Riverside City Council
August 11, 2026

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City CouncilAugust 11, 2026Departmental Update and Employee RecognitionHuman Resources Department RiversideCA.gov2
STAFF INTRORene GoldmanHuman Resources DirectorADMINISTRATION Miriana GonzalezHuman Resources Deputy Director
Colene TorresHuman Resources Deputy Director
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The Human Resources Department is committed to being a professional strategic business partner that values innovation, integrity, confidentiality and diversity; while continuing to provide a variety of resources to past, present and future employees. OUR MISSION RiversideCA.gov4
Total FTE: 46
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DEPARTMENTAL ACCOMPLISHMENTSSuccessfully managed a high volume of recruitment activity, receiving and reviewing 31,670 applications in 2025 Conducted 37 onboarding sessions, ensuring new hires were thoroughly oriented, supported, and integrated into the organization.Welcomed 203 new employeesProcessed 172 internal promotionsHired 66 Rec Leaders, 20 Lifeguards, 3 Pool Managers, 11 Lateral Police Officers, and 36 Police Officer Trainees **Attended 12 job fairs**
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Hosted 19 retirement sessions with MissionSquare, HICAP, CalPERS, and HR. 368 employees in attendance collectivelyDeveloped and implemented Power BI Dashboards for Safety and Workers’ Compensation to provide real-time access to critical metrics, trends and performance indicatorsHosted 19 wellness webinars focused on financial wellness, health education, and employee well-being. topics included financial success, home buying, college savings, and estate planning. Total webinar attendance reached 369 employees Created and launched the HR Flipbook, a centralized resource designed to provide employees with easy access to important Human Resources information and servicesCompleted the 2026 Open Enrollment: 828 Employees submitted change requests, totaling over 1000 transactionsProcessed 337 Leaves (GLOA,FMLA,PDL,CFRA, Military)Introduced a new High-Deductible Health Plan with a Health Savings Account (HSA) with Blue ShieldSuccessfully managed and processed 49 reasonable accommodation requests, ensuring timely, consistent, and legally compliant interactive processes for employees across the organization aiding departments in returning staff to workDEPARTMENTAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS5 6 7/21/2026
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Organized the 2025 EE Appreciation Event: Reached approximately 1,400 Employees; (3) On-Site Meal Events (White Park, Magnolia Station, and EOC). Provided 26 site deliveries (All Libraries, All Fire Stations; WQCP, RERC, CORP Yard, and Police Stations (Orange & Lincoln)Completed the annual 2025-2026 Maintain Don’t Gain Wellness Challenge. This challenge encourages employees to maintain their weight and healthy eating during the November and December holidays. There were a total of 294 participantsCollaborated with Blue Zones Project Riverside to certify and approve City Hall as a Blue Zone Worksite location Completed a Virtual 6-Week Wellness Challenge (Star Trak) promoting physical activity. There were a total of 394 participantsSecured/Renewed 5 new agreements with benefit vendors and brokers via the RFP processLaunched the 2026 Benefits Pulse Survey:415 employees participatedAll 18 departments representedCompleted 32 classification actions, including new classifications, title changes, deletions, and bargaining unit reassignmentsDeveloped an electronic Leave of Absence Request Form to better streamline the leaves administration processDEPARTMENTAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS RiversideCA.gov8
Launched the 2025 Citywide Engagement Survey and periodic “pulse” survey Completed 44 job description revisionsLed 4 citywide virtual debrief sessions and developed a dedicated web page to ensure transparent employee access to engagement survey resultsCompleted 24 reclassification studies, resulting in 19 approved reclassificationsFacilitated 5 citywide action sessions, engaging employees in identifying improvements across five key drivers of engagementDelivered 3,844 training hours to employees (trained 455 employees)Conducted 5 department-specific action sessions tailored to individual engagement survey results, supporting targeted improvement strategiesFacilitated 19 Enneagram department/division Team Development Workshops along with 300 one-on-one Enneagram assessment debriefs to support employee growth and team effectivenessProvided all Department Heads with customized department and division-level PowerPoint presentations to support data sharing and team engagement discussionsFoundations of Supervision Cohort 4 graduated 26 front-line supervisorsPartnered with 14 Department Heads to present department-specific survey results, strengthening communication, transparency, and action planning across the City137 supervisors participated in HR Essentials TrainingDEPARTMENTAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS7 8 7/21/2026
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DEPARTMENTAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
Facilitated and/or assisted with 6 grievances. This includes pay practice issues, disciplinary appeals, MOU/policy interpretations Processed 190 education reimbursements for 110 employeesUpdated 11 polices in the Safety & Health Policy and Procedure ManualExpanded university and college education partnerships by adding 3 new programs, bringing the total to 9Completed 35 ergonomic evaluationsYouth Service Corps. Grant renewed for 2027 1.5MCompleted CHP Audit with zero findings382 volunteers live scanned and processedCompleted the WC Annual Inventory Report and achieving a $129,000 reduction from the previous year while strengthening program efficiency and oversightAssisted departments/supervisors with 241 Disciplinary cases –this includes lower-level discipline (coaching and counseling), to more punitive, suspensions, demotions, and terminations, and some that resulted in “no action”Successfully resolved 44 workers’ compensation cases, including 6 Compromise & Release (C&R) settlements, reducing outstanding liabilities and advancing claim resolution effortsReceived/investigated and/or assisted external investigators with 31 complaints – this includes allegations of hostile working environment, retaliation/harassment/discrimination, bullying, poor treatment from a co-worker, supervisor, or management RiversideCA.gov10
STRENGTHENING OUR WORKFORCE2025 HRD PROMOTION RECOGNITION 9 10
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Brenda BrooksAssociate Safety Professional Certification (ASP) Veronica PostonOSHA 10 & ELA
Sandy CramerFundamentals of Organization & Relationship Systems Coaching Certification HR PROFESSIONAL GROWTH HIGHLIGHTS RiversideCA.gov12
Jennifer Lopez10 Years of Service
Johanna Cuevas10 Years of Service
Alyssa Avila5 Years of ServiceLEGACY OF ACHIEVEMENT11
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Marcus Ulibarri was selected as the Mayor’s Unsung Hero Honoree.Marcus has made tremendous contributions to both theRecruitment Team and the Human Resources Department as awhole. He manages a demanding workload with remarkableefficiency and consistently approaches every task with a positiveattitude and a customer focused mindset. Whether assistingcandidates, supporting hiring managers, or collaborating withcolleagues, Marcus can always be counted on to go above andbeyond to ensure exceptional service and successful outcomes.HONORABLE MENTION RiversideCA.gov14
HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEE OF THE YEARJames MacalmaPrincipal Business Systems AnalystIt is an honor to have James represent the Human Resources Department as the 2025 Employee of the Year!James joined the Human Resources Department in October 2024, and quickly distinguishedhimself as a highly motivated, solutions-oriented professional. From the start, he demonstratedan impressive ability to adapt to the fast-paced and dynamic environment of public sectorservice. In a remarkably short period of time, James has made a meaningful and lastingimpact on the department and the organization as a whole.James’ dedication, innovation, and positive attitude make him a tremendous asset to theCity. His work exemplifies the spirit of excellence and service that this award is meant torecognize. 13 14
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Mayor, City Council, and CMO Team —Thank you for your continued support of the HumanResources Department. Your partnership has strengthenedour ability to better serve the City's workforce.THANK YOU15