RESOLUTION NO. 2025-040
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF VERNON
APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION OF A SIDE LETTER
OF AGREEMENT BY AND BETWEEN THE CITY OF VERNON AND THE
VERNON POLICE OFFICERS’ BENEFIT ASSOCIATION
SECTION 1. Recitals.
A. The Vernon Police Officers’ Benefit Association (VPOBA) has been recognized as an employee organization pursuant to Resolution No. 4027.
B. On September 2, 2025, the City Council of the City of Vernon adopted Resolution No. 2025-026 approving a Memorandum of Understanding setting forth certain terms and conditions for employment of the City of Vernon employees in classifications represented by the VPOBA, for the period of July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2028.
C. Representative members of VPOBA and the City have agreed to execute a Side Letter of Agreement, effective December 8, 2025, updating provisions regarding excess leave accrual pay-out procedures.
D. All other terms of the existing VPOBA MOU would remain in effect.
E. The City Council desires to approve the Side Letter of Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF VERNON AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 2. The City Council of the City of Vernon hereby finds and determines that the above recitals are true and correct.
SECTION 3. The City Council of the City of Vernon hereby approves and authorizes the execution of the Side Letter of Agreement (Agreement) between the City of Vernon and the Vernon Police Officers’ Benefit Association, in substantially the same form attached hereto as Exhibit A.
SECTION 4. The City Council of the City of Vernon hereby instructs the City Administrator, or his designee, to take whatever action is deemed necessary or desirable for the purpose of implementing and carrying out the actions of this Resolution and the transactions herein approved or authorized, including but not limited to, any nonsubstantive changes to the Side Letter Agreement attached herein.
SECTION 5. The City Council of the City of Vernon hereby directs the City Clerk, or the City Clerk’s designee, to send a fully executed Agreement to Lorenzo Gaytan, President of the Vernon Police Officers’ Benefit Association.
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SECTION 6. Severability. If any provision of this Resolution or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications, and to this end, the provisions of this Resolution are declared to be severable.
SECTION 7. The City Clerk, or Deputy City Clerk, shall certify the passage and adoption of this resolution and enter it into the book of original resolutions.
APPROVED AND ADOPTED December 16, 2025.
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LETICIA LOPEZ, Mayor
ATTEST:
GENOVEVA ROCHA, City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
ZAYNAH MOUSSA-MILWARD,
City Attorney
Resolution No. 2025-040
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CERTIFICATION
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ) ss.
CITY OF VERNON )
I do hereby certify that the attached is a true copy of Resolution No. 2025-040 that was passed and adopted at the Regular Meeting held on December 16, 2025, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
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GENOVEVA ROCHA, City Clerk
SIDE LETTER OF AGREEMENT
BETWEEN
THE CITY OF VERNON
AND THE
VERNON POLICE OFFICERS’ BENEFIT ASSOCIATION
This Side Letter of Agreement (“Agreement”) between the City of Vernon (“City”) and Vernon Police Officers’ Benefit Association (“Association”) (collectively “Parties”) is entered into to modify the following sections of Association MOU dated July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2028:
ARTICLE SEVEN BENEFITS – VACATIONS
Effective December 8, 2025, Article Seven (Benefits), Section 9 (Vacations), Subsection B (Policy) , shall be modified to read as follows:
B. Policy
Employees may take all or part of their vacation in increments of one-fourth (1/4) hour or more, as determined by the Police Chief at his/her discretion with due regard for the wishes of the employee and the needs of the Department.
Any request will be honored only if, in the opinion of the Police Chief or designee, the manpower or service level on the day or days and at the times requested is adequate to permit granting such a request.
Accumulation and carry-over of vacation leave shall be limited to a maximum of the number of hours the employee was eligible to accrue during the immediately preceding year. In December of each year, employees shall be compensated for unused accrued vacation benefit in excess of the allowed accumulated amount referenced above. For 2025, excess vacation leave pay out will be processed from January 1, 2025, through the end of the 25th biweekly pay period, which lands on November 29th. The excess vacation leave cashouts will be calculated with leave balances and regular rate of pay as of November 29, 2025. Employees will have an alternative, one-time option for 2025 only, to elect to defer their pay out to February 2026. This will be a deferred pay out, with same stipulated pay provisions.
Exhibit A
Resolution No. 2025-040
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Effective in 2026 and going forward, the excess vacation leave pay outs will be for the period of the 26th biweekly pay period of each year through the end of the 25th biweekly pay period of the following year. The specific dates will vary from year to year. Employees may elect to take pay out monies cash or as contribution to the employee’s 457 deferred compensation account subject to the rules of the applicable plan.
ARTICLE SEVEN BENEFITS – SICK LEAVE
Effective December 8, 2025, Article Seven (Benefits), Section 11 (Sick Leave) , shall be modified to read as follows:
A. Employees only receive sick leave accrual while they are in a paid status.
Employees shall accrue sick time at a rate of 3.08 hours per pay period (80 hours annually), with a maximum cap of 960 hours. Any sick leave hours exceeding 960 will be compensated in December of each year at 50% of the employee’s regular rate of pay as of November 29, 2025. For 2025, excess sick leave pay out will be processed from January 1, 2025, through the end of the 25th biweekly pay period, which lands on November 29th. The excess sick leave cashouts will be calculated with leave balances and regular rate of pay as of November 29, 2025. Employees will have an alternative, one-time option for 2025 only, to elect to defer their pay out to February 2026. This will be a deferred pay out, with same stipulated pay provisions.
Effective in 2026 and going forward, the excess sick leave pay outs will be for the period of the 26th biweekly pay period of each year through the end of the 25th biweekly pay period of the following year. The specific dates will vary from year to year. Employees may elect to take pay-out monies as cash or as contribution to the employee’s 457 deferred compensation account subject to the rules of the applicable plan.
B. If an employee separates or terminates employment with the City, they shall be compensated for any accrued sick leave hours at the time of separation not to exceed 960 hours. Employees that separate from service with more than 20 years of service credit shall be compensated at 100% of their current pay rate applied to the first 480 sick leave hours and 50% for their remaining hours up to the cap of 960 hours. Employees with less than 20 years of service shall be compensated at 50% of their then current pay rate up to the cap of 960 hours.
Employees shall have the option of obtaining service credit for the accrued, unused sick leave hours instead of a cash payment pursuant to California Government Code Section 20965.
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C. Employees are expected to contact their supervisor or Department head as soon as possible to report a sick leave time off notification and provide appropriate information on the nature of the illness or injury and the expected duration of the time off. Employees unable to report for duty due to an illness should be required to call in and notify the on-duty supervisor a minimum of 2 hours before they are due to start their shift.
An employee who is absent on sick leave for more than two (2) consecutive shifts shall be required by his or her supervisor to provide a doctor’ s note in order to be paid for the sick leave.
FOR THE CITY OF VERNON
_____________________________ _________________________ Brian Saeki, City Administrator Date
FOR VPOBA
_____________________________ _________________________ Lorenzo Gaytan, VPOBA President Date
Resolution No. 2025-040
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