PRESENTATIONS
Item No. 1
AB 2561
Status of City of Victorville Vacancies
and Recruitment & Retention Efforts in 2024
May 6, 2025
1 Summary of AB 2561
On September 22, 2024, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2561 (AB 2561) into law to amend the Meyers-Milias Brown Act and create a new obligation for public agencies to publicly address the status of their vacancies, recruitment, and retention efforts. The new law became effective January 1, 2025.
Legislature declared that high vacancy rates can lead to:
Heavier workloads
Burnout/increased turnover
Negatively impact service delivery
Key Details & Mandates:
Annual presentation on vacancies, recruitment, and retention efforts before the formal budget adoption.
If vacancy rate for a bargaining unit is at or above 20%, more comprehensive reporting may be provided upon request by the employee group. 2 City of Victorville Workforce Information
From January 1, 2024, through February 20, 2024, the City of Victorville had a total of 538 Full-time Authorized positions.
From February 20, 2024, through June 30, 2024, the City of Victorville had a total of 540 Full-time Authorized positions.
From July 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024, the City of Victorville had a total of 560 Full-time Authorized positions.
City of Victorville Full-time Authorized Positions Position Count The Victorville Professional Firefighters 72
City of Victorville 488
Total Authorized Positions 560
* As of December 31, 2024
3 2024 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
# of Vacancies Created 5 1 4 6265 3 6 54931
# of Vacancies Filled 9 2 1 9449 1 1 1 0 4344
# of Remining
Vacancies 70 63 60 58 60 57 81 76 77 83 82 79
# of Budgeted FTE’s 538 540 540 540 540 540 560 560 560 560 560 560 % of Vacancies 13% 11.7% 11.1% 10.7% 11.1% 10.6% 14.5% 13.6% 13.8% 14.8% 14.6% 14.1% 2024 Year End Vacancy Information
*Vacancy rates above are all budgeted positions including represented employees Average Vacancy Rate for 2024 = 12.7%
4 2024 Vacancy Rates
City of Victorville Authorized Positions # of Vacancies Vacancy Rate
The Victorville Professional Firefighters 10 13.9%
City of Victorville 69 14.1%
*As of December 31, 2024
5 Addressing Vacancies
Recruitment Retention
6 Overview of the Recruitment Process
Vacancy
Created
Recruitment
Requisition Job Posting
Application
Screening
Candidate
Testing (if
applicable)
Candidate
Interviews
Conditional
Job Offer
Pre-
Employment
Process
Job
Placement
7 Recruitment: A Look Back at 2024
98 Position
Vacancies
67 Job
Postings
4,443
Applications
Received
92 Vacancies
Filled
Median time to fill vacancies: 192 days
8 2024 Vacancy Data
Vacancy Reason # of Vacancies
Voluntary Separation 19
Newly Budgeted Positions 31
Retirement, Termination, Transfer 12
Promotion 36
Total 98
Annual Staffing Turnover Rate – 3%
9 Effective Recruitment & Retention
Approaches
Creating a
Positive Work
Culture
Work-Life
Balance
Career
Development
Opportunities
Employee
Recognition
Tuition
Reimbursement Job Fairs
10 Conclusion
1. The City recognizes the importance of filling vacant positions and actively recruits to fill vacancies timely to ensure continuity of services to the public.
2. The City invests in ongo ing employee engagement and retention initiatives.
3. Addressing hard-to-fill vacancies remains a priority for the City and requires a multi-faceted approach.
11 Thank you.
12 Victorville
Professional
Firefighters
Recruitment and
Retention
Update
PRESENTED TO VICTORVILLE
CITY COUNCIL
MAY 2025
Our
Commitment to
Victorville
• The Victorville Professional Firefighters
are proud to protect and serve our
community.
We are committed to maintaining the
highest standards of public safety — but
staffing challenges threaten that mission.
With your support, we can strengthen our
department and continue to deliver the
service our citizens deserve.
Vacancy
Snapshot
• As of December 30, 2024:
• 10 Total Vacancies
• 2 Captains
• 7 Firefighter/Paramedics
(FFPM)
• 1 Firefighter/EMT (FFEMT)
How We Got Here
• Low Applicant Turnout:
• Low applicants per hiring process
• Only 25% (or fewer) show up for
testing
• Outdated Hiring Process:
• Lengthy process, discourages
candidates
• Missed Opportunities:
• Candidates drop out during process
to join faster-moving, better-
paying agencies
Toll on Firefighters
• Forced 3-5 extra shifts monthly
• Increased fatigue and burnout
• Lost family time !!!!
• Risk to service quality
Retention Struggles
11 members have left for other agencies !!
• &DSWDLQVĺ))30VZLWK Chino Valley,
LA County
• (QJLQHHUVĺ))30VZLWK/$&RXQW\
Redondo Beach
• ))30Vĺ/$&RXQW\2QWDULR
Wage comparison 2024 (top step)
VFD Captain $125,614
VFD FFPM $103,959
Chino FFPM $139,979
LAcO FF $118,055 (not including medic stipend)
Recent
Competition for
Candidates
Agency Salary
(entry level 2025)
Victorville $89,821.18
Ontario Fire $102,948.50
Chino Valley $115,169.64
Cathedral City $92,000.00
How We Move Forward
Update hiring
process
1 Add dedicated
EMT spots as a
4th person
2 Adopt Firefighter
Candidate
Testing Center
(FCTC)
3 Adjust wages and
benefits
4 Help Us Serve Victorville Better
• We need your partnership to:
• Modernize our recruitment and hiring practices
• Improve retention efforts
• Offer competitive wages and benefits
• Together, we can secure the future of
Victorville's public safety.
4/26/2025 10
Item No. 14
ShotSpotter
Gunshot Detection Technology
Why Are We Here?
The City’s 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, focused on City Council’s priorities:
GOAL B – Implement public safety strategies to support a thriving and growing community Strategy 7 – Continue seeking funding to invest in technology that will assist efficient and effective police operations.
Last 7 Days | Gunshot Incidents
UUNDERREPORTINGG OFF FIREARMM CRIMES
80% of gunfire
is unreported
Recognition Redundancy
Retaliation Resignation
Proposed Coverage Areas
14,750,898
Detected incidents
325,981
,
,
Published alerts
Only 2.2%
5,197,665
IRC Dismissed
9,224,898
Suppressed
Information Sent to Police
911 Communication Center
To the Squad Cars
To the Officer’s Phone
Sequence of Shots
“Time is Tissue”
3.5 min
Reduction in EMS and Police transport time for gunshot
victims to hospital when comparing ShotSpotter and
non-ShotSpotter coverage areas.
Clinician research proves that
ShotSpotter decreases victim
transport time to the hospital
after a shooting.
These minutes could be the
difference between life and
death.
14 Evidence Collection Improvement
Source: Urban Institute Study 2019
50%
12%
89%
41%
Shell Casing Recovery for Homicide Cases Shell Casing Recovery for Robberies w/o ShotSpotter with ShotSpotter
Better data and a full
understanding of the
crime gun problem in
coverage area
Improved solvability
rates, specifically when
witnesses are located,
and ballistics evidence is
comprehensively
collected and entered
into NIBIN
Reduced response
times, potentially
saving lives
When properly executed, will support
Questions?