.
Retention Initiatives
• Annual employee engagement surveys launched in 2025 to inform future planning. • Structural career barriers identified during the classification study have been addressed through the creation of new job series, enhancing internal career mobility. Examples include:
o Child Care Teacher Series: Child Care Teacher I-III consolidated into Child Care Teacher and Child Care Teacher Lead.
o Administrative Series: Admin Clerk, Project Coordinator, Rec Specialist, and Administrative Assistant consolidated into an Administrative Services Series. o Engineering and Planning Series: Assistant to Associate Civil Engineer and Planner roles created to address difficult-to-fill positions. o Wastewater Series: Positions combined into a Plant and Collections Operator Series.
• Ongoing compensation studies are conducted to ensure market alignment and Pacifica City Council 3
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competitiveness.
Conclusion:
The City of Pacifica is committed to proactively addressing workforce vacancies and planning needs in accordance with AB 2561. These efforts will continue to evolve with ongoing collaboration between City leadership, departments, and meeting with employee organizations and designated representatives to build a resilient and sustainable workforce.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None. This is an informational report only.
ORIGINATED BY:
Human Resources
ATTACHMENT LIST: