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Council approves limited exemptions for elected-official executive secretary positions and adopts policy against routine future exemptions
Summary
The council approved a personnel committee report that exempted specific elected‑official executive secretary positions while adopting policy language opposing routine future exemptions of the executive secretary classification for non‑elected managers; vote recorded and controller supported the approach.
The Los Angeles City Council approved a personnel committee report that included an exemption for specific executive secretary positions serving elected officials and a policy expression that elected‑official executive secretary exemptions should not become routine for other managers.
Representatives of AFSCME Local 3672 and executive secretaries from the city described concerns about exempting the executive‑secretary classification. Cheryl Parisi, a staff representative for AFSCME District Council 36, said the executive‑secretary classification is the top promotional clerical classification and asked the council to affirm that further exemptions would not be granted. “We ask by supporting point number 5 of the committee report that you would affirm the talent and commitment of the executive secretaries and commit to no further exemptions in this classification,” Parisi said.
Councilmember Jackie Goldberg moved the personnel committee report including item 5, which stated a policy preference that executive secretary exemptions for non‑elected officials not be granted. City Controller Rick Tuttle, whose office sought an exemption for the controller’s elected‑official executive secretary, told the council he supported item 5 and said his office had no intention of exempting comparable positions that report to the chief deputy controller.
Councilmembers noted a narrow distinction between elected officials and appointed general managers and expressed concern about creating a slippery slope that would erode promotional career ladders for clerical employees. Several councilmembers urged the policy be clear to protect career staff.
The council recorded a vote that included item 5 and moved the ordinance over one week due to lack of 12 votes for immediate forward transmission; recorded tally on the personnel item was 10 ayes as noted in the transcript. The council adopted the personnel committee report including the requested policy language.
What this means: The council granted targeted exemptions for executive‑secretary positions that serve elected officials while signaling a policy preference against routine exemptions of the executive‑secretary class for other appointed managers; unions urged preservation of the promotional ladder for clerical staff.
