Public comment and CAO explain personnel reclassification process amid consent‑agenda raises

Speakers during the public‑comment period at the Sept. 9 Board of Supervisors meeting focused on consent‑agenda personnel reclassifications that included substantial pay increases for some deputy and clerk positions.

Pete Judy, a District 4 resident, endorsed reclassifications that would raise two employees’ pay by about 37 percent and urged the board to consider back pay for long‑underpaid workers. He said reclassification often occurs piecemeal and can leave department heads compressed against their deputies.

Other speakers urged regular cost‑of‑living adjustments and robust contract negotiations. A retired carpentry union representative recommended multi‑year negotiated wage schedules to avoid the catch‑up problem.

County Administrative Officer Joe Lynch told the board the county follows a job‑classification plan approved in 2016 and uses position description questionnaires to compare actual duties to job descriptions. Lynch said the county is using reclassification to better align existing staff with current duties and to avoid adding headcount. He also said a compensation study for department heads had just been completed and that all employees receive a November cost‑of‑living adjustment based on San Francisco CPI for August.

The board approved the consent agenda, which included the reclassifications, unanimously. Lynch and board members acknowledged ongoing concerns about “compaction,” where pay increases for subordinate staff narrow the gap with department heads, and said the board is pursuing a broader compensation review for leadership positions.