[00:00:12]
WEDNESDAY, MAY 28TH, BEGINNING AT 11:10. MADAM CLERK, PLEASE CALL THE ROLL.
[Roll Call]
YES, PRESIDENT MERCURIO. DIRECTOR ECHOLS? HERE.CHAIR MERCURIO? HERE. PARK DISTRICT STAFF COORDINATORS IN THIS MEETING INCLUDE GENERAL MANAGER LANDRETH ? HERE. AND GENERAL COUNSEL BOURGAULT? HERE. TODAY'S MEETING IS BEING HELD PURSUANT TO THE BROWN ACT.
STAFF IS PROVIDING LIVE AUDIO AND VIDEO STREAMING.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WISHING TO MAKE A PUBLIC COMMENT MAY DO SO BY PROVIDING A COMMENT IN PERSON, JOINING LIVE VIA ZOOM WITH THE LINK PROVIDED ON THE AGENDA LOCATED ON THE DISTRICT WEBSITE.
AND IF THERE ARE NO QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MEETING PROCEDURES, WE CAN BEGIN.
ALL RIGHT, WE CAN BEGIN WITH APPROVING THE MINUTES FROM THE JANUARY 22ND MEETING.
[Approval of Minutes]
SO MOVED. ALL RIGHT. AND I WILL SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. OKAY, WE HAVE THE MINUTES NOW. DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA? LET ME JUST CHECK THE ZOOM ROOM REAL QUICK. I DO NOT SEE ANYBODY, SO NO.AND THERE'S NOBODY IN THE ROOM. ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE NO ACTION ITEMS. SO OUR NEXT ITEM, ITEM 5.A. IS AN UPDATE FROM THE OFFICE OF EQUITY.
[Informational Items]
GREEN AND GET THIS SET UP TO SHARE.THANK YOU, CHAIR, BOARD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. I APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE AS WE DO THIS SETUP.
JOSE GONZALEZ, EQUITY OFFICER FOR THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT, AND I'M HERE KIND OF ON THE SCHEDULE TO GIVE A LITTLE UPDATE A BIT ON KIND OF WHAT THE OFFICE IS WORKING ON, BUT ALSO SPECIFICALLY OUR DRAFT EQUITY STATEMENT AND EQUITY GOALS AND WHERE WE ARE IN THAT PROCESS.
AND IT'S AN INFORMATIONAL ITEM. BUT OF COURSE, WE'LL WELCOME FEEDBACK AND QUESTIONS AS WE PROCEED.
SO OVERALL, THESE ARE SOME OF THE QUESTIONS I HOPE TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER WITH THIS PRESENTATION.
I KNOW IN PREVIOUS MEETINGS, QUESTIONS HAVE COME UP, LIKE IS THERE AN EQUITY PLAN? WHAT IS IT? SO I'LL EXPAND A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT.
LET ME START HERE ACTUALLY, AND I WANT TO START WITH KIND OF LIKE A VERY QUICK FORMATIVE DIAGNOSTIC.
WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS KIND OF LIKE WHEN THE GENERAL MANAGER WOULD ASK ME, SO WHAT'S YOUR TAKE? RIGHT. LIKE, WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN FINDING? WHERE ARE WE? AND SO MY RESPONSE IS REALLY KIND OF LOOKING AT OBSERVATIONS AND SOME OF THE MEETINGS THAT WE'VE HAD WITH DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS AND UNITS, OUR DRAFT EQUITY QUESTIONNAIRE, SOME OF WHICH THE PREVIOUS ITERATION OF THE BOARD, YOU KIND OF GOT TO SEE SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS, SOME OF THE PROJECTS WE'VE ENGAGED ON. AND THEN, OF COURSE, JUST MY PERSPECTIVE AS A PROFESSIONAL IN THE FIELD.
AND THE SHORT OF IT REALLY IS THAT THE ORIENTATION IS GOOD.
I THINK THAT ALIGNMENT IS WE'RE ON TRACK. WE HAVE THE RIGHT LEADERSHIP IN PLACE.
AND IT IS AN EXCITING CHALLENGE BECAUSE THERE IS PLENTY AND ENOUGH TO DO.
SO I THINK IT'S REALLY BEEN BALANCING BOTH THE PACING OF SOME OF THE WORK THAT I THINK SOME STAFF HAVE EITHER BEEN PATIENTLY OR IMPATIENTLY WAITING ON, BUT ALSO REALLY TO KIND OF GET AN IDEA OF WHAT THE DISTRICT HAS BEEN WORKING ON, FOR THE YEARS BEFORE I WAS HERE. THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF GOOD PROGRAMMATIC WORK.
YOU ALSO HAVE A LOT OF GOOD DATA TO LEAN ON IN PLACES LIKE, YOU KNOW, HUMAN RESOURCES AND GIS.
[00:05:01]
BUT REALLY, WHAT'S BEEN LACKING, KIND OF, HAS BEEN A DISTRICT-WIDE STRUCTURE APPROACH TO FEEL ALL THE VISIONS, FEEL ALIGNED TO COMMON GOALS, AND ARE SUPPORTED ACCORDINGLY.BUT AS YOU KNOW, IT TAKES A DISTRICT WIDE STRUCTURE APPROACH TO, LIKE, SAY, HOW ARE WE ALL ON THE SAME PICTURE AND NOT JUST SPECIFIC UNITS TAKE THE INITIATIVE AS THEY FEEL THEY NEED TO. NOW, A BIG ELEMENT OF THIS, AND ARGUABLY PROBABLY THE BIGGEST, IS THAT THIS IS ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE CHANGE.
YOU PROBABLY HAVE HEARD THAT COME UP A LOT. AND FOR ME THAT'S VERY DOABLE BECAUSE IT'S PEOPLE THAT MAKE UP INSTITUTIONS AND CREATE CULTURE. AND WHAT MAKES IT CHALLENGING IS THAT IT'S PEOPLE THAT MAKE UP INSTITUTIONS AND CREATE CULTURE BECAUSE THEY COME IN WITH RESPECTIVE OF HABITS AND MENTAL MODELS.
AND THAT'S WHY I THINK THAT THE VISION THAT THE GENERAL MANAGER REALLY SETS IN PLACE, AND THEN HOW WE ALL HELP TO STRUCTURE THAT FOR ACTUAL IMPLEMENTATION, THAT'S WHY THAT MATTERS A LOT, TO KEEP THAT ORIENTATION IN ALIGNMENT.
SO SOMETIMES THAT MEANS VERY SLOWLY TO BE ABLE TO GET READY TO MOVE FAST.
AND IN SOME PLACES IT'S JUST BEING ABLE TO ASSESS THAT.
AND THEN LASTLY, THE PROVERBIAL KIND OF CULTURE EATS STRATEGY FOR BREAKFAST.
SO WE CAN WORK ON THE STRATEGIES ON THE PLANS AND, YOU KNOW, GET ALL OF THESE DOCUMENTS FOR YOU.
SO THAT'S KIND OF HOW I'M BALANCING THE PACING OF SOME THINGS WHERE LIKE, I WISH WE WERE HERE.
AND ALSO, I'M KIND OF GLAD WE'RE HERE SO. SO FOR THIS I'M GOING TO LEAN INTO THAT AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER MORE QUESTIONS, BUT I WANT TO KIND OF START. USE OUR QUOTE UNQUOTE EQUITY PLAN AS AN EXAMPLE OF THIS.
AND I WANT TO START BY KIND OF SAYING THAT WHEN YOU HEAR THE TERM EQUITY PLAN, YOU CAN THINK OF IT KIND OF LIKE THE DISTRICT PLAN, IN THE SENSE THAT WE'RE NOT STARTING WITH A PRE-WRITTEN DOCUMENT.
THERE IS NO LAID OUT DOCUMENT THAT WOULD SAY, NOW WE'RE JUST GOING TO FOLLOW THESE STEPS.
THERE ARE OUTPUTS IN THIS, AS I MENTIONED, BUT REALLY A LOT OF THE INTENTIONAL PROCESS HAS BEEN ENGAGING STAFF AND THE DESIGN HAS BEEN ADAPTIVE, MEANING THAT WE'RE GOING TO WORK ON SOMETHING AND REALIZE WE GOT TO SLOW DOWN FOR ONE PARTICULAR REASON.
OR THERE'S A PARALLEL PROCESS BECAUSE THERE'S A PROJECT OR SOMETHING THAT A DIVISION LEAD HAS BEEN WAITING ON, AND THEY'RE LIKE, WHY DON'T WE USE THIS TO TEST OUT, TO SEE IF THAT COULD POTENTIALLY WORK FOR A STRUCTURE? AND I'LL SHARE SOME OF SOME OF THOSE EXAMPLES AT THE END.
NOW, ONE CLEAR OUTCOME AND DELIVERABLE OF THIS PROCESS IS GOING TO BE THE EQUITY STATEMENT AND ASSOCIATED EQUITY GOALS, THE DRAFT OF WHICH I'LL SHARE WITH YOU TODAY.
AND THAT'S GOING TO BE MEANT TO GUIDE KIND OF THE INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL EQUITY WORK.
AND OF COURSE, THE KEY THING AGAIN WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO SET THIS UP.
SO IT TOUCHES DISTRICTWIDE ALL ASPECTS OF THE DISTRICT.
SO WHAT YOU'LL SEE HERE IS KIND OF HOW WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS IS WE'VE GOT ALL OF OUR ASPECTS, ALL OF OUR WORK AROUND RESEARCH AND FRAMEWORKS.
SO IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT QUESTION COMES UP, WELL WHAT IS THIS BASED ON.
WE CAN EITHER GO TO THE LITERATURE. WE CAN GO AHEAD AND GO TO THE RESEARCH.
THIS HAS BEEN REALLY IMPORTANT. THE GENERAL MANAGER HAS SUPPORTED AS MUCH STAFF ENGAGEMENT AND TOUCHPOINTS AS POSSIBLE, SIMILAR TO THE DISTRICT PLAN, AND THEN LOOKING AT EXISTING PROJECTS AND PROCESSES.
BECAUSE A LOT OF THIS STUFF EVEN THOUGH IT MAY SEEM LIKE IT WAS WAITING FOR US TO START, IT WAS THERE, IT WAS GOING AND IT WAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO, LIKE, BE ABLE TO INTERROGATE SOME OF THOSE PROCESSES.
AND THEN THE NEXT BIG STEP AFTER THIS WILL BE THE TARGETED STRATEGIES.
AND LIKE THE MEASURING THE METRICS AND OUTCOMES, WE'LL BE LIKE HOW WILL WE KNOW IT'S WORKING? WHAT ARE WE GOING TO BE LEANING ON. AND FOR THAT WE'LL BE WORKING A LOT WITH ALL DIVISIONS TO KIND OF GET A SENSE OF WHAT HAS BEEN WORKING FOR THEM AND THEN WHAT MAY BE SOMETHING NEW THAT THEY COULD TRY. SO ACTUALLY, LET ME SKIP BACK FOR THIS ONE.
ONE OF THE WHEN I KIND OF FIRST STARTED HERE IS AND ONE OF THE BIG QUESTIONS I HAD FOR, FOR SABRINA WAS, HOW WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO ENGAGE IN LIKE WHAT IS GOING TO BE OUR DEFINITION OF EQUITY.
ONE WAY TO APPROACH THAT WOULD BE LIKE LET'S JUST SEE WHAT THE STATE USES.
LET'S SEE MAYBE WHAT A REGIONAL PARTNER USES.
DO WE HAVE EXISTING STATEMENTS AT THE DISTRICT?
[00:10:03]
BUT ANOTHER ONE WAS TO SAY LET'S ENGAGE WITH STAFF.LET'S KIND OF USE THIS ALSO AS A FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT TO SEE WHAT DO THEY THINK THEY KNOW, MAY KNOW, NOT KNOW. WHAT DO THEY VALUE AROUND IT.
AND IT'S ALSO A WAY TO LIKE LET THEM KNOW WE DO WANT TO LISTEN.
WE WANT TO GET A SENSE OF WHEN WE ASK YOU WHAT COMES UP TO MIND.
AND THAT COULD HELP US KIND OF DRAFT, IF NOT A DEFINITION THEN A STATEMENT.
BECAUSE THEN THAT CAN GUIDE US. SO WE CAN ANCHOR GOALS AROUND THAT AND THEN TRACK OUR PROGRESS.
AND KIND OF WHY A STATEMENT AND GOALS. WELL THE STATEMENT IS WE CAN USE IT AS A WORKING DEFINITION.
AND WE CAN HAVE A DICTIONARY, YOU KNOW, LIKE A LOT OF PEOPLE STILL WANT TO KNOW, WELL, WHAT'S THE DICTIONARY DEFINITION OF EQUITY? AND SO I CAN SAY, WELL, IT'S THE QUALITY OF BEING FAIR AND IMPARTIAL. AND WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR THE PARK DISTRICT? SO WE WANT TO REALLY TO SEE HOW COULD WE FRAME IT THAT IT WORKS FOR THE PARK DISTRICT IN A WAY THAT INCORPORATES STAFF INPUT, AND THAT WE COULD POINT TO BEST PRACTICES WHERE WE HAVE THEM? OR IF WE DIDN'T HAVE THEM, THEN THAT'S GOING TO BE PART OF THE WORK.
SO THAT'S PART OF WHAT LED TO THE CURRENT DRAFT STATEMENT.
WE WEREN'T LOOKING TO DEVELOP A SUPER LONG SURVEY OR NEED TO DO SOMETHING THAT WE'D HAVE TO KIND OF TAKE EVEN LONGER ON, REALLY. I THINK WE WANTED TO KIND OF GET A SENSE OF WHERE STAFF WAS.
THIS IS A LOT OF THE RESEARCH BASED OUT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN.
LOOKING AT WHAT CREATES ENVIRONMENTS THAT BRINGS OUT THE BEST IN PEOPLE, AS OPPOSED TO HOW DO WE CREATE ENVIRONMENTS THAT BRING OUT THE WORST IN PEOPLE, WHICH WE'RE ACTUALLY PRETTY GOOD AT AS PEOPLE? BUT THIS IS JUST KIND OF THESE THREE ELEMENTS, RIGHT? THEY HAVE THE ELEMENT OF MODEL BUILDING BEING CAPABLE AND MEANINGFUL ACTION.
AND THIS IS KIND OF AN EXAMPLE OF HOW YOU CAN ASK QUESTIONS AROUND THAT.
SO FOR OUR MODEL BUILDING QUESTION WHICH FOR MODEL BUILDING IS YOU WANT TO KIND OF GET A SENSE OF WHAT'S THE THE COGNITIVE MAP OR REALLY THE MENTAL PICTURE THAT COMES UP FOR PEOPLE.
AND SO WE ASKED THE QUESTION AND THE WORK THAT YOU DO AT THE DISTRICT, WHAT IS EQUITY TO YOU AND WHAT IS IT? WHAT IS IT NOT JUST TO KIND OF GET A SENSE OF OF SEEING HOW PEOPLE WOULD RESPOND FOR MEANINGFUL ACTION? THE QUESTION WAS, WHAT DO YOU THINK CAN OR SHOULD BE DONE AROUND EQUITY AT THE DISTRICT.
AND WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT TO YOU? BECAUSE WE WANTED TO TAP INTO THAT SENSE OF WHY WAS THIS MEANINGFUL FOR STAFF OR NOT? AND THEN FOR BEING CAPABLE, THE QUESTION WAS, WHAT WOULD HELP YOU TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS WELL? LIKE, WHAT IS TELLING YOU THAT? THAT IT'S WORKING OR NOT WORKING? AND THIS, OF COURSE, WOULD GIVE US A LOT OF INFORMATION AROUND THESE, BUT ALSO SOME OTHER INFORMATION COULD BE USEFUL THAT WE COULD USE LATER ON IN TERMS OF LOOKING AT STRATEGIES OR TACTICS OF LIKE, HOW WOULD WE ACTUALLY THEN IMPLEMENT SOMETHING? BECAUSE WE WOULD ALSO GET A SENSE OF WHAT STAFF NOT WASN'T JUST EXCITED ABOUT, BUT THEIR SENSE OF WHY IT WOULD WORK OR NOT WORK.
AND WE STARTED WITH THE EXECUTIVE TEAM ACTUALLY COMPLETING THE QUESTIONNAIRE.
SO THAT WAS THAT. THAT WAS THE FIRST STAFF ENGAGEMENT.
A LOT OF IN-PERSON MEETINGS, MEETINGS WITH DIVISIONS LIKE OPS, FORUMS WITH UNITS, WITH DEPARTMENTS.
ANY OPPORTUNITY WHERE STAFF WAS ALREADY MEETING FOR A PURPOSE, WE LOOK TO BE ABLE TO KIND OF GO IN AND DO A QUICK PRESENTATION AND SHARE THE LINK TO THE QUESTIONNAIRE. AND THAT'S THE WAY THAT WE WERE ABLE TO TOUCH ON ALL DIVISIONS.
THIS ALSO KIND OF WORKED AS PART OF OUR MEET AND GREET TO KIND OF GET TO KNOW DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE DISTRICT BECAUSE WE'RE A NEW OFFICE, NEW STAFF. AND ALSO IT WAS HELPFUL FOR US TO KIND OF GET AN IDEA OF IF WE WERE TO SHARE SOMETHING, WHERE WOULD IT EASILY GET TO AND WHERE WOULD IT BE MORE CHALLENGING.
SOME OF THAT IS NOT SURPRISING IN TERMS OF LIKE HOW WE CAN GET INFORMATION TO FIELD STAFF, FOR EXAMPLE, BUT THAT WAS ALL HELPFUL AND INFORMATIVE FOR US.
[00:15:06]
WHAT SEEMS TO BE CATEGORIZED, WHAT ARE KEYWORDS, WHAT MAY BE SEVERAL WORDS THAT ARE KIND OF GETTING AT THE SAME THING? SO DO WE SEE DO ANY PARTICULAR THINGS GROUPED TOGETHER? AM I DOING THAT? YEAH. SORRY I SKIPPED A SLIDE, BUT HERE WE ARE.THE QUESTIONNAIRE AND KIND OF THE QUESTION AROUND EACH OF THESE.
WE KIND OF DID ANOTHER REVIEW WITH THE EXECUTIVE TEAM AND SAY, WHAT'S STANDING OUT TO YOU? WHAT DO YOU HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS AROUND? WE THEN TOOK THAT AND DID THREE IN-PERSON SESSIONS WITH MANAGERS AS PART OF THE INTERNAL DISTRICT PLAN ENGAGEMENT.
AND SO IF THERE WERE GLARING THINGS THAT THEY BROUGHT OUT, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR US TO KNOW WHETHER IT WAS LOVE IT POSITIVE, NO ISSUES, OR IF THEY'RE LIKE, WELL, WE DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND THIS OR LIKE, WHAT COULD THAT LEAD TO? AND SO FORTH.
AND SO THAT LED US TO THIS GUIDING STATEMENT.
AND THEN I'LL TALK ABOUT THE ASSOCIATED GOALS.
AS A STATEMENT, IT'S IN DRAFT FORM. THERE WILL STILL BE ANOTHER ITERATION.
AND OF COURSE, WE KNOW PEOPLE WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE QUESTIONS BECAUSE THEY MIGHT FIND WORDS THAT SAY, WELL, WHAT DOES THIS WORD MEAN? OR WHAT ABOUT THAT WORD? BUT WE STILL WANTED SOMETHING THAT COULD BE A GUIDING STATEMENT, AS WE'RE STILL TRYING TO CONNECT A LOT OF LITTLE POCKETS OF WORK THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT THAT ARE HAPPENING AROUND THIS.
NOW. WE WERE , WE SOURCED THAT STATEMENT, BOTH FROM WHAT PEOPLE SHARED AND COMPARING THAT TO STATEMENTS THAT EXIST OUT THERE IN TERMS OF OTHER AGENCIES.
AND THEN FROM THE SAME INFORMATION AND DATA WE LOOKED AT TO SEE WHAT WAS GROUPING TOGETHER, AND WE ENDED UP WITH KIND OF THESE BUCKETS. SO ONE AROUND AXIS, ONE AROUND WORKFORCE, ONE AROUND ENGAGEMENT, ONE AROUND CULTURE AND ONE AROUND CONSERVATION.
SO THAT ALL EQUALLY BENEFIT FROM PARKS AND PROGRAMING.
A LOT OF THE TIMES WHEN PEOPLE THINK ABOUT EQUITY AND KIND OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IT'S AROUND THIS AREA, WHICH IS JUST LIKE EQUITABLE PARK ACCESS FOR WORKFORCE.
WORKFORCE IS LOOKING AT THE RECRUITMENT, THE DEVELOPMENT, RETAINING AND PROMOTION OF A QUALIFIED WORKFORCE THAT REFLECTS THE DIVERSITY OF THE COMMUNITY SERVED BY THE PARK DISTRICT. AGAIN, THIS IS NOT SURPRISING BECAUSE A LOT OF THE WORK HAPPENS IN THIS AREA AS WELL.
WORKING WITH PARTNERS LIKE HR AND THEN ENGAGEMENT WILL PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR INCLUSIVE BALANCE AND MEANINGFUL PARTICIPATION IN APPLICABLE DECISION MAKING PROCESSES AND PROGRAMS. IT SOUNDS A LITTLE WORDY, BUT I THINK A LOT OF WHERE THIS CAME IS NOT JUST EXTERNAL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, BUT THE WAY THAT I TAKE IT IS WITH THE GENERAL MANAGER HAS SUPPORTED IS FOR ALL STAFF TO BE BOUGHT IN TO WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON.
AND THEN CULTURE PARK DISTRICT WILL FOSTER AN ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE THAT IS BUILT UPON INCLUSION, RESPECT, EMPOWERMENT AND A SENSE OF BELONGING FOR ALL.
I THINK ANOTHER ONE THAT'S NOT SURPRISING WHEN WE TALK ABOUT LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, AN INCLUSIVE, INCLUSIVE WORK CULTURE CONSERVATION, I THINK NO SURPRISE, GIVEN IT'S A PARK DISTRICT.
AND ALSO RESONATES OFTEN WHAT COMES UP IN A LOT OF OTHER ELEMENTS LIKE THE DISTRICT PLAN ABOUT LIKE, WHAT IS THIS WORK, QUOTE UNQUOTE, BALANCING PRESERVATION WITH ACCESS OR RECREATION AND CONSERVATION.
AND SO I THINK THIS KIND OF SHOWS HOW IT IS REFLECTIVE OF WHERE A LOT OF STAFF IN OUR THINKING, AND IT ALIGNS TO, I THINK, WORK THAT WAS ALREADY HAPPENING AND NEEDS TO BE DONE.
AND IT'S ALSO NOT THAT ASKEW FROM LIKE WHAT OTHER AGENCIES WOULD PROBABLY BE ENGAGING ON AS WELL.
SO TO ME IT'S LIKE A IT'S A YES. AND BECAUSE NOTHING CAME OUT THAT WAS FELT OUT OF FIELD, BUT ALSO A REMINDER OF LIKE, THIS IS GOOD. IT'S ALIGNED WITH A LOT OF OTHER ASPECTS OF WORK THAT THE DISTRICT IS HAPPENING.
AND I THINK YOU'RE SEEING THIS YOU'RE SEEING THIS REFLECTED IN THE DISTRICT PLAN PROCESS AS WELL.
[00:20:07]
RIGHT. SO ONCE WE HAVE THIS DRAFT AND FOR EXAMPLE, LET'S SAY WE HAVE AN EQUITY GOAL.AND THIS IS FROM THE OTHERING AND BELONGING INSTITUTE AT UC BERKELEY.
SO THEY HAVE A WHOLE BODY OF WORK AND ALSO A CASE STUDIES THAT WILL BE ANCHORING THIS.
AND THEY HAVE KIND OF THESE FIVE MAIN STEPS. THE FIRST ONE IS ESTABLISH A UNIVERSAL GOAL.
TWO IS ASSESS WHERE IS THE GENERAL POPULATION IN RELATION TO THIS GOAL.
THREE IS ARE THERE GROUPS WITHIN THAT GENERAL POPULATION THAT MAY BE PERFORMING VERY DIFFERENTLY WITH RESPECT TO THE GOALS? AND SO THIS, FOR EXAMPLE, COULD BE A PRIORITY AUDIENCE FOR US BASED MAYBE AROUND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, MAYBE PROXIMITY TO PARKS. SO GEOGRAPHY FOUR IS THEN KIND OF ASSESS WHAT IS IN PLACE.
KNOWING THAT WE STILL HAVE A UNIVERSAL GOAL FOR EVERYBODY, WE WANT PARKS TO ACCESS, FOR PARK ACCESS FOR EVERYONE, FOR EXAMPLE. IS THAT TRANSLATING BASED ON OUR PRIORITY AUDIENCES? AND THEN FIVE IS THEN DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT THAT TARGETED STRATEGY FOR EACH GROUP TO REACH THE GOAL.
AND SO RIGHT NOW WE ARE WITH THIS PLAN. WE'RE IN STEP ONE.
BUT WITH A LOT OF THE WORK WE'VE DONE AT THE DISTRICT IN DIFFERENT FACETS, WE'VE DONE A LITTLE BIT OF TWO AND THREE, MAYBE FOUR. BUT IT HASN'T BEEN COORDINATED. SO OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE THIS IN PLACE AND THEN BE ABLE TO HAVE A CLEAR PLAN ALL THE WAY FOR FIVE DISTRICT WIDE FOR RESPECTIVE DIVISIONS. ALL RIGHT.
IT'S BEING ABLE TO SAY THIS IS WHAT WE WANT FOR ALL OF OUR WORKFORCE.
THIS IS WHAT WE WANT FOR ALL OF OUR CONSTITUENTS, THE COMMUNITIES RIGHT? LIKE PEOPLE THAT VISIT THE PARKS. AND THEN OUR GOAL IS TO THEN WORK WITH EACH DIVISION TO DEVELOP APPROPRIATE, TARGETED STRATEGIES FOR HOW THEY WILL WORK ON THESE GOALS AND THE ASSOCIATED METRICS, KNOWING THAT IT'S IT'S NOT A COMPLETE DEFICIT.
SO IT'S NOT LIKE WE'RE JUST GOING TO SHOW UP AND SAY, HERE YOU GO.
NOW YOU GOT TO DO THIS. WHAT I'M REALLY LOOKING AT IS TO BE ABLE TO SAY AND REMIND UNITS AND DIVISIONS IT'S NOT SHOWING UP TO POINT OUT AND SAY, THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE DOING WRONG AND WHAT'S NOT WORKING, BECAUSE I THINK A LOT OF GOOD WORK HAS BEEN HAPPENING.
IT JUST HASN'T BEEN NECESSARILY ALIGNED TO DISTRICT WIDE STRATEGIC GOALS.
AND THAT'S WHERE WE WANT TO BOTH DEVELOP THE CAPACITY AND PROVIDE THE SUPPORT TO MEET THOSE.
SO FOR NEXT STEPS ON THIS WHAT WE ARE GOING TO WE'RE FINISHING UP ANOTHER ROUND OF STAFF FEEDBACK JUST AGAIN TO SEE WHAT STANDS OUT THAT WE SHOULD ADDRESS ANOTHER ROUND OF EXECUTIVE TEAM REVIEW BEFORE ULTIMATELY OF COURSE WE WOULD.
WOULD WE BE LOOKING TO APPROVAL A PROPOSAL FOR APPROVAL FOR THE GENERAL MANAGER AND UPDATES TO THE BOARDS AS IS HELPFUL BOTH AS A BODY BUT ALSO INDIVIDUALLY TO TO TO PROVIDE INFORMATION. AND THEN OF COURSE THEN BE ABLE TO WORK DIVISIONS TO DEVELOP THE APPROPRIATE THE APPROPRIATE TARGETED STRATEGIES TO WORK ON THESE GOALS ON THIS PIECE. I RESISTED PUTTING IN THE BILLY MAYS.
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE. IT'S AN OLD REFERENCE, BUT I TRUST YOU ALL GET IT.
[00:25:04]
PART OF THAT IS THAT'S HELPFUL TO, AGAIN, STRUCTURE AND GUIDE WHAT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT LOOKS LIKE AT THE DISTRICT.WE KNOW IT'S IMPORTANT. WE'VE HEARD THE BOARD REITERATE IT COMES UP OFTEN, BUT IT'S HELPFUL TO HAVE KIND OF LIKE THAT FRAMEWORK TO GUIDE SOME OF THE PROJECTS WE'VE BEEN DOING. AND SOMETHING LIKE THE DISTRICT PLAN EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT AS WELL.
AND THEN WE'VE BEEN PARTNERING WITH DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS ON SPECIFIC PROJECTS WHERE MAYBE A PARK SITE HAS SAID WE WOULD LOVE SUPPORT IN ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY IN PARTICULAR WAYS. DEVELOPING A CENTRALIZED, CENTRALIZED LOCATION FOR EQUITY RELATED UPDATES AND RESOURCES, BECAUSE STAFF USUALLY WANT TO KNOW, IT'S LIKE, HEY, WHAT ARE YOU ALL WORKING ON? OR I HAVE THIS QUESTION, WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE? WE'VE BEEN DOING THINGS THAT HAVE COME UP BEFORE THE BOARD, LIKE THE AFFINITY YOU KNOW, ASKING FOR YOUR SUPPORT ON HERITAGE MONTHS AND OTHER SPECIAL SERVICES SUPPORTING HR AND AN AFFINITY GROUP POLICY WORKING WITH THE DIVISIONS AND DEPARTMENTS LIKE OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT AND FOCUS GROUPS TO KIND OF GET THEIR INFORMATION AND TAKE ON WHAT'S WORKING AND NOT WORKING.
SO, YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE JUST EXAMPLES OF THOSE ELEMENTS.
AND WITH THAT, I WILL SAY THANK YOU AND WELCOME, OF COURSE.
ANY COMMENTS AND FEEDBACK? OKAY. WOW. THAT WAS THAT WAS GOOD.
VERY GOOD. ANY QUESTIONS FOR JOSE HERE? YEAH.
YEAH. WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL OF YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THIS AND FOR THE UPDATE, IT'S VERY EXCITING. I HAD ONE QUESTION ON THE EQUITY STATEMENT.
WHEN I WAS READING THROUGH THIS LAST NIGHT, I JUST SORT OF WONDERED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WE SAY THAT WE WANT TO IDENTIFY, REMOVE BARRIERS TO ENSURE THAT ALL INDIVIDUALS HAVE EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES TO THRIVE.
CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND EQUAL ACCESS, AND WHY WE CHOSE, OR WHY THE DRAFT HAS EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES IN.
YEAH. HAPPY TO. I WOULD ANSWER THIS IN ONE OF TWO WAYS.
I THINK WHAT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT UNIVERSAL GOALS, THAT IS THE EQUALITY ASPECT OF IT, WHICH, FOR EXAMPLE, SAY WE WANT EVERYBODY TO BE ABLE TO EQUALLY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ACCESS OUR PARKS, FOR EXAMPLE. THE TARGETED STRATEGIES REFLECT THE EQUITABLE ASPECT, BECAUSE THERE MAY BE STRUCTURAL REASONS WHY THAT'S NOT THE CASE, THAT ARE NOT BASED ON PERSONAL PREFERENCES. AND SO FOR THAT, WE CAN LOOK AT POLICY DECISIONS FROM THE PAST, HOW RESOURCES WERE ALLOCATED WHY SOME PARKS WERE PUT IN PARTICULAR PLACES BACK IN HISTORY COMPARED TO NOW. AND SO THAT'S KIND OF WHERE THE EQUITY ELEMENT IS, THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING TO SUPPORT KIND OF THE EQUALITY OF ACCESS.
OKAY. SO SO THE FACT THAT BECAUSE I'M JUST REMEMBERING FROM PROBABLY A TRAINING YEARS AGO WHERE, YOU KNOW, THE KID IS STANDING AT THE FENCE AND, YOU KNOW, ONE IS TALL AND ONE IS SHORT, AND IT'S, IT'S THE SAME FENCE. AND SO IT'S, IT'S, YOU KNOW, THE ISSUE OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITY VERSUS EQUAL ACCESS.
BUT, BUT IN THIS CASE, I MEAN, CERTAINLY YOU'RE THE EXPERT I CERTAINLY TRUST YOUR GUIDANCE.
SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE USING EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES.
IS THAT YEAH. THE EQUAL PART IS THE GAME IN THAT EXAMPLE.
RIGHT. WHICH IS LIKE WE WANT EVERYBODY TO EQUALLY BE ABLE TO SEE THE GAME.
OKAY. AND THEN I WAS ALSO INTERESTED TO KNOW YOU TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE DISTRICT PLAN, AND I KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO BE VERY INVOLVED IN THE OUTREACH.
CAN YOU JUST GIVE US A SNEAK PEEK ON ON WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING IN TERMS OF THE ACTUAL OUTREACH FOR THE DISTRICT PLAN AS WELL? SURE. ONE PIECE, WHILE ALSO KNOWING I'M NOT BRIAN'S NOT HERE.
I WON'T BE SPEAKING FOR BRIAN OR LOOKING AT MAX AND TEAM.
YOU SEE THEM SHOW UP AT BOARD MEETINGS REPEATEDLY OR THEY THERE'S NO THERE'S FEW TO NO IMPEDIMENTS TO THEM SHARING THEIR FEEDBACK WITH YOU. WHAT WE'VE ALSO NOTICED, THOUGH, FROM A COUPLE LAYERS OF THE DATA THAT, FOR EXAMPLE,
[00:30:03]
THE CONSULTANT PLACE WORK HAS BEEN WORKING ON, AND I THINK YOU'LL SEE THAT AT SOME POINT, IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO LOOK AT A MAP LIKE A GIS MAP AND BE ABLE TO LOOK AT, WELL, HERE ARE THESE SPOTS WHERE WE EITHER DON'T CONSISTENTLY RECEIVE AS MUCH FEEDBACK OR THE ENGAGEMENT HASN'T BEEN AS DEEP.AND SO THAT'S WHERE WE CAN GO IN DEEPER AND BE ABLE TO WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY PARTNER THAT MAY HAVE DEEP RELATIONSHIPS IN THAT COMMUNITY UNITY AND WORK TOGETHER TO GET SOME OF THAT FEEDBACK FOR THE DISTRICT PLAN.
BECAUSE WHAT WE DON'T WANT TO DO IS JUST ASSUME THAT, WELL, MAYBE THEY'RE JUST NOT INTERESTED, RIGHT? AND NOT ACTUALLY WORK ON SEEING WHAT FEEDBACK WE CAN GET THAT WOULD BE IMPORTANT FOR OUR WORK.
SO THAT'S KIND OF AGAIN, THAT EXAMPLE OF WE WANT EQUAL FEEDBACK FROM EVERYBODY.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO. YEAH. I CAN JUST ADD REALLY QUICK.
YESTERDAY AT THE NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE, WE SORT OF PREVIEWED SOME OF THE STORY MAPS THAT ARE AVAILABLE IN OUR DISTRICT PLAN WEBSITE THAT HELPED TO DEPICT A LOT OF THE INFORMATION THAT WE ALREADY HAVE.
AND ONE OF THOSE REALLY COOL PIECES OF INFORMATION IS USING THAT PLACER AI DATA TO SHOW THE EXACT COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT WHERE WE'RE RECEIVING THE LEAST AMOUNT OF VISITATION PER THE POPULATION.
EXACTLY WHAT JOSE WAS TALKING ABOUT. BUT JUST TO PUT A FINE I'M SO GLAD TO HEAR THAT, BECAUSE THAT WAS ANOTHER QUESTION THAT THAT I HAD ABOUT WHETHER WE WERE USING THAT, HOW WE WERE USING THAT PLACE OR I INFORMATION IN THE DISTRICT PLAN.
AND THAT'S GREAT. GOOD. I'M GLAD TO HEAR IT. I WOULD SAY THAT I WANT TO SAY I KEEP WANTING TO SAY PLACER, PLACER DATA. DEFINITELY, THERE'S THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR ITS UTILITY AND A LOT OF THE WORK THAT NOT JUST THE DISTRICT PLAN IS, BUT EVEN SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE COORDINATE TOGETHER.
THANK YOU. YEAH. I WAS JUST WONDERING ABOUT IN TERMS OF OF LOOKING AT OUR STAFF AND HOW HOW THIS APPLIES TO THEM, AND THEN LOOKING AT THE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE BOXES, THE FIVE THEMES THAT WERE THERE. AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS AN EXCELLENT WAY TO KIND OF CATEGORIZE IT AND MAKE IT A LITTLE MORE DIGESTIBLE, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE YOU CAN KIND OF SEE HOW IT BREAKS DOWN.
HAVE WE DEVELOPED ANY PROCESS YET OR WILL WE LIKE? I'M, I'M THINKING OF AN EMPLOYEE WHO'S EXPERIENCE AS AN EMPLOYEE FEELS LIKE ONE OF LET'S JUST PICK ONE OF THEM IS NOT BEING REALIZED IN THEIR EXPERIENCE. SO IN OTHER WORDS, THEY LOOK AT THAT AND THEY SAY, THAT'S NOT THAT'S NOT WE'RE NOT DOING THAT.
YOU KNOW, IN MY EXPERIENCE. IS THERE SOME WOULD THAT BE YOU THAT THEY WOULD TALK TO OR WERE TO TO JUST KIND OF WORK THAT OUT AND FIND OUT, YOU KNOW WHAT'S UP? I'LL SAY THIS PIECE AND THEN I'LL TURN TO HR IN CASE I DON'T WANT TO EITHER SPEAK FOR SOMETHING THAT THAT IS NOT READY TO BE SHARED. WHAT I'M GETTING AT IS IT'S A YES AND I THINK ONCE I'VE, WE'VE WORKED TO MAKE IT CLEAR TO STAFF.
RIGHT. LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, THE OFFICE OF EQUITY IS NOT HERE TO TAKE THE PLACE OF EXISTING PROCESSES OR HOW YOU NEED TO SHARE FEEDBACK, INFORMATION AND INPUT EITHER UP YOUR RESPECTIVE CHAIN OF COMMAND, SO TO SPEAK AS WELL AS TO USE EXISTING POLICIES TO LIKE, SHARE SOMETHING OUT. SO WE OFTEN SAY LIKE, IF WE HAVE A POLICY THAT YOU NEED TO SHARE OUT, THAT THERE'S SOME TYPE OF LIKE DISCRIMINATION HAPPENING LIKE THAT'S ALREADY IN PLACE.
WE DON'T NEED TO BE THE CONDUIT FOR THAT. HAVING SAID THAT, IN TERMS CULTURALLY SPEAKING, RIGHT? THERE MAY BE SOME THINGS THAT WHERE PEOPLE SAY, WELL, HOW DO I GIVE FEEDBACK ON WHETHER I BELIEVE THAT THERE'S A SENSE OF BELONGING IN MY DEPARTMENT UNIT OR WHATNOT? AND DOESN'T WARRANT NECESSARILY GOING THROUGH ONE OF THE EXISTING PROCESSES.
SO THAT'S WHERE WE'RE WORKING ON BOTH BEING KIND OF A POINT OF A RESOURCE.
WE'VE DONE, FOR EXAMPLE, ONE ON ONES WITH INDIVIDUALS FROM PARK SUPERVISORS TO DIVISION LEADS AND WHATNOT, WHERE QUESTIONS COME UP WHERE WE DO PROVIDE THAT KIND OF CAPACITY SUPPORT IF THEY NEED, LIKE HOW DO WE SUPPORT YOU? AND HAVING THAT CONVERSATION? AS WELL AS WORKING WITH HR TRAINING AS THEY'RE DOING, KIND OF LIKE THEIR DEEP DEVELOPMENT TRAINING FOR
[00:35:09]
MANAGERS AND BE LIKE, HOW DO WE PROVIDE SOME OF THIS SUPPORT AS PART OF THE TRAINING THAT'S AVAILABLE THERE? AND THEN LASTLY, WHILE WE'RE STILL IN THE PHASE THAT WE'RE IN, WE ARE OPEN.I DO HAVE AN OPEN DOOR POLICY TO BE ABLE TO SAY THAT ANY STAFF MEMBER IS WELCOME TO COME IN, AND SOMETIMES IT IS ABOUT JUST PROVIDING THEM DIRECTION AND SAY, ACTUALLY, I THINK THIS IS A BETTER PATHWAY FOR YOU TO LIKE GET THIS OUT.
OR THEY MIGHT IDENTIFY SOMETHING LIKE, YOU'RE RIGHT, LET'S SEE WHERE WE'RE GOING TO GO AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO STRUCTURE THIS PROCESS, BECAUSE THAT MIGHT NOT EXIST YET. BUT THIS IS I THINK, WHERE LIKE THE LEADERSHIP TEAM HAS BEEN FANTASTIC IN TERMS OF LIKE BRINGING UP INFORMATION AND PROVIDING THAT SUPPORT FOR US TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS.
OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. SEEING NO OTHER QUESTIONS.
DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS OUT THERE ON THIS? NO, WE DO NOT. WE DO NOT. OKAY. WOULD YOU LIKE TO FINISH UP WITH SOME SOME COMMENTS THAT AREN'T QUESTIONS? I ALREADY I ALREADY KIND OF MERGED MY COMMENTS IN WHEN I SAID THAT.
I REALLY APPRECIATE THE REPORT AND YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THIS.
AND I KNOW YOU SAID THAT THAT'S THAT STATEMENT IS DRAFT, BUT AS FAR AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW, WHAT I SEE THERE IS SOMETHING THAT'S VERY CLEAR AND VERY SIMPLE.
AND IT, YOU KNOW, I, I'M NOT A SUPPORTER OF EXCESS VERBIAGE.
LET'S JUST PUT IT THAT WAY. AND SO IF YOU CAN GET IT DOWN TO SOMETHING LIKE THAT AND KEEP IT ABOUT THAT, YOU KNOW, DIRECT, I MEAN I WOULD CERTAINLY WELCOME THAT.
SO ABSOLUTELY AND I APPRECIATE THAT'S ALSO A HELPFUL FEEDBACK.
I'M GOING TO PUT THAT AS THE NOTE AND PUT IT AS A FILTER.
IS IT EXCESS VERBIAGE. YEAH I MEAN IT REALLY.
SO KEEP IT LIKE THAT. I THINK IT'S MORE LIKELY TO BE USEFUL AND SUCCESSFUL.
SO. ALL RIGHT. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU.
APPRECIATE IT. YEAH. AND OUR NEXT ITEM IS ITEM FIVE B, WHICH IS THE UPDATE ON THE HUMAN RESOURCES DIVISION'S RECRUITMENT EFFORTS. HELLO. JUST GET THIS UP.
I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT TODAY.
AND THIS IS OUR CURRENT HR TEAM. SO HUMAN RESOURCES IS ENCOMPASSES FIVE REALLY BROAD FUNCTIONAL AREAS AND ALL OF HUMAN RESOURCES IS REALLY, IN MY OPINION, DESIGNED TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN A HIGHLY QUALIFIED AND DIVERSE STAFF. AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT EACH OF THE DIVISIONS OR DEPARTMENTS.
BUT WE'LL START WITH RECRUITMENT. RECRUITMENT IS REALLY KIND OF THE FOUNDATION OF WHERE WE START WITH A WORKFORCE. OH, I CAN MOVE THIS DOWN.
THAT'S BETTER. OKAY. RECRUITMENT IS IS THE THE GATEKEEPERS FOR FINDING THAT DIVERSE WORKFORCE THAT HAS THE BASIC SKILLS AND BACKGROUND TO DO THE WORK OF THE PARK DISTRICT? AND IT'S ALSO THE FIRST IMPRESSION THAT OUR EMPLOYEES GET OF US.
SO AS CANDIDATES, IT'S THE FIRST IMPRESSION THAT THEY SEE OF THE DISTRICT.
AND OUR RECRUITMENT TEAM HAS BEEN VERY BUSY IN 2024.
THERE WERE 338 TOTAL RECRUITMENTS. 66 OF THOSE WERE OPEN RECRUITMENTS AND NINE WERE INTERN RECRUITMENTS, NINE SEASONAL TEMP RECRUITMENTS, 152 ACTING RECRUITMENTS AND 102 TRANSFER RECRUITMENTS.
THAT'S A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WORK . IN 2025 SO FAR, WE'VE HAD 120, 122 RECRUITMENTS.
[00:40:01]
26 OF THOSE ARE OPEN, TWO INTERNSHIP FOR SEASONAL, 41 ACTING RECRUITMENTS AND 49 TRANSFER RECRUITMENTS.SO NOT EXACTLY ON TRACK AS 2024, BUT I DO TEND TO SEE IN RECRUITMENT CYCLES THAT KIND OF MID-SUMMER TO MID-FALL IS USUALLY WHEN THINGS KICK UP A BIT.
SO THOSE RECRUITMENTS TRANSFERRED INTO 227 HIRES IN 2024.
AND SO FAR IN 2025, IT'S TRANSFERRED INTO 90 HIRES.
THAT'S A LOT. THAT'S A LOT. IT'S A LOT. JUST FOR REFERENCE IN MY LAST ORGANIZATION ALAMEDA FOR ALL OF 2024, WE HAD 98 RECRUITMENTS WHICH TRANSFERRED INTO ABOUT 110 HIRES.
BUT SO 90 RECRUITMENTS BY OR 90 HIRES BY MAY.
THAT'S REALLY BIG. AND NOT ONLY ARE THEY IS THE RECRUITMENT TEAM DOING THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS.
SO THE ADVERTISING, THE SCREENING, ALL OF THAT.
BUT THEY'RE ALSO PROCESSING ALL OF THESE HIRES.
SO THERE ARE A LOT OF KEYSTROKES IN THAT TO GET EVERYBODY ON BOARDED.
SOME OF THE THINGS THAT OUR RECRUITMENT TEAM HAS DONE TO KIND OF INCREASE THE NUMBER OF APPLICANTS FOR SUMMER HIRING, WHICH IS KIND OF ON THE TAIL END RIGHT NOW, BUT IT'S VERY BIG, IS THAT THEY THIS YEAR THEY STARTED OR MAYBE LAST YEAR THEY STARTED A ONE STOP FOR TESTING AND SELECTION FOR LIVE SCAN AND MEDICAL EXAMS, WHICH REDUCED THE PRE-BOARDING PROCESS BY ABOUT HALF.
WE ARE ABLE TO MOVE THEM THROUGH THE PROCESS AND HIRE THEM.
PUBLIC SAFETY HAS MONTHLY TESTING FOR POLICE, WHICH INCLUDES APPELLATE B EXAM.
IT'S A WRITTEN EXAM A PHYSICAL AGILITY EXAM AND AN ORAL EXAM.
SO ALL IN ONE DAY THEY'RE GETTING EVERY PIECE OF THEIR OF THEIR RECRUITMENT WHICH CAN BE VERY BENEFICIAL BECAUSE IF WE ARE NOT A ONE STOP SHOP FOR IT, THAT MEANS THEY'RE TAKING THE PELLET B ONE DAY, PERHAPS TAKING THE PHYSICAL AGILITY, ANOTHER DAY THEY COULD FALL OFF IN BETWEEN. AND SO IT'S VERY HELPFUL TO HAVE IT ALL IN ONE DAY.
AND THEN WE HAVE INTERVIEW WORKSHOPS COMING TO HELP WITH THE INTERVIEW PROCESS.
AND WE ARE EXPANDING OUR OUTREACH TO COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND AT COMMUNITY EVENTS.
SO THE INTERVIEW WORKSHOP IS FOR THOSE IN THE IN THE PROCESS.
YEAH. PARK DISTRICT THAT ARE GOING TO BE DOING INTERVIEWS.
YEAH. IS THAT RIGHT? THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING SO FAR.
RIGHT, RIGHT. BUT WE ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY DON'T ASK THE WRONG KIND OF QUESTIONS. YES.
YEAH. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. SO MOVING ON TO RETENTION.
THAT WAS A LOT OF RECRUITMENT, BUT MOVING ON TO RETENTION.
LIKE I SAID BEFORE, EVERY PART OF HR IS ABOUT RETAINING GOOD EMPLOYEES.
SO OUR NEW EMPLOYEES ARE ABLE TO GET FAMILIAR WITH THE DISTRICT GET FAMILIAR WITH OUR POLICIES, KIND OF HAVE A NICE INTRODUCTION. BECAUSE THAT IS OFTEN A PAIN POINT FOR MANY ORGANIZATIONS.
IS THAT KIND OF FIRST INTRODUCTION YOUR FIRST DAY? IT'S AGAIN, ANOTHER FIRST IMPRESSION, AND WE WANT TO MAKE IT A GOOD ONE.
SO OUR NEW EMPLOYEE ORIENTATIONS HELP WITH THAT.
WE ALSO HAVE THE LEAF PROGRAM, WHICH TRAINS OUR SUPERVISORS.
SO OUR EMPLOYEES ARE GETTING THE SAME SUPERVISION ACROSS THE DISTRICT.
IT CREATES FAIRNESS, CONSISTENCY WHICH HELPS WITH RETENTION.
WE ALSO RECENTLY MOVED OUR PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS INTO A ELECTRONIC SYSTEM SO THAT THEY WOULD BE EASIER TO DO. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL JUST YET, BUT I DO KNOW THAT IT IS IN THE PROCESS.
AND PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS ARE A WAY FOR US TO RECOGNIZE EMPLOYEES AND TO RETAIN THEM.
[00:45:04]
AND THEN WE HAVE SERVICE AWARDS TO RECOGNIZE EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE BEEN HERE FIVE, TEN, 15, 20 YEARS.WE HAVE OUR EMPLOYEE AND LABOR RELATIONS DEPARTMENT, WHICH UPDATES POLICIES, MANAGES AND COACHES AND ADVISES MANAGERS AND DOES OUR EXIT INTERVIEWS RIGHT NOW. AND THAT ALL PROVIDES CONSISTENCY ACROSS THE DISTRICT SO THAT OUR EMPLOYEES ARE TREATED FAIRLY.
OUR BENEFITS DEPARTMENT BENEFITS IS ALSO A REALLY BIG ONE WHEN PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT NEW EMPLOYERS.
WE HAVE MEDICAL, DENTAL, OTHER BENEFITS. AND OUR BENEFITS TEAM ALSO MANAGES OUR FMLA LEAVES.
SO JUST ANOTHER WAY THAT EMPLOYEES FEEL CARED FOR BY THEIR EMPLOYERS, WHICH KEEPS THEM WITH US.
AND THEN WE HAVE A RISK DEPARTMENT WHICH MONITORS WORKERS COMPENSATION SAFETY POLICIES.
SO ALL OF THOSE PROGRAMS RESULT IN A VACANCY RATE OF ABOUT 10%, WHICH IS VERY GOOD.
BUT WE'LL GO DOWN TO 7.8% IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE.
SO THEY WILL HAVE ZERO VACANCIES IN POLICE, WHICH I DON'T KNOW THAT I HAVE EVER HEARD.
SO THAT'S VERY EXCITING AND REDUCES OUR PUBLIC SAFETY VACANCY RATE.
AND THEN OPERATIONS, WHICH IS ONE OF OUR LARGEST DIVISIONS, HAS A VERY LOW VACANCY RATE, 6.5%.
AND THAT'S IT. IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS, I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITIES.
QUESTIONS? GREAT. WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I CAN'T HELP BUT SAY A LITTLE COMMENTS IN HERE.
JUST THANK YOU KNOW, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WORK AND WELCOME AND GOOD GOOD TO HAVE YOU HERE.
I WAS CURIOUS ON THE AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THE EFFORTS TO, TO STREAMLINE THINGS AND KEEP THINGS MOVING BECAUSE I THINK MANY TIMES PUBLIC AGENCIES DO LOSE OUT ON REALLY GOOD CANDIDATES BECAUSE THEY JUST CAN'T GRAB THEM FAST ENOUGH.
AND TO THAT END, I WAS CURIOUS ABOUT THE POLICE, ALTHOUGH ALTHOUGH YOUR LAST COMMENTS ABOUT FILLING TEN OF THE TEN SOUNDS REALLY GREAT, BUT I WAS JUST WONDERING WHEN YOU TALKED ABOUT HAVING, LIKE, THAT MONTHLY TESTING AND HAVING EVERYBODY COME LIKE ONCE A MONTH IS THAT I DON'T KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS FOR THE POLICE OFFICERS TO KNOW.
BUT IS THAT ENOUGH? SO IS IT THAT PEOPLE? BECAUSE I CAN JUST IMAGINE CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE A POSTING COMES OUT AND THEN THE NEXT OPPORTUNITY TO TEST ISN'T FOR LIKE ANOTHER MONTH OR ALMOST A MONTH AND AND IS THAT I MEAN, I GUESS IF YOU GOT TEN OUT OF TEN, IT SEEMS LIKE THE PROCESS IS WORKING.
BUT GIVEN OUR VACANCY RATE CURRENTLY, I THINK A MONTH IS PROBABLY APPROPRIATE.
GREAT. OKAY. THANK YOU. I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
YOU DID A VERY THOROUGH JOB. GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR FILLING US IN ON ALL THAT.
AND MADAM CLERK, DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THIS? NO, WE DO NOT. PRESIDENT MERCURIO. ALL RIGHT.
WOULD YOU CARE TO ELABORATE ON ANYTHING THAT YOU ALREADY SAID? I'M GOOD. THANK YOU. OKAY. YEAH, I I HAVE TO FOCUS IN ON ON THE VACANCY RATE THAT WE HAVE HERE.
I THINK THAT SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT WHAT WHAT THIS THIS ORGANIZATION IS ALL ABOUT AND HOW IT RUNS.
AND IN PARTICULARLY THE PUBLIC SAFETY ONE IS, IS YOU KNOW, I IMAGINE IT'S OUT THERE LIKE 25% OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, OR MAYBE MORE. BUT I JUST DIDN'T REALIZE WE WERE THAT CLOSE TO FILLING THE SPOTS.
IT'S REALLY NEEDED. AND TO HAVE EVERYBODY ON BOARD, IT JUST MAKES IT A BETTER EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYBODY, I THINK, INCLUDING THE ONES WHO ARE ALREADY WORKING AND GOING TO GET ALL THAT HELP.
[00:50:02]
YEAH, YEAH. AND I JUST WANT TO ADD ON A COUPLE THINGS ON THIS SPECIFICALLY ON PUBLIC SAFETY.SO YEAH, THERE ARE SOME AGENCIES THAT ARE SEEING UPWARDS, EVEN WITHIN OUR TWO COUNTIES, UPWARDS OF 40% VACANCY RATE WITHIN THEIR SWORN RANKS. SO THIS IS EXTRAORDINARY. AND TO YOUR POINT ABOUT KIND OF PROGRESS YOU KNOW, YES, WE ARE, YOU KNOW, VERY, VERY CLOSE TO BEING FILLED. AND THERE WILL BE A PRESS RELEASE, I PROMISE YOU, WHEN THE THE MOMENT THAT HITS IT'S IT'S VERY NEWSWORTHY.
A BIG PART OF FILLING VACANCIES IS PREVENTING THEM FROM HAPPENING IN THE FIRST PLACE.
SO, YOU KNOW, KIND OF THE FIRST PRESENTATION THAT JOSE GAVE, YOU KNOW, REALLY HIGHLIGHTING THE ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE AND HOW WE'RE PRIORITIZING THAT EXTREMELY IMPORTANT WORK THAT WE'RE DOING TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE, ONCE THEY'RE IN THE THE DISTRICT HERE, IT'S OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO TO HELP THEM SUCCEED AND TO WANT TO STAY.
SO MAYBE NEXT PRESENTATION. WE CAN ALSO HIGHLIGHT THAT.
IN FACT, I WILL TELL YOU, CHIEF FELICE IS MAYBE THE PICKIEST CHIEF I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY CAREER, WHICH IS GREAT. AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE ARE TURNING AWAY A TREMENDOUS NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING IN, EVEN, YOU KNOW, THOSE THAT ARE EXPERIENCED LATERALS THAT COME IN WORD OF MOUTH AND RECOMMENDED.
AND THEY'RE JUST REALLY NOT KIND OF, YOU KNOW, WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR FOR, YOU KNOW, THE UNIQUE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND PUBLIC SAFETY WORK THAT WE DO HERE. SO I DID WANT TO ALSO PUT THAT ON RECORD.
YES. WE'RE FILLING VACANCIES THROUGHOUT THE AGENCY.
BUT WE HAVEN'T LOWERED OUR STANDARDS. IF ANYTHING, WE'RE CONTINUING TO, TO INCREASE THOSE.
I'M JUST CURIOUS BECAUSE I, I ALSO WAS GOING TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, REALLY, IT'S NOT JUST THE ABSOLUTE NUMBER, BUT THAT THE NUMBERS, THE SORRY THE VACANCY RATE IS GOING DOWN.
AND SO DO YOU HAVE OFF THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD OR MAYBE ALISON OR SOMEBODY HAS, HAS THE WHAT IT WAS LAST YEAR VERSUS THIS YEAR. I DON'T HAVE THE 2024 VACANCY RATE, BUT I KNOW THE LAST ONE THAT WE REPORTED OUT WAS 10.8%. AND I BELIEVE THAT WAS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.
OKAY. ALL RIGHT. AND THAT WAS THAT. OKAY. THAT WAS THE OVERALL WE'VE GOTTEN A LITTLE BIT ANYWAY.
AND WE'VE ALSO WE'VE ALSO ADDED A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF.
ABSOLUTELY. SO THAT'S THE OTHER PART. IF YOU LOOK AT KIND OF THE RAW NUMBER OF POSITIONS THAT WE FILLED, I THINK THAT MIGHT BE WHAT YOU WERE ABOUT TO SAY. YEAH. HI.
ALISON COOK, DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER. WHEN I STARTED IN 2020, THE VACANCY RATE WAS ABOUT 12.8%.
A LOT OF THAT DUE TO COVID BECAUSE I STARTED IN 2021, AND THEN IT'S HOVERED BETWEEN 9 NINE AND 8%.
8.8% LAST YEAR. SO IT'S SLIGHTLY HIGHER. BUT AGAIN, IT'S A SNAPSHOT IN TIME.
SO WE ANTICIPATE WE'RE GOING TO GET BACK TO RIGHT WHERE WE WERE.
PLUS WE'VE HAD SOME YOU KNOW TURNOVER IN HR. SO WE'RE TRYING TO GET BACK TO RECRUITING WHICH AS YOU CAN SEE FROM JESSICA'S PRESENTATION, THEY'VE DONE AN AMAZING JOB HIRING, PLUS FILLING ALL THE NEW POSITIONS THAT THE BOARD HAS GRACIOUSLY EXTENDED TO OUR DIVISIONS.
GREAT. WELL THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR THAT, ALLISON.
AND THANK YOU, JESSICA, FOR THE REPORT. REALLY APPRECIATE IT. ALL RIGHT.
AGAIN, THANKS. THANKS TO ALL. AND NEXT IS ANNOUNCEMENTS.
[Announcements]
ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS TODAY. AND OUR LAST ITEM IS ADJOURNMENT, WHICH IS OCCURRING AT THIS VERY MOMENT AT 12:03 P.M.. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.