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CONSENT CALENDAR
City of San Bernardino
Request for Council Action
Date: June 17, 2026
To: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
From: Andrea E. Russell, Director of Human Resources
Department: Human Resources
Subject: Side Letter Agreement with SBPOA Regarding Assistant Watch Commander Pay (All Wards)
Recommendation:
It is recommended that the Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California, adopt Resolution No. 2026-082, approving a Side Letter Agreement to the 2020-2025 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City of San Bernardino and the San Bernardino Police Officers Association (SBPOA), adding Article III - Compensation, Section 10: Assistant Watch Commander Pay.
City Manager's Comments
The City Manager recommends approval to maintain retirement benefit eligibility for this duty.
Executive Summary
The proposed Side Letter Agreement with the San Bernardino Police Officers Association (SBPOA) addresses an administrative gap related to Assistant Watch Commander compensation. While the City has continuously reported this compensation to CalPERS as special compensation, the original Side Letter Agreement expired on June 30, 2020, leaving no formal agreement in place for the period of July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2025.
Approval of this Side Letter will ensure compliance with CalPERS special compensation requirements, preserve retirement benefit eligibility for affected employees, and formally document compensation practices during the identified period. The compensation language has since been incorporated into the current SBPOA Memorandum of Understanding for the 2025–2029 term.
Background
The Assistant Watch Commander assignment has been an established component of 3 4
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Police Department operations for decades. This assignment provides SBPOA members with valuable experience and exposure to the managerial responsibilities associated with the Watch Commander role. In addition, the position plays a critical role in ensuring the effective operation of the Department by overseeing field operations, exercising command authority over assigned field operations sergeants, and maintaining facility security.
On December 19, 2018, the City and the SBPOA entered into a Side Letter Agreement regarding Assistant Watch Commander compensation. The agreement became effective on December 19, 2018, and expired on June 30, 2020. Following the recent retirements of several SBPOA members, CalPERS identified the need for an additional Side Letter Agreement covering the period from July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2025, to ensure continued compliance with CalPERS special compensation requirements under California Code of Regulations (CCR) Section 571.
Discussion
This Side Letter Agreement serves as a corrective administrative measure to address the expiration date contained in the original agreement. Although the Assistant Watch Commander assignment pay continued to be reported to CalPERS as special compensation during the period of July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2025, the City did not have a corresponding agreement in place covering that timeframe.
The purpose of this Side Letter is to ensure compliance with CalPERS requirements governing special compensation and to provide the necessary documentation supporting the continued reporting of Assistant Watch Commander pay as a special compensation item. This action will help ensure that employees assigned to this role receive the retirement benefits associated with this compensation and are not adversely impacted upon retirement.
The Assistant Watch Commander compensation language has since been formally incorporated into the current SBPOA Memorandum of Understanding for the 2025– 2029 term, eliminating the need for future side letter agreements related to this assignment.
The following is language will be included in the side letter when adopted.
The Assistant Watch Commander position will be appointed at the discretion of the Chief of Police; he/she must meet the minimum qualifications established in the LexiPol Policy 1028.3.1. The position will be for a period of one year unless otherwise reappointed; the employee can be selected to serve as Assistant Watch Commander more than once. The Assistant Watch Commander will serve under the direction of the Assistant Chief of Police. Compensation shall be $500 a month.
The assistant watch commander position duties include: to serve as a lead over the unit, proactively identify and resolve customer service concerns, respond to employee complaints and/or conflicts, daily briefing training, incident command, 3 4
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addressing intra--agency quality control issues, demonstrate initiative in issue- spotting and problem- solving, effectively mediate and resolve conflict and ascertain potential problems in order to mitigate.
The individual in the Assistant Watch Commander position will be required to fulfill the above duties regularly and consistently through the term of the position. 2021-2025 Strategic Targets and Goals
The proposed Side Letter Agreement aligns with Key Target No. 2: Focused, Aligned Leadership and Unified Community: Build a culture that attracts, retains, and motivates the highest quality talent.
Fiscal Impact
There is no financial impact to include the Assistant Watch Commander Language as a side letter as this is a corrective item.
Conclusion
It is recommended that the Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California, adopt Resolution No. 2026-082 of the Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California, approving a Side Letter Agreement to the 2020-2025 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City of San Bernardino and the San Bernardino Police Officers Association (SBPOA), adding Article III - Compensation, Section 10: Assistant Watch Commander Pay.
Attachments
Attachment 1 – Resolution No. 2026-082
Attachment 2 – Side Letter Agreement
Ward:
All Wards
Synopsis of Previous Council Actions:
On December 19, 2018, The Mayor and City Council adopted resolution 2018-287, approving the side letter agreement with the SBPOA to add Article III – Compensation:
Section 9 – Assistant Watch Commander to the Police Safety MOU.
CC: Eric Levitt, City Manger