8F
Date: October 20, 2026
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 – Approve Side Letter Agreements Between Management and Torrance Professional and Supervisory Association (TPSA) and Management and Torrance Fire Fighters Association (TFFA). Expenditure: None.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation of the City Manager that City Council:
1. Approve side letter agreement between Torrance Professional and Supervisory Association (TPSA) and Management regarding the addition of Digital Evidence Technician and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Administrator; and
2. Approve side letter agreement between Torrance Fire Fighter Association (TFFA) and Management regarding Holiday Pay.
FUNDING
None required.
DISCUSSION
In previous years, 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 a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU); or (2) addresses issues of interest to the parties that are not otherwise covered by the MOU. These agreements need to be approved by City Council in open session. This is particularly important if the side letter agreement pertains to income subject to the California Public Employees’ Retirement System’s (CalPERS) reporting requirements, such as salary adjustments and premiums. As such, staff requests the formal approval by City Council memorializing the following:
Agreement between Management and TPSA adding Digital Evidence Technician and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Administrator to the Employee Group. Agreement between Management and TFFA modifying holiday pay language to comply with CalPERS reporting requirements.
ATTACHMENTS
1. TPSA Side Letter regarding Digital Evidence Technician (Materials Available)
2. TFFA Side Letter regarding Holiday Pay (Materials Available) 1