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Council approves slate of new and reappointed Long Beach commissioners, including five for new civil service commission
Summary
The City Council confirmed seven new appointments and several reappointments across boards and commissions, including five inaugural members for the recently established Civil Service Employee Rights and Appeals Commission under Measure JB.
The Long Beach City Council on April 22 approved a series of appointments and reappointments to city boards and commissions, including the inaugural members of the newly formed Civil Service Employee Rights and Appeals Commission.
Councilmember Rick Soady, chairing the Government Operations and Efficiency Committee, recommended several nominees. The council confirmed seven new appointees and multiple reappointments across commissions; the motion was carried on the record without a roll‑call tally in the transcript.
Named to the Civil Service Employee Rights and Appeals Commission were Devon Ablard (labor and community organizer; Deputy Director of Outreach and Civic Engagement, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor), Rita Gallardo (vice president of partnerships and policy engagement at Campaign for College Opportunity), Christopher Garner (recently retired Long Beach department head with a 40‑year city career), Hurley Owens (veteran and former bureau manager of maintenance operations), and Margo Morales (previous ethics commission chair and LA County retiree). Councilmembers and the mayor praised the appointees’ collective experience in civil service, labor and municipal operations.
Other appointments included Todd Lemus to the Planning Commission (at‑large), Charlie Parkin to the Utilities Commission, and reappointments for Harbor Commissioner Steve Neal and Planning Commissioner Alvaro Castillo.
Council discussion emphasized that the makeup of the new civil service commission reflects Measure JB’s changes to the city’s hiring and employee appeal processes; Duggan said the commission will be active in the coming weeks and replace interim arrangements used while the commission was formed.
The council recorded the vote as "motion is carried" in the transcript following the presentation, with no detailed roll‑call included in the public minutes excerpt.
