For City Council Meeting May 26, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Tanya Williams, City Manager
AUTHOR: Tim Sullivan, Assistant City Manager
Title
Request City Council to Request City Council to Conduct a Public Hearing on the Status of Vacancies and Recruitment and Retention Efforts in Compliance with Assembly Bill 2561.
POWERPOINT
(ACTION)
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council Staff recommends that the City Council open the public hearing to receive a report on workforce vacancies, recruitment and retention efforts, and provide recognized employee organizations of bargaining units the opportunity to make a presentation on these topics, as well as to receive and file this report in compliance with Assembly Bill 2561.
BACKGROUND
Assembly Bill 2561 (“AB 2561”) added Government Code 3502.3 to the Meyers-Milias Brown Act in response to a trio of findings:
1. Job vacancies in local government are a widespread and significant problem for the public sector;
2. High job vacancies impact public services and workers who are forced to handle heavier workloads, while understaffing leads to burnout and increased turnover; and,
3. There is a statewide interest in ensuring that public agency operations are appropriately staffed and that high vacancy rates do not undermine public employee labor relations.
As a result of these findings, effective on January 1, 2025, public agencies must report on workforce vacancy rates, recruitment and retention efforts, and obstacles in the hiring process at a public hearing before the public agency’s governing body at least once per fiscal year, prior to the adoption of the agency’s annual budget. If any recognized employee organization for a bargaining unit has a vacancy rate of 20% or higher, then additional information on vacancies for that unit must also be presented at the hearing at the request of the bargaining unit. This includes the total number of job vacancies within the bargaining unit, the total number of applicants for the vacant positions within the bargaining unit, the average number of days to complete the hiring process, and other opportunities to improve compensation and other working conditions.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION
As of May 20, 2026, the vacancy rate for the City of Rialto was 9.16%. Three of the City’s six bargaining groups had a vacancy rate of 10% or below, and three of the bargaining groups had reductions in vacancy rates from last year to the present. TMMU decreased form 16.7% to 13%; RPBA-G reduced from 6% to 3.3%, and Local 3688 from 11.9% to 10%. Each of the individual bargaining units and vacancy rates is outlined in Table 1.
TABLE 1
In collaboration with all City departments, the Human Resources and Risk Management Department (HR/RM) embarked on an overhaul of the recruitment and hiring process. While the recruitment process is governed by the City’s Personnel Rules and Regulations and adheres to applicable laws and best practices, the hiring campaign was tailored to address each department’s specific needs for their qualified candidates. HR/RM, in partnership with individual departments, leveraged digital and social media to advertise job opportunities, utilized tools like GovernmentJobs.com and LinkedIn Recruiter to attract applicants, and built partnerships with professional organizations, educational institutions, and trade associations to expand the candidate pool. Internally, HR/RM set up weekly recruitment meetings to discuss pinch points and potential areas where a “bottleneck” could occur, and proactively found ways to continue to move recruitments forward. More recently, communication with applicants was used to maintain their engagement throughout the recruitment process. Internal audits are periodically conducted to ensure that the process is fair and in alignment with written rules, while finding ways to continue to streamline and hire the most qualified candidate for each department.
The recruitment and retention challenges facing cities today reflect a structural shift in the labor market, one driven by demographic trends, increasing competition between public and private sector employers, and a shrinking pipeline of qualified candidates in specialized fields. For positions such as those in Engineering, Building and Safety, and Fire, the City must compete with surrounding agencies and private employers for a limited pool of candidates. In response, the Human Resources and Risk Management Department has undertaken the following:
1. Amplified online outreach efforts and increased presence at job fairs to expand the City’s visibility among prospective candidates.
2. Reviewed and updated job specifications to eliminate outdated requirements and better reflect the evolving operational needs of City departments.
3. Collaborated with Department Heads and hiring authorities to identify and prepare employees for promotional opportunities.
4. Filled a dedicated HR/Risk Management Specialist vacancy, with this position focused primarily on Fire Department recruitments while also supporting City-wide recruitment efforts.
Human Resources and Risk Management will continue to audit for areas for improvement and practicable changes to meet its commitment to filling vacancies as quickly as possible.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The request is not a “Project” as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Pursuant to Section 15378(a), a “Project” means the whole of an action, which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. According to Section 15378(b), a Project does not include: (5) Organizational or administrative activities of governments that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY
Complies with the following Rialto General Plan Guiding Principle:
Our Government will lead by example, and will operate in an open, transparent, and responsive manner that meets the needs of the citizens and is a good place to do business.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney's Office has reviewed the staff report.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS
Operating Budget Impact
There is no impact on the Operating Budget.
Capital Improvement Budget Impact
There is no impact on the Capital Improvement Budget.
Licensing
This action does not require a business license.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Presentation