Madera County commission approves series of job classification changes, creates clinical titles to comply with SB 525

The Madera County Civil Service Commission at a regular meeting unanimously approved a package of personnel classification changes, including the removal of “POST” from several correctional job titles, the abolition of older correctional classifications, adoption of two clinical classifications tied to Senate Bill 525 wage rules, a title change for an administrative analyst role and a reclassification of a human resources technician to executive assistant.

The actions affect multiple county job descriptions and were presented by Sabrina Mendez of the Department of Human Resources and by Sandy Edwards, assistant human resources director. Commissioners Atwood, Perez, Rios, Iverson and Frey voted 5-0 on each item.

Why it matters: the changes alter official job titles and classifications that guide hiring, pay and minimum-qualification rules in county departments. One item — the new clinical job classifications — was presented as necessary to comply with Senate Bill 525 (SB 525), which the county said sets minimum-wage requirements for certain health-care employees in qualifying clinics.

Human-resources presentation

Sabrina Mendez, Department of Human Resources, told the commission that the county created a set of correctional classifications in 2022 that included the word “POST” to indicate a proof-of-eligibility requirement. "The proof of eligibility is an enhanced background and shows that a candidate is authorized to work as a peace officer," Mendez said, and recommended removing “POST” from titles such as correctional captain, correctional deputy, correctional corporal, correctional lieutenant and correctional sergeant to avoid confusion with similarly titled positions.

After approving the title revisions, the commission approved a separate item abolishing the older correctional classifications, with staff saying no current employees occupy those abolished titles.

SB 525 and new clinical titles

Mendez told commissioners that, to comply with SB 525, human resources recommended creating two new job descriptions — clinical central services worker and clinical office assistant (levels 1 and 2) — to identify county employees who work in qualifying clinical settings and therefore are covered by the law. Mendez outlined the SB 525 requirement that qualifying health-care employees be paid a specified minimum wage beginning Jan. 1, 2025; the transcript record includes the county staff’s stated wage figure and an annual adjustment but the meeting record contains unclear date text for the multi-year schedule.

Title and duties adjustments

The commission also approved reverting the county’s Administrative Analyst 3 title back to Senior Administrative Analyst, restoring lead responsibilities the county said align with the position’s scope. Sandy Edwards said the recommended change followed conversations with departments and a review of duties: "It's a variety of things. So we do take a look at a number of things. So it is, thorough research on our behalf," she said.

Separately, the commission approved an amendment to the sheriff’s civil unit manager job description to reflect that the position has assumed oversight of county fleet operations since the retirement of the fleet superintendent. Human resources recommended folding those duties into the manager’s job description for organizational clarity.

Reclassification of one employee

Human resources presented a reclassification request for one incumbent, described in the record as Miss Cabrera, recommending her be reclassified from Human Resources Technician 3 to Executive Assistant with direct status. Staff described the reclass as a single-person, more involved process that uses a position-description questionnaire and, where relevant, bargaining-unit review. Commissioners approved the reclassification 5-0.

Votes at a glance

- Revision of correctional titles (remove “POST” from correctional captain, deputy, corporal, lieutenant, sergeant): approved 5-0. - Abolishment of older correctional classifications (corporal, lieutenant, sergeant, captain as listed on the agenda): approved 5-0. - Adoption of clinical classifications (Clinical Central Services Worker; Clinical Office Assistant 1 and 2) to align with SB 525: approved 5-0. - Amendment to Administrative Analyst classification (revert Administrative Analyst 3 to Senior Administrative Analyst; reinstate lead responsibilities): approved 5-0. - Amendment to Sheriff’s Civil Unit Manager job description (add fleet oversight duties): approved 5-0. - Reclassification of one Human Resources Technician 3 to Executive Assistant (single incumbent, referred to as Miss Cabrera): approved 5-0.

What commissioners asked and what happens next

Commissioners asked for clearer redline versions of title and job-description changes; staff acknowledged a file-conversion issue had removed visible redlines from the distributed PDFs and offered to provide internal copies that show exactly what was struck and what was added. Staff also described the department’s process for reclassifications and job-description amendments, including distribution to bargaining units and opportunities for incumbents or unit representatives to review and respond.

The commission did not set new effective dates in the public meeting record beyond the SB 525 start date staff referenced; staff indicated they would post amended job descriptions online when finalized.

Closing staff items

In staff reports, human resources said the commission’s December meeting is likely to be canceled because of construction and equipment reconfiguration in the meeting room; items that cannot wait would be scheduled for a special meeting or pushed to January. The meeting concluded with a brief adjournment in honor of a county employee whose attention to detail helped correct a deed transfer error.

(End of report)