Council adopts revised 2025 personnel rules and regulations manual

The City Council on Sept. 3 adopted a revised 2025 Personnel Rules and Regulations manual intended to update hiring, leave, and disciplinary policies in line with current law and workforce needs. Fran Sin Oi, the city’s human resources manager, told council the update replaces the 2016 manual and reflects meet-and-confer sessions with the two employee organizations.

The revision adds and revises policies that city staff highlighted as priorities: nepotism and outside employment rules, consensual romantic-relationship guidance, paid administrative leave, reproductive-loss leave, and defined procedures for acting appointments and standard work schedules. The manual also consolidates nine existing policies into appendices, including harassment/discrimination prevention, drug- and alcohol-free workplace policies, and an electronic communications policy.

Fran Sin Oi said both employee organizations — the Soledad Police Officers Association and SEIU (Service Employees International Union) — reviewed the draft and signed off on the proposed manual. Council members asked questions about harassment training cadence and the city’s plans to improve annual performance evaluations. Sin Oi said supervisors receive two hours of anti-harassment training every two years and nonsupervisory staff receive one hour; she and City Manager Megan Hunter said they plan to improve ongoing evaluation practices and implement workplace violence training in collaboration with the police department.

Council approved Resolution No. 6281 adopting the manual. Hunter said staff will follow up with implementation steps and planned training.