8G
Date: July 8, 2025
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Aram Chaparyan, City Manager
By: Jamie Le, Assistant to the City Manager | [email protected] Subject: City Manager – Adopt RESOLUTIONS Setting Forth Hours, Wages, and Working Conditions for Executive and Management Employees , Fire Safety Management, Torrance Police Officers Association (TPOA), and Torrance Police Commanders Association (TPCA), and Repeal Resolution No. 2024-66. Expenditure: $3,422,646 (General Fund).
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation of the City Manager that City Council:
1. Adopt a RESOLUTION setting forth the hours, wages, and working conditions for Executive and Management employees; and
2. Repeal Resolution No. 2024-66 in its entirety; and
3. Adopt a RESOLUTION amending Resolution 2024-68 setting forth the hours, wages, and working conditions for Fire Safety Management modifying language regarding the PORAC Retiree Medical Trust Joinder Agreement; and
4. Adopt a RESOLUTION amending Resolution 2024-08 setting forth the hours, wages, and working conditions for Torrance Police Officers Association (TPOA) in the amount of $2,740,453 (5.44%); and
5. Adopt a RESOLUTION amending Resolution 2024-86 setting forth the hours, wages, and working conditions for Torrance Police Commanders Association (TPCA) in the amount of $682,193 (4.5%).
FUNDING
Funding is available in the fiscal year 2025-26 General Fund operating budget and is expected to be available in subsequent fiscal years.
DISCUSSION
Executive and Management Employees
In accordance with Section 1.2 of the proposed resolution, the reference point and the maximum point of the Executive & Management Resolution are adjusted between salary survey years by the May-to-May Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, California. For May 2025, this figure was published at the rate of 3.0%, and the salary ranges are updated accordingly in the attached resolution. In addition to the CPI adjustment, new classifications: Police Commander and IT Manager – GIS are assigned to this Employee Group by way of the resolution.
1 City Council
July 8, 2025
Fire Safety Management
PORAC is the Peace Officers Research Association of California. Fire Safety Management, as well as the Torrance Fire Fighters Association, are active participants in the Medical Expense Reimbursement Plan of the PORAC Retiree Medical Trust. The proposed Resolution amends the agreement to allow Fire Safety Management the same mandatory employee contributions as the Torrance Fire Fighters Association.
Torrance Police Officers Association
Amendment #1 to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City of Torrance and the Torrance Police Officers Association (TPOA) serves as a formal extension and modification of the existing agreement (Resolution 2024-08) governing wages, hours, and working conditions for TPOA represented employees. This amendment is effective beginning July 13, 2025, and continues through December 31, 2026 . More i mportantly, it is part of a broader package agreement that includes salary adjustments for both TPOA and TPCA members, as well as modifications to the departmental promotional exam process.
This coordinated effort was designed to align compensation structures across multiple ranks within the Torrance Police Department while modernizing promotional practices to support transparency, consistency, and professional development. The updated promot ional exam policy—developed jointly by the City, TPOA, and TPCA —reflects a comprehensive effort to enhance compensation equity, strengthen supervisory structure, and promote long -term career sustainability within the Torrance Police Department.
Key components of t he TPOA amendment include revised salary schedules for Police Officers and Police Sergeants, updated promotional compensation rules, enhanced premium pay structures, changes to retiree benefits, and the introduction of new professional development and engagement policies.
The salary adjustments represent an overall 5.44% increase and establish ten progressive pay steps for officers and sergeants. The amendment also addresses retiree health stipend contributions, increasing the City’s annual retiree contribution to $1,511,262 for 2025 and 2026 in accordance with the TPOA bylaws.
Premium pay assignments are also updated and clarified, including incentives for roles such as Field Training Officer, K -9 handler, Motorcycle Unit, DUI and Commercial Enforcement, and Investigations. Additional enhancements include a 15% premium for qualified Master Field Training Officers, the introduction of a 3% Supervisory Incentive, and the creation of a 9% Special Assignment Pay for eligible post-rotational assignments, subject to CalPERS approval.
To support continued professional growth and organizational transparency, the amendment adds two new exhibits. Exhibit 5 establishes a Career Development Policy, aligning incentives with training, rotation, and specialization efforts. Exhibit 6 creates Qua rterly Roundtable Meetings between TPOA leadership, the Chief of Police, and the City Manager to foster open communication and coordination on matters such as DOJ compliance, personnel development, and strategic planning.
2 City Council
July 8, 2025
Torrance Police Commanders Association
Amendment #1 to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City of Torrance and the Torrance Police Commanders Association ( TPCA) serves as a formal extension and modification of the existing agreement (Resolution 2024-86) governing wages, hours, and working conditions for TP CA represented employees. This amendment is effective beginning July 13, 2025, and continues through December 31,2026 and as mentioned above is part of a broader package that reflects a commitment to fair and merit-based advancement, with clearer pathways and structured evaluation criteria for officers and command staff seeking promotion.
TPCA will receive a 4.0% salary increase which will maintain their pay differential with TPOA. This ensures that leadership roles are compensated in a manner that reflects their responsibilities while maintaining clear and consistent compensation tiers across the organization. The amendment also addresses retiree health stipend contributions, increasing the City’s annual retiree contribution to $139,088 for 2025 and 2026 in accordance with the TPOA bylaws.
The TPOA and TPCA Amendments reflect a unified and forward -thinking approach that ensure outcomes benefit employees across ranks, support promotional fairness, and uphold the long - term operational effectiveness of the Torrance Police Department.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Executive and Management Employees Resolution (Materials Available)
2. Amendment #1 for Fire Safety Management modifying language regarding the PORAC Retiree Medical Trust Joinder Agreement.
3. TPOA Amendment #1 (Materials Available)
4. TPCA Amendment #1 (Materials Available)
3 APPENDIX C
PORAC RETIREE MEDICAL TRUST
AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF TORRANCE
AND
FIRE SAFETY MANAGEMENT
WHEREAS, the Fire Safety Management ("FSM") wishes to enter into a Joinder Agreement with the PORAC Retiree Medical Trust ("Trust") in order that members entering FSM from the Torrance Firefighters Association (TFFA) may remain active participants in the Medical Expense Reimbursement Plan of the PORAC Retiree Medical Trust ("Plan"); and
WHEREAS, pursuant to the Joinder Agreement between the FSM and the Trust, each employee who is a member of the FSM who has an active plan will make the following pre-tax contributions to the Trust:
1. A mandatory, pre-tax employee contribution of $ 200150 per month; and
2. A mandatory employee contribution equal to 100% of the balance of the employee's unpaid accrued sick leave as of the date of his or her separation from service; and
3. A mandatory employee contribution up to 100equal to 25 % of the balance of the employee's unpaid accrued vacation pay as of the date of his or her separation from service.
NOW, THEREFORE, the City of Torrance ("City") and FSM on behalf of itself and its members hereby enter into the following agreement, which is part of the resolution between the City and FSM:
1 FSM hereby acknowledges and agrees that the FSM has made the decision to sign a Joinder Agreement with the Trust and that this decision has been made independently of the City. The City makes no representations or warranties regarding the Plan or Trust or the ability or willingness of the Plan or Trust to make payments or provide benefits to or on behalf of the members of the FSMTFFA, their dependents, or their beneficiaries now or in the future;
2. FSM further acknowledges and agrees that the City has made no representations or warranties regarding and has no involvement in the design, governance, administration, operation, or financing, of the Plan or the Trust and that the City makes no representations or warranties regarding the taxation of contributions to the Trust, the taxation of benefits paid under the terms of the Plan, or the compliance of the Plan and Trust with any state or federal tax laws;
3. The City and FSM agree that the City shall withhold the mandatory employee contributions set forth above from the pay of individual employees who are members of FSM and remit those contributions to the Trust for the duration of the resolution. Those contributions shall be remitted monthly (in one aggregate check) to the plan administrator, accompanied by a list of contributing employees. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Joinder Agreement between FSM and the Trust is terminated before the expiration of the resolution, the City's obligation to withhold mandatory employee contributions shall end on the date that the Joinder Agreement is terminated;
Resolution 2024-68 51 Fire Safety Management
4 ATTACHMENT 2
4.The City and FSM agree that FSM has the right, subject to approval of its members according to the TFFA's internal rules, to prospectively modify the amount of the mandatory employee monthly contribution or the percent of the mandatory employee leave contribution during the course of this agreement, so long as the modification is mandatory for all employees covered by this agreement. FSM must notify the City in writing by June 15 of each year of any change to the above monthly contribution amount and percentage of leave contributions, with such change to become effective on or after the first pay period in July of the applicable year.
5.The City and the FSM agree that the employee contributions are mandatory deductions from the employee's wages for payments to a health and welfare fund pursuant to a Collective Bargaining Agreement in accordance with California Labor Code § 224. Members who promote out of or transfer out of FSM will not be able to contribute to the PORAC Retiree Medical Trust, unless the employee is covered by a Collective Bargaining Agreement or resolution which requires contributions to the PORAC Retiree Medical Trust. Any contributions that were made on behalf of such employee will remain in the PORAC Trust and may only be distributed in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Medical Expense Reimbursement Plan of the PORAC Retiree Medical Trust.
6.The City and FSM agree that the City has no obligation to contribute any additional monies to the Plan or Trust, that the City will not pay any administrative or other costs associated with the operation of the Plan or Trust; and that the City will not pay any medical benefits associated with the contributions to, the operation of, or the ability or inability of the Plan and Trust to pay benefits;
7.FSM agrees that FSM will indemnify, defend and hold harmless the City, its employees and agents (collectively, the "Indemnified Parties") from and against any liabilities and expenses, to a maximum total expenditure of $10,000 for defense and indemnification, including all costs, taxes, claims for benefits, attorneys' fees, fines, damages and judgments, in connection with the participation of FSM and its members in the Plan and Trust or in connection with the provision of benefits to members or former members of FSM.
8.The City and FSM agree that mandatory monthly employee contributions to the PORAC Retiree Medical Trust shall be treated as salary for purposes of pension (PERS) calculations to the extent permitted by PERS.
This agreement contains the parties' entire agreement and supersedes any prior oral or written agreements between the parties with respect to the participation of FSM members in the Plan and Trust. There are no representations, agreements, arrangements, or understandings (oral or written) between FSM and the City relating to the participation of FSM members in the Plan and Trust which are not fully expressed in this agreement.
Resolution 2024-68 52 Fire Safety Management
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