City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: AUGUST 25, 2026 FROM: HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT WARDS: ALL SUBJECT: REVISIONS TO THE CITY’S HUMAN RESOURCES POLICIES AND PROCEDURES MANUAL ISSUE:
The issue for City Council consideration is to adopt the attached revisions to the City’s personnel policies, contained in the Human Resources Policy and Procedure Manual.
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council adopt the proposed revisions to the City’s personnel policies, contained in the Human Resources Policy and Procedure Manual.
BOARD RECOMMENDATION:
The Human Resources Board reviewed and unanimously approved the revised policies. The date of this review and approval is recorded alongside the policy summary in the discussion section. The Human Resources Board conducted a public hearing on June 1, 2026, voting unanimously to recommend the attached policies to the Council for approval.
BACKGROUND:
The Human Resources Department routinely reviews and revises the City’s personnel policies contained in the Human Resources Policy and Procedure Manual. Policy revisions are often made as a result of changes to the law, to reflect current practice, or following discussions with the City’s labor groups. The policies that are presented for the Council’s consideration and have been reviewed by the Human Resources Department, each of the effected labor groups, in addition to the Human Resources Board.
DISCUSSION:
The following policies, with a brief description of the proposed new content or revisions, are:
Policy I-10 Pre-Employment Physical Examinations Policy - The Pre-Employment Physical Examinations Policy (I-10) has been revised to reflect that pre-employment physical examinations and/or drug screens are conducted only after a conditional job offer has been extended and accepted by a candidate. It was also updated to include that current employees who apply for a transfer, promotion, or demotion to a classification requiring greater, or different, physical qualifications must successfully pass the appropriate physical examination for that position. These processes comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and ensure candidates can safely and effectively perform the essential functions of the position, as outlined by the job description.
This policy was also updated to include that in accordance with the California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA) the City will not request or receive a candidate’s medical information.
In addition, the Pre-Employment Physical Examinations Policy was updated to reflect that in accordance with California Government Code 12954, the City will not discriminate against an applicant based on a drug screen that finds the person to have non-psychoactive cannabis metabolites in their system, with exemptions for Safety positions and positions with in the building and construction trades. It was also updated to include that the City will not request information from a candidate regarding their prior use of cannabis as mandated by California Senate Bill 700. (Approved 06/01/26) Policy III-04 – Violence in the Workplace/Critical Incident Response Policy The Violence in the Workplace/Critical Incident Response Policy was updated to reflect that this policy is in compliance with California Labor Code (LC) section 6401.9, which resulted from Senate Bill 553. The labor code and senate bill set forth requirements on how organizations are to define instances of workplace violence, how to respond and mitigate hazards, training on workplace violence prevention, and the requirements for post-incident.
This policy was also updated to include additional procedures for reporting incidents of workplace violence as set forth in policy I-12 Workplace Violence Prevention Plan in the Safety and Health Policy and Procedure Manual.
In addition, the Critical Incident Response to Workplace Violence section was restructured to better capture the roles and responsibilities of City staff at each level of management. (Approved 06/01/26)
The Human Resources Department confirms that these updates include all required elements as required by law.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this report.
Prepared by: Colene Torres, Deputy Human Resources Director Approved by: Rene Goldman, Human Resources Director
Certified as to availability
Of funds: Julie Nemes, Finance Director
Approved by: Edward Enriquez, Assistant City Manager/Chief Financial Officer Approved as to form: James Johnson, City Attorney
Attachments:
Pre-Employment Physical Examinations Policy (I-10)
Violence in the Workplace/Critical Incident Response Policy (III-04) Revisions to the City’s Personnel Policies ● Page 2