City reports 11.7% vacancy rate; unions urge pay boosts to stem turnover

City human-resources staff presented the annual position vacancy report required by Assembly Bill 2561 and told the council the city had 532 budgeted full-time positions and a citywide vacancy rate of 11.7% as of Dec. 31, 2024. Staff said no bargaining unit met the 20% threshold that would trigger additional disclosure requirements under AB 2561 and recommended continuing recruitment and retention efforts, including a proposed citywide salary survey for fiscal-year 2025-26.

Senior Human Resources Analyst Jamie Cross and Deputy Human Resources Director Jennifer Gutierrez summarized turnover factors: excluding retirements, 34 employees voluntarily separated in 2024, and 38% of separations cited higher salary or better opportunity. Staff recommended emphasizing city benefits, alternative work schedules, updated job descriptions and streamlined recruitment processes to improve retention.

Representatives of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU Local 721) said pay gaps are acute for specific classifications. SEIU regional director Carson Acosta and chapter leaders provided a chart showing lengthy time-to-hire for positions such as Office Assistant II (about 324 days on average) and maintenance worker classifications, and they compared Simi Valley starting wages unfavorably to neighboring cities. Chapter president Vivian DeLuca, an administrative technician in the police department, said low pay leads to turnover, greater workload for remaining staff and higher training costs.

SEIU members described public-safety dispatch staffing shortfalls: Communications supervisor Brooke Dunbar said the dispatch center has 13 staff of an allotted 17 but only nine fully trained dispatchers; she said recent departures mean trained staff work 44-to-68-hour weeks, with mandates that can reach 16-hour days and six consecutive days. Dunbar said the center has seen incoming calls increase substantially and that staffing shortages are causing burnout and operational strain.

The Police Management Association (PMA) and Police Officers Association (POA) described critical staffing shortages. Patrol Bureau Commander Brian Samples said the department is authorized for 124 officers but has about 105 functioning officers; he reported six officers out on long-term injury, and six currently in background checks with other agencies. Samples said the department plans to reduce some summer deployments beginning May 19 because of staff shortages; he quantified anticipated lost coverage as roughly 720 investigative hours and 720 traffic-enforcement hours, and he said the entire special enforcement team (four officers and a supervisor) would be pulled from proactive duties for the summer, eliminating approximately 3,600 proactive investigative hours.

Council asked about next steps. Staff said the city will propose a citywide salary survey for the FY 2025-26 budget cycle and continue emphasizing benefits and recruitment improvements. Following presentations, the council voted unanimously to receive and file the vacancy report per AB 2561.