8E
Date: October 21, 2025
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Aram Chaparyan, City Manager
By: Jamie Le, Assistant to the City Manager I [email protected] Subject: City Manager – Approve a Side Letter Agreement Between Torrance Police Officers Association (TPOA) and Management Regarding Special Pay Premiums.
Expenditure: None.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation of the City Manager that City Council approve a Side Letter Agreement between Torrance Police Officers Associations (TPOA) and Management regarding Special Pay Premiums.
DISCUSSION
Management and the various employee groups have produced "side letter'' agreements to address issues that come up in between contract negotiations. A side letter is an agreement between an employer and union that typically: (1) modifies, clarifies, or interprets an existing provision in an MOU; or (2) addresses issues of interest to the parties that are not otherwise covered by the MOU. Such agreements need to be approved by City Council in open session.
This is particularly important if the side letter agreement pertains to potential PERSable income (i.e. salary adjustment) and Premiums. As such, Staff requests the formal approval by City Council to memorialize a side letter agreement between TPOA and Management which updates language to specify CalPERS reporting requirements regarding Special Pay Premiums.
ATTACHMENT
1.Side Letter- TPOA- CalPERS Special Pay Premium Language 1 October 21, 2025
TO: Rebecca Poirier, City Clerk
FROM: Jamie Le, Assistant to the City Manager
RE: MANAGEMENT and TORRANCE POLICE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION (TPOA) JOINT
LETTER OF AGREEMENT REGARDING PREMIUMS
Management and Torrance Police Officers Association met and have reached an agreement as noted on the attached document. Section 14.8.14.b of the Torrance Municipal Code reads:
“If an agreement is reached by management and a recognized employee organization or recognized employee organization, on matters subject to approval by the City Council, they shall jointly prepare a written and signed memorandum of such understanding and present it to the City Council for determination. If an agreement is reached on matters not subject to approval by the City Council, those conferring shall jointly prepare a written and signed memorandum of such agreement which shall be filed with the City Clerk.”
Pursuant to the last sentence of the above paragraph, the City Manager’s Office is filing the attached agreement with your office.
Management Torrance Police Officers Association (TPOA)
/s/ Robert Dunn
_____________________________________
/s/ Marc Sandoval
_____________________________________
/s/ Jamie Le
_____________________________________
/s/ James Kyle
_____________________________________
2 ATTACHMENT 1
Joint Agreement between the City of Torrance and TPOA
TPOA and representatives of Management (“City”) have met and conferred regarding Premium Assignments.
TPOA and City hereby agree to the Description and Details of Premium Assignments in compliance with CalPERS Special Compensation Standards as follows effective January 1, 2015:
Section 4.1 titled “Assignments – Descriptions and Details of Premiums” is updated to read as follows:
“SECTION 4.1 ASSIGNMENTS - DESCRIPTION AND DETAILS OF PREMIUMS Premiums requiring licenses/certificates will be assigned on the following pay period after it was earned. Below is a summary of the premiums, with detailed explanations following this table:
Assignment Compensation
DUI Enforcement 3.5% of base pay
K-9 3.5% of base pay
Motorcycle Patrol Premium 10% of base pay
Field Training Officer 7% of base pay
Investigative Assignment 5% of base pay
Community Relations Officer 5% of base pay
Range Master 5% of base pay
POST Certified Commercial Enforcement 3.5% of base pay
Communication Officer in Charge 5% of base pay
Master Field Training Officer 15% of base pay
Public Safety Dispatch Training Officer 5% of base pay (timecard; per hour worked)
Police Sergeants' Supervisory Incentive Pay 3% of base pay (effective upon July 13, 2025)
Gang Detail 5% of base pay
Torrance Mental Evaluation Team (TMET) 5% of base pay
Technology Officer 5% of base pay
A) K-9 Officers shall receive:
1) Employees in the classification of Police Officer shall receive a premium of 3.5% of base pay per month prorated on an hourly basis while so assigned.
2) Per deployment period, four hours overtime, at the rate of 1½ times the employee’s regular hourly rate, for routine care and maintenance of the assigned K-9.
3) Three hours per week of one-on-one obedience training in conjunction with scheduled weekly K-9 training day, subject to immediate response upon Watch Commander call.
B) Motorcycle Patrol Premium
Employees in the classification of Police Officer or Police Sergeant who is routinely and consistently assigned to a 2-wheel motorcycle patrol duty shall receive a premium of 10% of base pay while so assigned.
C) Field Training Officer (FTO) Assignment
1) Qualifications:
a) Three years as a Torrance Police Officer or two years’ experience as a Torrance Police Officer and one year of patrol experience at a prior police agency. 3 b) Be selected by Standing Patrol Committee and approved by the Commander of the Patrol Bureau. c) Former (per POST) FTO - Should the existing list be exhausted and there is an immediate need to add an FTO to the Committee, the Standing Patrol Committee, subject to the approval of the Patrol Bureau Commander, may select a qualified officer to temporarily fill the position. Concurrently, a test to establish a new list will be scheduled. The new list will be promulgated within 45 days of the temporary appointment. Until such time that a test is given, the temporary FTO shall receive FTO compensation. Upon promulgation of a new list, the temporary FTO(s) shall be removed and a replacement selected from the list.
2) Additional Duties of Field Training Officer:
a) Training of probationary Police Officers.
b) Active participation on the Patrol Committee.
3) Maintaining Status:
FTOs will receive the additional FTO pay only while assigned to either of the duty assignments indicated. a) Employees in the classification of Police Officer who have prior FTO experience or who have already attended the approved FTO school may, with the concurrence of the Standing Patrol Committee and the Patrol Bureau Commander, be added to the end of the existing list, without having to take or retake the current FTO test.
Officers selected in this manner must take and pass the next test to remain a member of the Standing Patrol Committee.
D) 15% Master Field Training Officer (FTO) Pay Incentive Premium 1) Employees in the classification of Police Officer who have completed three (3) previous premium assignments shall be eligible to become a Master FTO.
2) Premium assignments must be completed at Torrance Police Department. 3) Assignments from former agencies will not count toward the Master FTO premium. 4) Master FTO Premium designated to a maximum of 6 officers at any given time. a) Number of Master FTOs may be increased at the recommendation of the Police Chief with approval from the City Manager.
5) Employees who have worked the three (3) required assignments and/or who have at least five (5) years of FTO experience are eligible for the Master FTO position.
E) Investigator Premium Pay Assignment
1) Must be an investigative position working in the Special Operations Bureau, Community Affairs Division as a Community Lead Officer, Personnel Division as a Background Investigator or Patrol Division as a TMET Investigator.
2) Must be a Police Officer.
F) Communications Officer in Charge
An employee in the classification of Police Officer assigned as the Communication Officer in Charge is responsible to oversee, manage, and assist Police Officers and Public Safety Dispatchers in the performance of their duties and shall receive a premium of 5% of base pay while so assigned. Responsibilities may include providing supervision of the Communication Division’s daily operations, triage calls for service, determination on the deployment of police resources, and offer specific sworn-officer expertise to critical police calls for service G) Range Master Premium
Employees in the classification of Police Officer who are routinely and consistently assigned to supervise the target range facilities, and all related activities shall receive 5% while so assigned. 4 H) Sergeants' Supervisory Incentive Pay
All Sergeants who supervise staff in an official police capacity shall qualify for 3% Incentive Pay I) Technology Officer
Employees in the classification of Police Officer assigned this premium are responsible for supporting technology advancements in the department including body-worn cameras, MDCs, Automatic License Plate Readers, and other related items, which requires specialized knowledge to maintain and upgrade these various technologies. The Technology Officer is also responsible for creating debriefing videos for the department.
J) POST Certified Commercial Enforcement
Employees in the classification of Police Officer who complete POST Commercial Enforcement Certification to ensure compliance with laws and regulations governing commercial vehicles and their operators including conducting inspections, enforcing weight and size restrictions, investigating complaints, inspecting hazardous materials transport, monitoring driver and vehicle safety, and assisting with traffic control shall receive 3.5% while so assigned.
K) DUI Enforcement
Employees in the classification of Police Officer who are routinely and consistently assigned to enforce laws related to Driving Under the Influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs shall receive 3.5% while so assigned.
Signed this 21st day of October 2025
Management Torrance Police Officers Association (TPOA)
Robert Dunn
Police Chief
Marc Sandoval
President
Jamie Le
Assistant to the City Manager
James Kyle
Vice President
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