Cc 5/14/23
City Council & Staff get many of the important public issues right with respect to public polick av rdu- procedures, competent staff measurable positive outcomes, my best example being the any work on he entire spectrum of complicated issues relating to our unhoused neighbors, but other times there is a noticeable, persistent gap between desired public policy, defined direction to staff, timely follow-up, &well-founded staff reporting. This creates a cloud in which a lack of communication, transparency & accountability undermine trust &confidence in our city's administration. There are two particular areas which I brought up at the D1 community meeting, which resonated with other residents in attendance. 1 Issues not coming back before the Council within the agreed-upon timeframe if at all.
Previous Councils named previous City Managers controlling the agenda &blocking issues from being heard at public meetings. Previous Departmental Directors were blamed for the lapses created by failures to follow established policy procedures. Those people left the city's employment, yet the public is still seeing deadlines missed, agreements not kept regarding the public's business.
2 Issues not being addressed by staff in the manner directed by the Council. The public needs explicit statements from city staff accurately summarizing their perception understanding of what is being directed &intended, instead of an "I think I got it" assurance. Mtg minutes also often fail to capture intention as well as specificity. Last, when city departmental representatives speak in public meetings, it serves the need for constructive discussion on the dais, &the public interest if they come prepared with documentation to back up what they say.
Ex I won't rehash details of the city's behavior regarding the RBSC & I'm not the only one frustrated by this ongoing situation; our community's sailors know, talk to, &support each, &many are frustrated by what has transpired with the city's administration of its sailing program. Other community non-profit clubs have expressed similar concerns &fears.
These gaps deficiencies, &the lack of public transparency accountability don't exist because of incompetence, or poor management, or malice, do they? Then what is being served? Desire for control &power? Personal benefit? Political agendas? Sara Martin
D1 resident since 2002
Redondo Beach Sailing Club Secretary since 2017
CC $ 511023
February 15, 2022 Item #N.1.
Honorable Mayor and City Council,
This letter is submitted on behalf of the three miscellaneous employee bargaining units, Teamsters, City Employees Association (CEA), and the Professional and Supervisory Association (PSA). We are expressing support of Decision Packages #6, #19, and #20, and want to address current challenges with stagnant wages caused by the City Council's policy to leave salaries flat for the miscellaneous groups. Minimal base salary increases have resulted in wages which have not kept up with inflation, and are not competitive in the broader labor market.
Since the end of the great recession in 2013, miscellaneous positions have received only nominal salary increases totaling less than 8% in almost 10 years. Repeated efforts to secure salary increases close to the 5-6% yearly CPI were met with firm opposition from the City Council. This opposition has now resulted in reduced wages and significant difficulties attracting and retaining quality candidates for positions across all departments.
The miscellaneous bargaining units believe that a Class and Compensation Review as reflected in Decision Package #6 is needed to demonstrate the City's base salary standing among other agencies. The review would provide a quantifiable basis for City Council to make informed decisions on salary adjustments. We are certain the review will show Redondo Beach is no longer competitive with other public agencies, and a significant upwards salary readjustment is required.
However, the process and any subsequent implementation measures, could take over a year, and would not address the immediate need to attract quality candidates for current vacancies.
Decision Packages #19 and #20 seek to rectify the immediate need in the Public Works Department (Teamsters). Additionally, we also need to call attention to issues within CEA and PSA:
• Public Safety Dispatch, which employs both CEA and PSA members, has operated at only 50% staffing levels for over a year due to issues with recruitment and retention directly related to compensation as compared to other agencies.
• In December 2021, City Council approved a reclassification of an administrative level CEA position in the Transit Division because the salary range of the existing job class would have been too low to attract quality candidates.
• In 2021, the Engineering Division had to underfill an Associate Engineer recruitment with an Assistant Engineer due to lack of qualified candidates (PSA) • In 2021, the Deputy Public Works Director PSA position was reclassed out of the bargaining group in order to increase the salary to retain a valuable employee that was offered the same position at a higher pay for another city. • This month, a recent PSA member will be leaving city employment for a private sector position in the same field.
These issues are a direct reflection of stagnated salaries which are no longer competitive with other agencies and the private sector.
Concrete evidence of this issue can be found in the December 2021 City Council action, at the request of the City Manager, which increased the base salary range for the Assistant to the City Manager position by 27%, even before recruitment efforts were started. The salary survey for that position showed Redondo Beach was in the bottom tier of comparable agencies in terms of base salary. That one action is indicative of what likely needs to occur across the organization, to reflect salaries that would be in-line with CPI since 2013.
As Council may recall, the Police Department experienced similar challenges a few years back.
The City was unable to attract quality police candidates due to a low base salary range. The Council acknowledged the problem and took action by increasing police officer compensation almost 12% in one year. Base salary increases for all other employees were denied for two subsequent years, which helped fund the police salary readjustment. Just as Council saw the need within the Police Department at the time, we ask that this Council acknowledge the current problem across the remainder of the organization and prioritize an immediate action of a unilateral base salary readjustment for all miscellaneous positions.
In closing, Teamsters, CEA, and PSA express our support of Decision Packages #6, #19, and #20 and ask City Council to vote in favor of each. Additionally, to address the immediate need, we ask that City Council allocate funding from the $13.8M end fund balance towards a unilateral base salary increase of at least 5% for all miscellaneous positions to attract qualified, quality candidates for current vacancies.
Respectfully,
Lina Portolese Peter Tucker Jerry Galbez
PSA President CEA President Teamsters Chief Steward
Manhattan Beach Salary Comparison
Position Redondo Manhattan % Difference
Accountant $ 5,726 $ 8,655 -51%
Administrative Analyst 7,527 $ 7,251 4%
Assistant Engineer 7,284 $ 8,990 -23%
Assistant Planner 7,284 $ 8,052 -11%
Assistant to the City Manager 9,014 $ 11,578 -28%
Associate Engineer $ 9,249 $ 10,406 -13%
Associate Planner 8,399 $ 9,324 -11%
Building Inspector 6,116 7,803 -28%
Building Maintenance Worker 4,681 $ 6,699 -43%
Chief Building Official 10,240 14,152 -38%
City Engineer 11,941 $ 17,240 -44%
Code Enforcement Officer 6,030 6,971 -16%
Community Development Director 14,208 18,231 -28%
Community Services Director 12,916 18,231 -41%
Community Services Officer 4,337 5,988 -38%
Electrician $ 5,962 $ 7,290 -22%
Executive Assistant $ 6,137 $ 6,791 -11%
Executive Assistant to the City Manager $ 6,260 $ 7,976 -27% Finance Director 12,916 18,231 -41%
Fire Captain 11,109 $ 11,230 -1%
Fire Chief 16,382 $ 23,659 -44%
Firefighter/Paramedic 9,346 $ 11,402 -22%
Human Resources Analyst 7,737 $ 8,655 -12%
Human Resources Director $ 12,916 $ 18,231 -41%
Human Resources Technician 5,123 $ 7,251 -42%
Information Systems Specialist 7,661 $ 8,559 -12%
Information Technology Director 14,208 18,231 -28%
Maintenance Leadworker $ 5,478 $ 6,696 -22%
Maintenance Worker I 4,074 $ 5,522 -36%
Maintenance Worker I| 4,470 $ 5,934 -33%
Plan Check Engineer 9,249 $ 9,920 -7%
Planning Manager 9,942 $ 14,151 -42%
Police Captain 18,535 16,727 10%
Police Chief 16,382 23,659 -44%
Police Lieutenant $ 16,402 15,240 7%
Police Officer $ 7,898 9,533 -21%
Police Sergeant 10,082 $ 12,586 -25%
Principal Civil Engineer 11,070 $ 14,151 -28%
Public Works Director 12,916 $ 18,231 -41%
Public Works Inspector 6,210 $ 7,582 -22%
Public Works Maintenance Manager 9,002 14,151 -57%
Public Works Maintenance Supervisor 7,527 $ 9,708 -29%
Recreation Coordinator 4,467 $ 5,920 -33%
Recreation Supervisor 7,284 $ 7,397 -2%
Risk Manager 8,586 14,152 -65%
Senior Building Inspector $ 7,124 9,172 -29%
Senior Human Resources Analyst 8,346 9,953 -19%
Senior Management Analyst 8,045 $ 9,708 -21%
Senior Plan Check Engineer $ 9,942 $ 11,578 -16%
Senior Planner $ 8,789 $ 11,578 -32%
Sewer Maintenance Worker 4,950 $ 6,229 -26%
en es 11,578
Transportation Engineer 9,942 $ -16%
Average $ 8,989 11,310 -26%