Personnel Board
Special Meeting Minutes
March 6, 2025
CITY HALL CONERENCE ROOM 511
20 Civic Center Plaza
Santa Ana, CA 92701
6:30 PM
SANT
ERNESTO GOMEZ
Chair
City-wide Rep
VACANT BERENICE BALLINAS
Ward 1 Ward 4
GABRIELA HERNANDEZ- VACANT
CASTILLO Ward 5
Ward 2
DAVID CROCKETT ANGIE RIVERA
Vice Chair Ward 6
Ward 3
JAMES MURRAY
Board Secretary
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), if you need special assistance to participate in this Meeting, contact & Michael Oriz, City ADA Program Coordinator, at (714) 647-5624. Notification 48 hours prior to the Meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to assure accessibility to this meeting. The City Council agenda and supporting documentation can be found on the City's website - www.santaana.org/city-meetings.
Personnel Board 1 3/6/2025
CALL TO ORDER
ATTENDANCE
Board Members:
Ernesto Gomez
Gabriela Hernandez-Castillo
David Crockett
Angie Rivera
Berenice Ballinas
Staff:
James Murray, Board Secretary
Lauren Hirano, Human Resources Staff
Josephine Ho, Human Resources Staff
Minutes: The Personnel Board meeting was called to order at 6:32 p.m. on March 6, 2025.
ROLL CALL James Murray, Board Secretary
Minutes: All Board Members were present on March 6, 2025, except for Board Member Rivera.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Minutes: The pledge of allegiance was led by Board Secretary, James Murray.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Minutes: There were no public comments.
CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS
***END OF CONSENT CALENDAR***
BUSINESS CALENDAR
1. Excused Absences
Minutes: All Board Members are present on March 6, 2025, except for Board Member Rivera, who is excused.
Moved by Boardmember Gomez, seconded by Boardmember Crockett to Approve.
Personnel Board 2 3/6/2025
YES: 4 - Berenice Ballinas, Gabriela Hernandez-Castillo, Ernesto L Gomez, David Crockett NO: 0 - ABSTAIN: 0 - ABSENT: 1 - Angie Rivera
Status: 4 - 0 - 0 - 1 - Pass
2. Approve the minutes of the meeting of the Personnel Board for Janaury 23, 2025.
Moved by Boardmember Ballinas, seconded by Boardmember Gomez to Approve.
YES: 3 - Berenice Ballinas, Gabriela Hernandez-Castillo, Ernesto L Gomez NO: 0 - ABSTAIN: 1 - David Crockett
ABSENT: 1 - Angie Rivera
Status: 3-0 - 1 - 1 - Pass
3. Discuss the Personnel Board scheduling for upcoming cases.
Minutes: Board Secretary Murray discussed the importance of member availability and reviewed the Boards and Commissions rules, which stipulate that members must meet at least twice a month.
Board Chair Gomez emphasized the need for a consistent schedule. He suggested that Personnel Board members should agree on a schedule that allows all members to attend meetings.
Board Secretary Murray proposed extending the meeting time beyond 10:00 p.m. when necessary for hearings, especially when hearing cases and witnesses. In addition, Board Secretary Murray suggested starting Personnel Board meetings earlier at 6:00 p.m. to ensure cases are handled more efficiently. Upon further discussion with the Personnel Board, Board Secretary Murray tentatively scheduled regular Personnel Board meetings for the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month, which will start in April.
Board Member Ballinas recommended concurrently scheduling two cases at once to ensure the swift progression of all cases. Additionally, Board Member Ballinas suggested attaching Personnel Board rules when communicating with attorneys to streamline processes.
Board Member Hernandez-Castillo proposed revisiting the Personnel Board rules and procedures, specifically focusing on the timelines for all cases (e.g., discovery, witnesses), to improve organization and efficiency.
***END OF BUSINESS CALENDAR***
COMMENTS
4. Board Member Comments
Minutes: Board Member Ballinas thanked Staff for their hard work.
Personnel Board 3 3/6/2025
5. Staff Member Comments
Minutes: There were no Staff Member comments.
ADJOURNMENT
Minutes: The Personnel Board regular meeting was adjourned at 7:14 p.m. on March 6, 2025.
Respectfully submitted
James Murray, Board Secretary
Personnel Board 4 3/6/2025